A controversial case involving violations of the nighttime curfew has emerged after police caught 15 construction workers at a checkpoint on Bang Na-Trat Highway in Samut Prakan.
The incident occurred at 11.50 pm on Monday night when the workers were returning home in a pickup truck after paving concrete at the car park of a train station in Bang Na.
Upon being stopped by police, the workers showed copies of documents dated the same day showing that they had worked overtime to finish the job and say that the late return home had been approved by the police.
Facebook user, Ploichanok Sirowet, who claims to be the owner of the construction firm, posted on her social media account that the letter had been shown to the police and the police have informed her that his workers could pass through the checkpoints.
However, it turned out not to be the case. She wrote:
“We travel on this route every day and we know a checkpoint is there. We wouldn’t have tried to go past it unless we were given a confirmation. I sympathize with the tearful workers who are still covered with dirt and dust while being locked up in cells now. Life is hard enough as it is, and yet this came. I’d like to ask for justice for such treatment.”
Police at Bang Kaew station acknowledged that 15 copies of the letters that included the names of the workers had been left on a desk at the station.
However, the owner of the desk, thinking they were not important, tore them up and put them in the bin causing the confusion.
The police insisted that the letters are not important and the workers didn’t have permission to travel anyway. Pol Col Prasartporn Srisukkho, Superintendent of the station said:
“The fact is the workers do not have a document approved by officials. It’s just a letter from a company to officials, but authorities have not yet approved it so it’s unusable anyway.”
Source: Facebook/Otto.Took
