Police pounce on members after would-be victims lodges report

In the latest case of extortion involving Burmese workers, Kathu Police on Saturday afternoon arrested five men posing as government officers in a bid to extort money from a construction company.

Kathu Police Superinten-dent Col Grissak Songmoon-nark said that Kathu Police were informed of the extortion bid by construction foreman Somyot Chairat, who was overseeing a project in Patong.

A group of five men approached him claiming to be part of a special branch of the Narcotic Control Board(ONCB) tasked with "suppressing" Burmese laborers in Thailand", Somyot said.

Posing as ONCB officers

In exchange for an initial Bt150,000 cash payoff, the fake ONCB officers offered to leave the camp alone for a period of one year - regardless of whether the workers were registered or not, he said.

They said they were sent on assignment to Phuket after the 54 illegal Burmese laborers died en route to Phuket on April 9, he added.

Somyot took the telephone number of Major Teeradet Janjamsai and said he would call them back and pay at the work site later that afternoon.

Knowing that all his workers were legal, he instead called police. When the gang returned in their extended cab pickup to collect payment, police officers already hiding in wait moved in after Somyot paid the men.

The men were identified at a press conference later that day as Nakhon Sri Tham-marat natives Paisarn Bum-rungsak, 39; Pornthep Julla-det, 34; and WittayaInthanop, 35, along with Surat Thani native Teerapong Sripoot, 34, and alleged ringleader Maj Teeradet Janjamsai, 51, from Bangkok.

Aall five men confessed to trying to extort money.

Col Grissak encouraged anyone who is subject to similar extortion attempts to call the police. "There are other people doing the same thing," he said.