Amlo freezes Tao Pun casino land

Amlo freezes Tao Pun casino land

The Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) has frozen ownership of land on which the notorious Tao Pun casino is located in Bang Sue district of the capital.

Amlo secretary-general Sihanart Prayoonrat yesterday said the 1,000 square metre site, worth about 10.8 million baht, is in Soi Khao San in Bang Sue.

A building on the land houses an illegal gambling den known as the Tao Pun casino. An influential figure is thought to own it.

Metropolitan police raided the casino three times in 2006. They arrested more than 100 gamblers and confiscated several million baht of gambling money.

Pol Col Sihanart said yesterday the title deeds for the land show the owner is Samart Singchamnong, a food vendor, but the agency suspects he is only a proxy.

The land and the building had been sub-leased to Winyoo Sringernyuang, who allegedly runs the casino.

Mr Sihanart said Amlo is trying to find out the name of the real owner. The land has been frozen for 90 days while officials investigate, Pol Col Sihanart said.

Amlo is also in the process of freezing the assets of several other casinos both in Bangkok and other provinces which are suspected to serve more than 100 gamblers and have turnover of more than 10 million baht, he said.

The Amlo secretary-general also seized 14 rai of land worth about 590,000 baht which belongs to Yihad Witthaya School, or Ponoh Yihad, at Ban Tha Dan in tambon Talo Kapo of Pattani's Yaring district in the far South.

Security forces had discovered the school was used as an arms training site for separatist insurgents, he said.

Documents found in the premises linked the school to Masae Useng, a suspect in a terrorism case, Pol Col Suchart said.

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