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August 2, 2003
Thailand Sex Tycoon Turns Civic Avenger
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:58 a.m. ET
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A sex tycoon who owns a string of massage parlors in
Thailand is boiling with anger and indignation against the Bangkok police.
With nearly 2,000 young women working for him, Chuwit Kamolvisit says he plied
police for years with cash, Rolex watches, European cars and free services at
his six parlors, with names like Emmanuelle, Victoria's Secret, and Honolulu
Love Boat.
And what does he get in return? Harassment and indifference when he got into
trouble with the law for employing underage girls.
So Chuwit, 42, became a crusader for civic virtue, a celebrity avenger, holding
daily news conferences to reveal charges of police greed, threatening to name
the high-ranking policemen he says were beneficiaries of his generosity.
``This isn't a love comedy. It's a war movie. Somebody has to die in the end,''
the trim, mustachioed entrepreneur, who favors pink shirts and flashy ties,
told The Associated Press in an interview at one of his clubs, Copa Cabana.
Thais are hanging on his every word, eagerly awaiting the latest episode of
Chuwit's serial expose. Suddenly, the news channels and front pages of Thai
newspapers have become spicier.
``Chuwit has become a public icon,'' wrote Suthichai Yoon, the editor of The
Nation, an English-language daily.
Chuwit has not provided a shred of evidence to back his claims. But in a
country where police corruption is legendary, the credibility of Bangkok's
officers is much the same of its massage parlor owners. No surprise then that
the Thai public are enjoying watching the brown-uniformed force squirm under
Chuwit's torrential allegations on national television.
``Once he may have been a 'bad boy' ready to cut corners and grease palms ...
but when he decided to go for broke against corrupt police, Chuwit overnight
became the darling of the urban middle class, who saw him as the outlet for
their entrenched frustrations against 'crooks in uniform,''' Suthichai wrote.
Chuwit's troubles -- and those of the force -- started when police arrested him
May 2 on charges of unlawfully demolishing a downtown Bangkok block housing
scores of bars and shops to make way for another massage parlor, the Taj Mahal.
On May 3, he was charged with running a brothel using underage girls at the
Honolulu Love Boat. He could face 20 years in prison if convicted.
In Thailand, a massage can mean two things -- a genuine oil rub by
hard-knuckled middle-aged masseurs, or the massage from a young woman that
usually leads to sex in a back room.
But what happens at the parlor is between the masseuse and the client, Chuwit
says.
He claims to have spent about $289,156 each month in payoffs to policemen. He
said he had even treated them to expensive wines, house renovations, tuition
fees and event tickets.
``Enough is enough. I'm a mad dog now,'' he said. ``If they can't help me out
of something trivial like this, I see no point why I should continue paying
it.''
Chuwit's allegations -- made most dramatically at a press conference on a
street outside the prime minister's office -- named no names, carrying only
hints about who took the money: Inspector T, Captain S and a ``tall commander''
whose name begins with T.
At his side were his four sons, his wife and one of his mistresses. He cradled
a Buddha in his arms to swear to his seriousness. He claimed even to have been
kidnapped by the police. Still, his histrionics have yielded results: On
Tuesday, 17 policemen were suspended and 11 others moved to posts at police
headquarters on grounds there was clear evidence that they had been seeking
personal gain from Chuwit's enterprises.
His allegations have also forced national police chief Gen. Sant Sarutanond to
acknowledge that he is an investment partner with a hotel owner who also runs
massage parlors.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has promised to transfer the entire force, if
they are implicated, at the Huay Kwang police district, the main massage parlor
neighborhood.
``They deserve punishment for their insatiable greed,'' Chuwit said.
Thailand Sex Tycoon Turns Civic Avenger
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 1:58 a.m. ET
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- A sex tycoon who owns a string of massage parlors in
Thailand is boiling with anger and indignation against the Bangkok police.
With nearly 2,000 young women working for him, Chuwit Kamolvisit says he plied
police for years with cash, Rolex watches, European cars and free services at
his six parlors, with names like Emmanuelle, Victoria's Secret, and Honolulu
Love Boat.
And what does he get in return? Harassment and indifference when he got into
trouble with the law for employing underage girls.
So Chuwit, 42, became a crusader for civic virtue, a celebrity avenger, holding
daily news conferences to reveal charges of police greed, threatening to name
the high-ranking policemen he says were beneficiaries of his generosity.
``This isn't a love comedy. It's a war movie. Somebody has to die in the end,''
the trim, mustachioed entrepreneur, who favors pink shirts and flashy ties,
told The Associated Press in an interview at one of his clubs, Copa Cabana.
Thais are hanging on his every word, eagerly awaiting the latest episode of
Chuwit's serial expose. Suddenly, the news channels and front pages of Thai
newspapers have become spicier.
``Chuwit has become a public icon,'' wrote Suthichai Yoon, the editor of The
Nation, an English-language daily.
Chuwit has not provided a shred of evidence to back his claims. But in a
country where police corruption is legendary, the credibility of Bangkok's
officers is much the same of its massage parlor owners. No surprise then that
the Thai public are enjoying watching the brown-uniformed force squirm under
Chuwit's torrential allegations on national television.
``Once he may have been a 'bad boy' ready to cut corners and grease palms ...
but when he decided to go for broke against corrupt police, Chuwit overnight
became the darling of the urban middle class, who saw him as the outlet for
their entrenched frustrations against 'crooks in uniform,''' Suthichai wrote.
Chuwit's troubles -- and those of the force -- started when police arrested him
May 2 on charges of unlawfully demolishing a downtown Bangkok block housing
scores of bars and shops to make way for another massage parlor, the Taj Mahal.
On May 3, he was charged with running a brothel using underage girls at the
Honolulu Love Boat. He could face 20 years in prison if convicted.
In Thailand, a massage can mean two things -- a genuine oil rub by
hard-knuckled middle-aged masseurs, or the massage from a young woman that
usually leads to sex in a back room.
But what happens at the parlor is between the masseuse and the client, Chuwit
says.
He claims to have spent about $289,156 each month in payoffs to policemen. He
said he had even treated them to expensive wines, house renovations, tuition
fees and event tickets.
``Enough is enough. I'm a mad dog now,'' he said. ``If they can't help me out
of something trivial like this, I see no point why I should continue paying
it.''
Chuwit's allegations -- made most dramatically at a press conference on a
street outside the prime minister's office -- named no names, carrying only
hints about who took the money: Inspector T, Captain S and a ``tall commander''
whose name begins with T.
At his side were his four sons, his wife and one of his mistresses. He cradled
a Buddha in his arms to swear to his seriousness. He claimed even to have been
kidnapped by the police. Still, his histrionics have yielded results: On
Tuesday, 17 policemen were suspended and 11 others moved to posts at police
headquarters on grounds there was clear evidence that they had been seeking
personal gain from Chuwit's enterprises.
His allegations have also forced national police chief Gen. Sant Sarutanond to
acknowledge that he is an investment partner with a hotel owner who also runs
massage parlors.
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has promised to transfer the entire force, if
they are implicated, at the Huay Kwang police district, the main massage parlor
neighborhood.
``They deserve punishment for their insatiable greed,'' Chuwit said.
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