The fact that two of the victims of the criminal enterprise are under 18 has opened up the Thai man arrested this week to a far more serious panoply of charges including child pornography, trading in the pornographic images of children and even human trafficking. This is a growing crime trend as the internet throws up more challenges to society, the law and the well being of those who use it. Two elite Thai police task forces were involved in Wednesday’s raid which came about after some brave Thai women courageously filed complaints against a man perpetrating evil.
For many in Thailand, the internet represents an opportunity to connect the world. However, Thai people and in particular Thai women who have led the way in internet usage, are fast finding that it can very easily become a source of anxiety and nightmare. Thai police on Wednesday last arrested an assistant TV producer with a well known and popular broadcaster for running a pornographic web of blackmail and deceit. The criminal web had ensnared many Thai women as well as at least two underage girls. The fiend, named by police as Kamonsak Chanthasing, fronted as a model and talent agent with a Facebook page. He reached out to them on the popular social network and lured them into the world of porn and the dark web. Following his arrest on Wednesday, he now faces at least seven charges as Thai police and prosecutorial agencies build a case against him. A similar web of terror was smashed in March in the northern Thai province of Phitsanulok. That operation had ensnared 200 Thai women who were blackmailed and forced to make salacious video clips to enrich a 35-year-old man as the heart of the torment.
Thai police have arrested an assistant producer at a popular TV station in the kingdom for blackmailing Thai women and forcing them to provide pornographic materials online. It is a growing crime wave in Thailand being perpetrated on many trusting and good-hearted Thai women. It is understood that police are actively investigating if the TV producer, who is also a graphic artist, has had accomplices including some in the extended media world online. They suspect this to be the case as they investigate the man’s trail of activity.
Raid on June 5th on porn black mailer’s Bangkok lair in Thonburi led to arrest of porn merchant
The Thai police are understood to have already filed seven charges against the TV producer. The man has been named as Kamonsak Chanthasing. His arrest follows a surprise raid on his condominium in the Thonburi area of Bangkok on Wednesday, June 5th. Police seized digital devices there including a PC used in connection with the man’s criminal online enterprise.
Two of the pornographer’s victims are under the age of 18 – more serious criminal charges
An ongoing investigation by the police has already discovered that a number of the man’s victims are under 18 years of age. This is very bad news for Mr Chanthasing. It heightens the legal consequences and perils the man is facing following his arrest.
The man is therefore facing charges of illegal possession of child pornography as well as trading and distributing pornographic images of children online. It is also understood that the man may be facing charges under Thailand’s wide-ranging Human Trafficking Act.
These charges are in addition to charges relating to Kamonsak’s blackmail of his victims online and the distribution of adult pornographic materials.
Complaints against the TV producer lodged by women to two elite Thai police units
The raid on June 5th and the arrest of Kamonsak Chanthasing followed a formal complaint lodged with a Thai task force particularly tasked with combating internet crime against minors and a unit dedicated to fighting information technology crime. At the scene of Mr Chanthasing’s condominium on Wednesday, there were officers from both elite police task force known as TICAC and TACTICS.
Arrested suspect held himself out as a modelling agent to innocent Thai women online
The TV producer is understood to have created the Facebook page presenting himself as a modelling agent. The page contained an image of an attractive Thai woman. The page actively made contact with many Thai women online. The initial approach suggested that the online modelling front was seeking to recruit Thai models for national and international events throughout Thailand.
Background in Thailand to show how such schemes can work for unscrupulous online con men
Nearly all major events in Thailand present attractive and beautiful Thai women who are known as ‘pretties’. Not only do these women sometimes dress in provocative attire but they also often act in promotional roles giving out information or even making presentation announcements. To many Thai women, this is a valid and respectable occupation. In Thailand, the impressive way that these young women confidently go about their business supports this view. Many Thai women, in addition to being attractive, have a natural aptitude for communication. It is this environment, peculiar to Thailand, that allows operators like Kamonsak Chanthasing to ply such offers and schemes online and to find a willing and cooperative audience.
