Thai police give themselves US$84,000 reward meant for the public for Bangkok bomb suspect arrest

Thailand’s police chief announced today he was handing his own officers a reward of some US$84,000 for apprehending a man who has been charged in connection with this month’s deadly Bangkok bomb blast.

Police General Somyot Poompanmoung held up three million baht in cash in tightly stacked notes which he said would be distributed amongst his men following the arrest of a foreign man on Saturday.

“One million baht comes from me, the other two million baht came from my businessmen friends who do not want to be named,” he told reporters at a press conference at police headquarters.

Somyot said the reward money was going to the police because the public had not helped in tracking down the man.

“It is clear that it was the authorities alone,” he said, adding they had not received tip-offs from the public.