TLDR
- Thai anti-crime campaigner Atchariya Ruangrattanapong has been jailed pending trial in an illegal online boxing betting case.
- Police say the alleged Muay Thai betting network handled more than 1 billion baht, or about $29.6 million.
- Bangkok Criminal Court denied him bail on October 5 and approved a 12-day detention order.
- Police allege some donations meant for crime victims were used for gambling-related purposes.
- Atchariya denies all charges and claims police fabricated evidence against him.
Thai anti-crime campaigner Atchariya Ruangrattanapong has been jailed pending trial. Police accuse him of links to an illegal online boxing betting network that allegedly handled about $29.6 million.
Bangkok Criminal Court denied him bail on Monday, October 5. The court approved a police request to hold the 59-year-old for 12 days.
Atchariya is chairman of the Crime Victims Assistance Club. He has long been a vocal critic of alleged police corruption in Thailand.
He faces allegations of public fraud, money laundering, illegal electronic betting on boxing, and offenses under Thailand’s Computer Crime Act. He denies all the charges.
Cybercrime officers arrested him on Saturday near the Om Noi Boxing Stadium in Samut Sakhon province. The arrest was made under a warrant issued the day before.
Police Trace Money Through Betting Network
Police say more than 1 billion baht, or about $29.6 million, flowed through an online Muay Thai betting operation. The alleged network was known as “Muay Pak Yok Variety.”
Investigators identified 212 transactions worth more than 40 million baht, or about $1.2 million. Police claim these transactions linked Atchariya to people tied to the betting operation.
Authorities also examined Atchariya’s personal bank account. Police say it recorded 1,196 incoming and outgoing transactions involving about 191 million baht, or $57 million.
The Crime Victims Assistance Club account was also reviewed. Police say it handled more than 168 million baht, or $50 million, through 5,140 transactions.
Investigators claim part of the money trail connected donors to boxing gamblers and the alleged betting network.
Police also allege that Atchariya asked for donations through the club to help crime victims. They claim some of those funds were instead used for purposes connected to gambling.
Atchariya Says He Is Being Framed
Atchariya has rejected the donation claim. He said the club’s account had been closed since 2022 and that he can explain the financial activity police identified.
The activist has spent years challenging law enforcement and pursuing high-profile criminal cases. His club often campaigns for people who feel police or the justice system failed them.
He has accused police officers of misconduct in the past. He also challenged authorities over the investigation into the 2022 death of Thai actress Nida “Tangmo” Patcharaveerapong.
Atchariya now says police fabricated evidence against him. He has also suggested the case is politically motivated.
Police reject that claim. They say the case came from financial evidence found during the gambling investigation, not from retaliation for his campaigning.
Investigators are continuing to examine financial records and question witnesses. The next step in the case is expected when the 12-day detention order expires.
