Singaporean says he paid bribe linked to Taiwan actress Charlene An’s extortion scandal
- Singapore man says police seized e-cigarettes after stopping the taxi he and his group were travelling in
- They demanded a bribe of US$820 to go easy on charges linked to vapes and the failure to produce a visa
Thailand+ myNEWS
SCMP’s Asia desk
+ myNEWS
Published: 6:07pm, 2 Feb, 2023
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Charlene An speaks during an interview via a video call in Taipei on January 30, 2023. Photo: EBC via AP
A Singaporean man who was with a Taiwanese actress when Thai police allegedly extorted 27,000 baht (US$820) from her said he coughed up the amount after being threatened with jail time for carrying e-cigarettes.
The 29-year-old man, who identified himself as “Sky”, said he took a taxi with a group of friends including actress Charlene An after attending a birthday party in Bangkok, when police intercepted the vehicle at a checkpoint on the night of January 3.
He said officers asked the group to get out of the cab, remove their shoes and show their passports. The cops found three vaping devices in Sky’s possession during their search. Sky said the vaporisers belonged to him and not the actress.
He added that the police, who seized the e-cigarettes, demanded a bribe of 27,000 baht to go easy on charges linked to vapes and the failure to produce a visa. Sky said he had a visa on arrival.
The Singaporean said he had bought the vaping devices at a local market but did not know they were illegal as they had been widely available in Thailand.E-cigarettes and vapes have been banned in the kingdom since 2014. Offenders can be fined up to 30,000 baht (US$912) and imprisoned for a maximum of 10 years.
According to Sky, the police said the group would be jailed for two days if they did not pay the hush money.
“I was very stressed and wanted to get away quickly. I was afraid of the police and imprisonment. So, I gave all the 30,000 baht that I had then and they took 27,000 baht,” the Bangkok Post quoted him as saying.
The incident has raised concerns about Thailand’s image as a tourist-friendly destination. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday acknowledged the problem was “deep-rooted” and pledged to punish the erring officials.
Thai police chief Damrongsak Kittipraphat also apologised over the episode in which six officers were charged with bribery. They face potential life imprisonment and a fine of up to 400,000 baht (US$12,200) if convicted.
