Chon Buri Provincial Governor Thawatchai Srithong and the provincial police commander, Pol Maj-Gen Kittanet Thananantaveesin, held a joint press conference yesterday (Tuesday) to refute allegations of bribe taking from night entertainment establishments in Pattaya.
Both also threatened legal action against those responsible for posting the allegations on social media.
A recent social media post shows a piece of paper with names of the entertainment venues in Pattaya scribbled on it, with numbers thought to be the amounts of bribes paid. Another post shows an image of the police commander eating at a gathering, which they claim was hosted by the venue operators.
Pol Maj-Gen Kittanet said that the allegations have tarnished his reputation, adding that he will sue those responsible for publishing the false allegations.
The governor, meanwhile, said that entertainment venues which are found to be violating the law will be closed down for five years without exception.
He added that he will also take legal action against those who accused him of taking bribes.
In Bangkok, police raided a pub in Yan Nawa district on Tuesday night and about 40 of the 300 customers, mostly Chinese tourists, tested positive for illegal drugs.
Pol Maj-Gen Theeradet Thamsuthee, commander of the investigative division of Metropolitan Police Bureau, said that the pub had been operating illegally for about four months and only catered to foreign customers, adding that most customers are on package tours from China.
