crime

Case dropped against Thai ex-police chief over gun possession

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Kyodo News agency says prosecutors could not determine where Comronwit got the gun or prove his possession was deliberate.

Oh, c'mon! Seriously? I smell a rat! Have you ever heard of a drug smuggler's case being dismissed because they couldn't prove if the drugs were his and where he got them? Of course not! This fool had a loaded gun in his bag and has the charges dropped? Somebody has some very powerful friends!

15 ( +16 / -1 )

He probably has money and / or power and influence. He's obviously not one of the 98% who wouldn't have had charges dropped. Loaded gun at a Japanese airport! wow

8 ( +9 / -1 )

In Japan over 50% of criminal cases do not get charged (cases are dropped) after arrest. But if your case goes to court, 99% are convicted.

http://www.bengoshihiyo.com/keiji/fukiso2.html

8 ( +8 / -0 )

ah, vicodin is a serious problem, but "forgetting" you have a gun in your luggage - that's not so bad.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

If you just happen to "forget" you've got a loaded gun ANYWHERE, then you should not have one. Idiot.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Kyodo News agency says prosecutors could not determine where Comronwit got the gun or prove his possession was deliberate.

Of course they couldn't. /sarcasm/

It's funny how intent must be proved when politically convenient, but for the rest of us strict liability applies.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Good for the X-police chief who beat the system. It's not what you know, but who you know.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Did he reveal who the friend was?

Looks the police didn't want to go there & open up a can of worms. Obviously the "friend" is some powerful Oeraisan. Every gun has serial # and can be traced. . . . But the investigators stopped investigating and are dropping the case.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Japan seriously dropped the ball on this one and as most people here and elsewhere know this was dropped because of powerful friends with influence. Another example of what is good for the Goose is not good for the Gander. One law,for the privileged and another for the rest of us. Absolutely disgusted with this turn of events. This guy broke so many laws it's silly and that let him go. Japan should be downgraded to a third world corrupt ridden banana republic. Pathetic!

3 ( +5 / -2 )

And what about the friend who gave him the gun? Did anything happen to him? Did he reveal who the friend was?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

So what did the Japanese government get in exchange for that deal ?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Cops aways stick together.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Seems unlikely to have ended any other way.

Can you imagine the response of the Bangkok police to having their most-recently-retired police chief held for trial and sentencing?

Don't Japanese police, prosecutors, and much of the Japanese populace in general like to go to Bangkok once in a while, for business or otherwise?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This guy must be tough. Or a confession would have been beaten out of him by now. One of the 1% who are not convicted after arrest, unless his Ambassador intervened.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

He probably knows all the "good cop, bad cop" tricks.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They guy is obviously well-connected. I am sure there were political concerns. Not to mention the Japanese police need the cooperation of the Thai police often enough - they probably worked this out.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

One law for him and his ilk, and another for the rest of us. Shame!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Don't you know? Laws of Prohibition are for the "little people". If you or I "forgot" our loaded Glock in our suitcase, we'd be locked up in the hoosegow with the keys thrown away.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

They have scratched his back for him. He will be in a position to help out the J police with future happenings in Thailand. International cooperation at its finest.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

As an ex police chief, from Thailand, he's probably quite tough mentally, it would have been interesting to witness the dynamics between the two cultures, playing out in passive / aggressive mind games. Maybe the Japanese interrogators saw Only God Forgives and thought, 'Hey, let's send him on his way',

1 ( +2 / -1 )

First thing I hope they don't give it back to him until he leaves the country, and second, just because he is a "former" police chief he shouldn't get special treatment. For someone in his position "I forgot" seems like a pretty lame excuse.

This guy must be tough. Or a confession would have been beaten out of him by now. One of the 1% who are not convicted after arrest, unless his Ambassador intervened.

Looking for people to thumb you up here? This is pretty lame, the cops here dont need to beat a confession out of someone they use other techniques over the course of 3 weeks to get their confessions, and the cops ONLY refer cases to the public prosecutors office that they know they can win.

Plenty of people get taken into custody (not arrested) for questioning and are released, they only get arrested when the cops send them over to the public prosecutors office to be held over for trial.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

And so Commonwit was flipped by the you-can-see-them-coming-from-10-football-fields-away Intelligence agency.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Gee I wonder if the gun was given to him by some J-cop & hence all this stuff going away?????

Sadly we will likely never know

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@GW: Gee I wonder if the gun was given to him by some J-cop & hence all this stuff going away?????

Sadly we will likely never know

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False accusation by Japan hater?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Kyodo News agency says prosecutors could not determine where Comronwit got the gun or prove his possession was deliberate.

Oh, c'mon! Seriously? I smell a rat! Have you ever heard of a drug smuggler's case being dismissed because they couldn't prove if the drugs were his and where he got them? Of course not! This fool had a loaded gun in his bag and has the charges dropped? Somebody has some very powerful friends!"

You are right, but their secret relationship......

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If you think drugs are a no-no in Japan then guns are the mother of no-nos. Self defence force members have been drawn & quartered for not accounting for one missing bullet after training.

So a foreigner bringing a LOADED weapon into Japan, just about breaks the No-No of No-Nos scales.

Read - don't even think about getting out of this one lightly - no matter what.

But that is what has just happened. Unbelievable.

There's no stupidity or slip-of-the-mind on this guys part (it was a loaded pistol not a stuffed toy) so with a dose of rational thought, we can only assume he must have had an agenda.

