The national police chief has ordered an urgent investigation into an allegation that overloaded trucks displaying a special sticker would not be checked or have to use weighbridges.
Move Forward party list MP-elect Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, who revealed the problem, claims that stickers on the windscreens of overloaded trucks meant that the trucks’ operators had paid bribes, so that their trucks would not be inspected or weighed.
A truck without the sticker will be stopped at every checkpoint and weighed at every weighbridge, Wiroj said.
The stickers would be changed every month and have a Thai numeral on them to show the month in which the bribe was paid.
Highway police who notice the stickers would allegedly wave the overloaded trucks through, Wiroj said, adding that the bribe money taken could amount to ten billion Baht annually.
National police chief, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittipraphat, has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter and says that officers found to be involved in the scandal will face stiff punishment.
Wiroj claims that overloaded trucks can damage roads, cause accidents and may be used to transport illegal items.
The “bribe-paid” sticker ring may involve highway police and highways department officials, he said.
On Sunday, national police spokesperson Pol Lt General Archayon Kraithong urged the public to alert police about bribery by calling 1599 or 1193 or through the http://www.jcoms.police.go.th website.
