A criminal gang based in Russia has established influence in Phuket, Thailand through money laundering activities like encroaching on forests and investing in luxury real estate and hotels, with the help of corrupt local officials and police. The opposition Rak Thailand Party leader said the Russian gang operates large casinos in Patong like "Tiger" and "Thung Thong", which launder over 100 million baht daily and pay off local immigration police. He called for investigations into the Russian gang's activities by the House committee on police affairs, national police, provincial police chief, and governor.

1. LEARNING > LEARNING FROM NEWS
Chuvit: Russian gangsters control Phuket
• 30 Mar 2012 at 13:43 11,072 viewed0 comments
• WRITER: JON FERNQUEST
•
Gambling, money laundering, buying up national forests,
luxury housing estates & five-star hotels, payoffs to corrupt
police & govt officials.
Photo above of Patong beach, Phuket, the heart of tourism in Phuket and the
site of the largest illegal casino in Southern Thailand with a daily turnover of
100 million baht. The casino operates by making daily payoffs to corrupt police
and local government officials (Source: Wikipedia).
Read about how Thailand has been put on an international money laundering
blacklist: thorough explanation & yesterday's article.
Click button to listen to Russian Gang Controls Phuket to download
Tourism
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2. Chuvit: Russian gang controls Phuket
29/03/2012
Online Reporters
A criminal gang based in Russia has established its influence in the tourist
island of Phuket with help from local officials, MP Chuvit Kamolvisit said on
Thursday
Mr Chuvit, a Rak Thailand Party list MP, said the gang, called "Spachiba", used
Phuket to launder dirty money by encroaching on national forests and investing
in luxuryhousing estates and five-star hotels.
This gang of Russian nationals was able to run this money-laundering business
with the help of land and administrative officials and police, he said.
The opposition Rak Thailand Party leader said the gang had also open a large
casino called "Tiger" in Soi Saen Sabai in the heart of the Patong area.
Tiger was the largest casino in the South with a daily circulation of more than
100 million baht, he said.
Mr Chuvit said "Thung Thong" is another casino run by Russians in Phuket .
The two casinos made a daily payment to local and immigration police, he
added.
The former massage parlour tycoon said he would ask the House committee on
policeaffairs to investigate.
The national police chief and Region 8 Provincial Police chief as well as
the provincial governor should seriously look into this matter, he said.
(Source: Tourism, Chuvit: Russian gang controls Phuket, 29/03/2012, Online
Reporters, link)
Criminal Gang Vocabulary
Patong Beach - the main tourist resort in Phuket, a beach and town on Phuket's
west coast, "contains an important center of Phuket's nightlife and inexpensive
shopping. The beach became popular with Western tourists, especially
Europeans, in the late 1980s. Numerous hotels are located there and the area has

3. expanded into a large tourist mecca" หาดปปาตอง (See Wikipedia)
Phuket - Thailand's most famous luxury tourism destination ภภเกกต
(See Wikipedia)
money laundering - the process of concealing the source of illegally obtained
money; casinos and real estate purchases are commonly used (See Wikipedia)
launder dirty money
blacklist - a list of wrongdoers kept to prevent them from doing something
(example: the criminal was on an immigration blacklist, so he could not enter
the country)
money laundering blacklist
international money laundering blacklist
criminal gang - a group of criminals joining together for criminal activities;
includes gangs within "organized crime"; street gangs, prison gangs and outlaw
motorcycle clubs พวกนกเลง, พวกโจร (See Wikipedia)
gangster - a criminal who is in a criminal gang
Russian criminal gang - a gang of criminals that is part of the Russian mafia
(organized crime based in Russia)
organized crime - national, transnational or local businesses run by criminals to
do illegal activities for profit (See Wikipedia)
Russian mafia - organized crime groups based in Russia, operating all over the
world Русская Мафия (See Wikipedia and list)
casino - a [place for gambling activities (See Wikipedia)
gambling - risking the loss of money on some event with an uncertain outcome
with the possibility of winning more money (See Wikipedia)
turnover - revenue, the money that is received by a business usually from
selling goods or services (See Wikipedia)
daily turnover - money received by a business each day
circulate (verb) - go around a place; money going around an economy or here:
money going through a casino
circulation (noun)
daily circulation - money going through the casino everyday; money being
gambled (not profit of casino which is much less)
established - 1. create something substantial and strong; 2. be in a successful
position over a long period of time มมตตาแหนปงทมทมทนคง กปอตตทง
influence - affect what people do or think; the power to have an effect on people

4. or things อทธพล มมอทธพลตปอ, ชกจภง อตานาจบงคบ
established influence over
a Russian criminal gang established its influence in Phuket
local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are
talking about ททองถทน
local officials - high level government employees in one area
A criminal gang based in Russia has established its influence in the tourist
island of Phuket with help from local officials, MP Chuvit Kamolvisit said on
Thursday
encroach - do some activity on land owned by other people without their
permission
encroaching on national forests
luxury - the best and most expensive of something ทมทหรภหรา
luxury housing estates - special places with many expensive homes
land and administrative officials
Mr Chuvit, a Rak Thailand Party list MP, said the gang, called "Spachiba", used
Phuket to launder dirty money by encroaching on national forests and investing
in luxuryhousing estates and five-star hotels. This gang of Russian nationals
was able to run this money-laundering business with the help of land and
administrative officials and police, he said.
opposition - of a political party that is not part of the government or a group
which is against the government ฝปายคทาน ผภทตปอตทาน
opposition Rak Thailand Party leader
immigration - 1. people coming into a country to travel, live, and work there, 2.
the controls that governments place on flows of people into the country การยทาย
ถทนฐาน
immigration police
The opposition Rak Thailand Party leader said the gang had also open a large
casino called "Tiger" in Soi Saen Sabai in the heart of the Patong area. Tiger
was the largest casino in the South with a daily circulation of more than 100
million baht, he said. Mr Chuvit said "Thung Thong" is another casino run by
Russians in Phuket . The two casinos made a daily payment to local
and immigration police, he added.

5. tycoon - a person who has succeeded in business or industry and has become
very rich and powerful นกธธรกจทมทรตทารวยและมมอทธพลมาก
massage parlour - a place where people get a massage (note: "parlour" sounds a
little bad and criminal) รทานนวด
massage parlour tycoon
affairs - events and activities relating to the government, politics, economy etc
of a country, region, or the world ความสมพนธธระหวปางประเทศ
police affairs - police activities and events
House committee on police affairs - a group of MPs in parliament that watch
over police activities (for wrongdoing and corruption)
provincial governor - the top government official in a province (in charge of
government affairs in a province)
investigate - looking for and searching for the truth in some matter such as a
crime ตรวจสอบหาความจรง, คทนหาความจรง
matter - a situation or subject which is being dealt with or considered เร.ทอง, ภารกจ,
งาน something that you are discussing, considering or dealing with สทงทมทพภดถ/ง ประเดกนทมท
พภดถ/ง
look into this matter - same as "investigate"
should seriously look into this matter
The former massage parlour tycoon said he would ask the House committee on
policeaffairs to investigate. The national police chief and Region 8 Provincial
Police chief as well as the provincial governor should seriously look into this
matter, he said.