And the prosecutors lame reasons - we couldn't prove where he got it from or it maybe it wasn't his. DUH!

Regardless of his final intent, he illegally brought into Japan a highly dangerous weapon - ready for use - breaking numerous laws.

As others have indicated - why does he walk after a couple of weeks???

0 ( +0 / -0 )

You know, I'd even go as far as to push the speculation to secret services or government intelligence (an oxymoron). There is a lot more to this than just not being able to prove it was his. A quick fingerprint check of the gun would show his ownership. You can also be sure that, this will be the last anybody heard of this case.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

My post for the 25th

Kobe White Bar OwnerJun. 25, 2015 - 11:06AM JST Posted in: Ex-Bangkok police chief arrested for gun possession at Narita airport

"I remember this guy from my years in Thialand a real piece of work and stooge to Lord Thaksin the corrupt x police man who became Prime minister and then got kicked out in a cou de ta and now lives in self imposed exile. He is no turkey but just thinks he is above the law, lets wait and see."

Well it now appears he is above the law. Its not what you know its who you know! Imagine if it was John smith who got caught sure he would walk 20 odd days after getting caught with a gun at an airport?....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

He used "common wit" lol

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It's funny how intent must be proved when politically convenient, but for the rest of us strict liability applies.

You're confusing two legal concepts.

Japan should be downgraded to a third world corrupt ridden banana republic. Pathetic!

I don't understand how you believe that getting off by having "connections" is a Japan only thing. This man was a former police chief. Pretty high up in rank. If the Japanese police needed favors/cooperation from the Thai police, they will use all options including using his resources. This happens quite often even in the US, especially when they have relatives who are police officers. If some people truly believe that this happens only in Japan, they must be living in la-la land.

Is that fair....no. But it is the reality anywhere you go. ESPECIALLY if you have high up in the social hierarchy. It all depends on what it is and who you know.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

In Japan, no-one outside the small interview room really knows what happens inside because suspects interviews take place behind closed doors without an attorney. The emphasis on confessions is also due to limited investigative powers that they have. The police in other countries can have plea bargaining, undercover operations and wire-tapping, so they rely on these techniques. In Japan, they are not allowed these powers so all they can do is to rely mostly on confessions. Their limited power is due to historical reasons. Before WWII, the police abused their powers so people demanded that they give them all up after the war.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

If this idiot THAI dude got busted here in JAPAN, just imagine how many RICH, POWERFUL JAPANESE idiots have been arrested etc..down in THAILAND and let me guess...Japan said, look, you all want this THAI guy back, then GIVE US BACK so and so Japanese rich, powerful man in your THAI jails so just like MAGIC!!!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@Sf: No longer 100% true,it is improving. In fiscal 2014, partial recording was implemented in 2,845 cases, down 260 from a year earlier. But a total of 24,107 audio and video clips were produced, up by 15,414. Recording sessions per case averaged 14 hours and 2 minutes, up from 3 hours and 3 minutes a year earlier.

Police started partial recording of interrogations in September 2008 in Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures and expanded it nationwide in fiscal 2009. Taping of entire interrogations began in some regions in fiscal 2013.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@YongYang

Recording interrogation is not the ultimate solution. In some cases the recording of interrogation caused much problems, because it prevented the interrogators from aggressively pursuing to obtain confessions. The SPPO is only recording a fraction of the interrogations they conduct. A majority of interrogations are still not recorded, not even partially. It should consider recording the entire interrogations in all cases.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

danal- in your scenario it appears that you are okaying the bringing into Japan of contraband - as long as it is in transit.

Don't think that argument would impress authorities in most countries.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

THE gun that got former Metropolitan Police chief Lt-General Camronwit Toopgrajank in trouble in Japan did not belong to Camronwit and officials were now checking on its registration status, Provincial Police Region 1 chief Lt-General Amnuay Nimmano revealed Monday.

Amnuay made this comment after Camronwit spoke to police yesterday for an hour and a half. Camronwit made no comment to reporters after he left. Amnuay said Camronwit gave useful information about what happened but he could not reveal details, only that Camronwit had three guns but the one found in his bag at Narita Airport was not his.

So you can get away with having an illegal firearm in your carry on baggage boarding an aeroplane out of Japan!!! Well done Japan!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@GWJUL. 14, 2015 - 10:53AM JST Gee I wonder if the gun was given to him by some J-cop & hence all this stuff going away?????

Sadly we will likely never know

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Investigatots alteady have info on gun type and make. More likely foreign type. Unlikely Japanese cops guns issued to them or media will be telling us.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

He was on his way to Bangkok.... was he just passing through Narita or did he stay in Japan. If he did stay in Japan then where did he get the gun. If he was just passing through then I'd have dropped charges too.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

If his friend is a Thai person, Japan csn not introgate easily. Thai is not Japsnrdr territory

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' @ShermanJUL. 14, 2015 - 07:This guy must be tough. Or a confession would have been beaten out of him by now. One of the 1% who are not convicted after arrest, unless his Ambassador intervened.

Are you trying to tell us Japanese cosd beat suspect? Or hoping Japanese cops will begin beating suspect or hoping you will teach Japanese cops how to beat anyone arrested?

Evidence of any crime are usually kept in a locked evidence room.

Not likely his ambassador intervened. In some countriws, diplomatic circles hate or dislike police and military personals in their home country

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

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