Former politician and massage parlour tycoon Chuvit Kamolvisit held a press conference at 2 p.m. today at the hotel in Bangkok having the Singaporean companion of the Taiwanese actress reveal the alleged extortion, involving Huai Khwang policemen.
The press conference took place at the Davis Bangkok Hotel in Sukhumvit 24.
Chuvit said the incident was extortion, not bribery. He would not send the Singaporean man to the police station for questioning but he asked the police to meet the witness at the hotel within 3 p.m. and to bring the photos of all police officers, manning the checkpoint on that day for the witness to identify.
If investigators do not come to question the witness within the deadline, he will send the witness back to Singapore due to safety concern.
The man is the important witness as he said he handed over the money to the police at the checkpoint after his taxi, carrying him and three others including the Taiwanese celebrity was stopped by the police for a security search on Ratchadapisek Road on Jan 4. The tourists claim they had to pay 27,000 baht to be freed by the police related to a visa problem.
During the press conference, the Singaporean man said about the incident when he and friends were stopped by the police at the checkpoint. The police asked about a visa. He told them he came from Singapore, entitled to visa exemption and can stay for 30 days. Then, the police said vaping devices were illegal. He explained to the police that he bought them in Thailand and did not know they were illegal. He was told he would be put in jail if he refused to pay the fine of 27,000 baht for three vaping devices and no passport. He paid the money and was taken a photo with the vaping device at the checkpoint. (TNA)
