“I have been removed for a reason which has nothing to do with my ability or my shortcomings,” Thawil Pliensri, the ousted National Security Council secretary-general, said on September 7.
All the chaos and drama is thanks to the wise guy tactics of Chuvit Kamolvisit, who has even upset the U.S. State Department. The American Embassy refused to issue Mr. Chuvit a visa to meet his two daughters and former wife in San Diego, California, because he previously owned several huge Bangkok massage parlors packed with sex workers and openly admitted to bribing police, he said. Now, instead of bribing cops, he is using his new seat in parliament to expose police who allegedly profit from lavish, illegal gambling dens equipped with baccarat tables, roulette wheels, card games and other betting games.
Most gambling is illegal in this Buddhist-majority country, though lotteries are permitted. Mr. Chuvit, who boasts of being a hedonist, favors legalizing gambling and heads a tiny, four-man opposition Rak Thailand (“Love Thailand”) party, which he uses as a personal soapbox.
After winning a July election, he stunned parliament in August by displaying an elaborate video sting he arranged which allegedly showed Thailand’s biggest illegal casino was protected by police. There are more than 170 illegal gambling dens of various sizes in Bangkok, winning a total of up to $6 billion each year — with five to 20 percent of the profits allegedly paid to bribe police ($300m to $1.2b) – according to Rajabhat University’s Good Governance program.
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