3 Municipal Officers fired, bribed by street food sellers
3 Municipal officials in Khlong Toei District, Bangkok got in trouble after information leaked that they have been accepting money from local street food sellers in exchange for special treatment. A video taken on 11 October 2019 showed a municipal officer accepting money from the hands of a fruit seller while two other officers were also present.
Skonti Pattiyakul the Deputy Bangkok Governor reported on the issue. An investigation was done on all 3 officers and results found them all guilty of accepting bribery. There are orders to release all 3 from positions tied to the government and release them from the position of municipal officers for the time being. There will be further investigation next week to find a final answer and report it to the Bangkok Governor.
Bangkok Municipal officials are responsible for the cleanliness of Bangkok City. This includes forbidding sellers to sell on the street and pedestrian walkways. It is well known in Thailand that municipal officials often check the streets on Monday, this is why some streets may seem extra clean on Mondays. The sellers will avoid getting in trouble with the officials and choose to make Monday as their day off for the week.
In some areas where there is high traffic, the sellers will have someone stand and keep watch. If an officer is approaching they will give a signal and the sellers will gather their items in minutes before going into their hiding spots. Of Course, the sellers return when the official leaves. This is a common sight on the BTS bridge in Victory Monument, Bangkok. These officials in the pictures had no idea that they were being recorded, and one of them accepted the money in broad daylight.
