A Thai immigration official has been transferred and an investigation launched following allegations of corruption. The officer is accused of demanding regular bribes from an immigrant in the Hat Yai district of Songkhla, in southern Thailand. Officers from Immigration Division 6 have now launched an investigation into the claims. They insist the investigation shall be clear and neutral, adding that if the officer is found responsible, he will be punished accordingly.
Plain alleged corruption came to light on account of a recording printed by the anti-corruption Facebook page, Strong Thailand. The sound clip is allegedly a dialog that took place between the immigration officer and an unnamed migrant, during which the officer asks about money he says is owed to him.
According to a Nation Thailand report, the migrant may be heard answering that he’s presently unable to pay, due to financial hardship from Covid-19. The person alleged to be the immigration officer responds by threatening the person with arrest if he doesn’t pay.
Late final 12 months, immigration officers at border crossings have been accused of causing a resurgence in Covid-19 due to corrupt practices that allowed unlawful migrants to cross into Thailand for work in the central province of Samut Sakhon, where the second wave of the virus broke out..