Immigration official transferred over bribe clip
An immigration official has been transferred from his post after allegedly demanding a monthly fee from an immigrant in Songkhla’s Hat Yai district.
The transfer follows an investigation launched by Immigration Division 6 last week.
The probe was triggered after the Strong Thailand Anti-Corruption Facebook page published a sound clip of an alleged conversation between the officer and the unidentified immigrant on August 31.
In the conversation, the officer asked the immigrant about money he was promised. The immigrant replied that payment was impossible this time, as the economy was hit by Covid-19. The officer threatened the immigrant with arrest if he failed to make the promised payment.
Immigration Division 6 said it would conduct a fair and transparent investigation, and the officer would be punished if found guilty.
Last December, alleged corruption among border officials was blamed for sparking Thailand's second wave of Covid-19 among illegal migrants in Samut Sakhon.