In 2015, the Thai government threatened to fine provocatively dressed models at shows
In recent times, the Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan ocha called for such models to be more restrained in their personal clothing and attire. At one point, in 2015, the Thai government called for Thai women engaging in such promotional activities and wear traditional Thai costumes. Prayut even called for the Thai Ministry of Culture to look into law restraining such displays while government officials threatened to fine individuals ฿5,000 for public indecency as well as those who published such photos online. The controversy particularly surrounded a number of huge trade shows held annually in Thailand. Such shows, in recent years, have again returned to featuring attractive models but there is now more restraint and consideration in the choice of attire.
Thai man offered to recruit attractive women into the modelling business as well as the TV and film world if they sent him nude pictures and video clips
On this basis, Mr Chanthasing asked women to send him sample photos of themselves. He later followed this up with requests for photographs or video clips of the women without clothes. He presented this request as the first step to obtaining roles for the women in the Thai TV and film industry as well as more mundane jobs such as shows. In some instances, he promised fees or payment ranging from thousands of baht to tens of thousands of baht.
Pornographic material published on the dark web
The Thai man then published his material on the world’s dark web. This is thought to be an untraceable forum and market for the sale of often illicit and banned materials. There are many Thai sellers online there ranging from porn merchants to gun dealers, drug dealers and even hitmen. Payment is often through untraceable payment methods such as bitcoin.
Thai women then simply blocked on Facebook
Once the Thai women had sent him the photo or video material, he then simply blocked them online. Many, of course, were shy about revealing their actions but obviously, a rare woman or two pursued action against him leading to last week’s raid and arrest.
Agent turned pornographer then turned to blackmailing Thai women ensnared in his web of fear
The Thai man then took his criminal enterprise further into the realms of darkness. He would blackmail some of the Thai women into submitting to him new video clips of a sexual nature and would demand even more salacious footage. Police believe Kaminska Chanthasing achieved this by frightening the Thai women into believing that he was going to make public the original footage of them online which would shame them in front of friends and family.
Evidence of a lucrative trade uncovered by Thai police
It was revealed last week that Thai police have uncovered evidence of large payments to Mr Chanthasing concerning his illegal enterprise and forced pornographic network of innocent Thai women.
Based on the huge haul of pornographic materials retrieved from the residence and crime site raided last week, as well as payment records, Thai police believe that the operation has been up and running for several years.
Another arrest in March this year revealed a similar online porn blackmail network
In March this year, the Information Technology Crime Suppression Unit of the Thai police arrested another Thai man with millions in his bank account operating a similar scheme. Kittisak Nimboonchuen was operating from Phitsanulok province in the north of Thailand. His modus operandi was to befriend Thai women online and offer them money to pose in provocative pictured in a state of undress. He would pay them but then would begin to blackmail them into providing more photographs and making videos as well as paying him sums of money to keep the materials from appearing online. Victims who couldn’t pay were pressured into giving him names and leads so that it made it easier for him to procure future victims.
35-year-old Kittisak Nimboonchuen made payments of ฿5,000 to lure his prey – innocent Thai women were tempted to send him saucy snaps and clips
The 35-year-old pornography blackmailer would then launder his money through gambling accounts making it look like his ill-gotten gains were the proceeds of good fortune instead of the black art of blackmail. The crime was particularly traumatic for the Thai woman ensnared in his web of deception and terror.
Offer to make easy money online turned into a trap
When arrested in March this year, Thai police revealed that there were at least 200 Thai women who had fallen into the trap. Kittisak Nimboonchuen made payments of ฿5,000 upfront to lure the women into his trap. The money was offered to the women to make sexually suggestive video clips. Except they ended up paying him back a lot more to keep him from publishing the produced material online.
The offer to the Thai women, always eager to make extra income on the side, turned out to be a trap which led many of them traumatised.
Police swooped on the man in March while using a neighbour’s PC to engage with another woman who he was recruiting into his scheme.
