Department of Special Investigation

The DSI was established on October 3, 2002, under the Ministries, Bureaus, and Departments Restructuring Act of 2002. It was created to address evolving global, political, and societal challenges, as well as the increasing complexity of violent crimes, technological advancements, and legal loopholes.

As of 2020, the agency had approximately 1,137 personnel. Between 2004 and 2020, the DSI handled 2,860 cases, successfully concluding 2,587, with 273 still under investigation.{{cite web |title=DSI Annual Report |url=https://www.dsi.go.th/Upload/b470d43946b48f7ee7bb3e3c8c70d6f9.pdf |website=DSI.go.th |access-date=10 March 2022}}

The DSI's budget for fiscal year (FY) 2019 was 1,190 million baht, up from 1,102 million baht in FY2018.{{cite book|title=Thailand's Budget in Brief Fiscal Year 2019 |url=http://www.bb.go.th/en/topic-detail.php?id=8562&mid=456&catID=0 |publisher=Bureau of the Budget|page=88|date=20 December 2018|access-date=28 April 2020}}

• Office of the Director
• Law Department
• Office of Foreign Affairs and International Crimes
• Office of Financial Litigation
• Office of Security
• Office of Consumer and Environmental Protection
• Office of Intellectual Property Litigation
• Office of Technology and Information Technology Case
• Office of Tax Lawsuit
• Office of Special Criminal 1
• Office of Special Criminal 2
• Office of Special Criminal 3
• Office of Technology and Information Monitoring Center
• Office of Policy and Strategy
• Office of Special Cases
• Office of Special Operations
• Office of Special Case Development and Support

• In 2004, human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit was abducted in broad daylight in Bangkok. He had been representing a group of Muslim suspects allegedly involved in the South Thailand insurgency. Five police officers were charged with the abduction. They were acquitted in 2015. A year later the DSI dropped the case, having shown no results after 12 years of investigation.{{cite news |title=DSI faces an uphill battle in 'Billy' case |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1495342/dsi-faces-an-uphill-battle-in-billy-case |access-date=1 July 2018 |work=Bangkok Post |date=1 July 2018 |department=Editorial}}
• In 2014 the disappearance of Billy Rakchongcharoen, a Karen rights activist, resulted in his wife petitioning the agency to "take up the issue for consideration as a special case".{{cite news|last1=Satyaem|first1=Chaiwat|title=Supreme Court clears former park chief in 'Billy' case|url=http://bangkokpost.com/news/general/678376/supreme-court-clears-former-park-chief-in-billy-case|access-date=6 May 2018|work=Bangkok Post|date=2015-09-02}} The DSI rejected the petition by the activist's wife in 2017, citing a technicality: the couple was not legally married. Inexplicably, in June 2018 the DSI announced that it would reopen the investigation of Billy's disappearance as a "special case". Media reports intimated that the DSI's change of heart was due to pressure on the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration from international organizations regarding a case that was initially ignored, leading the media to doubt DSI's newfound commitment.
• In 2016, DSI opened a much publicized case against the abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya after some funds from an alleged embezzlement case was traced to donations made to the temple. The case has been described as a proxy war between supporters and opponents of the temple.{{cite news|last1=Marshall|first1=Andrew R.C.|title=Meditating devotees shield scandal-hit abbot from Thai police|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-buddhism-idUSKCN0Z2096|access-date=7 July 2016|work=Reuters|date=16 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619021428/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-buddhism-idUSKCN0Z2096|archive-date=19 June 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}{{cite news|last1=Rojanaphruk|first1=Pravit|title=Yellow and Red Seen in Orange in Dhammakaya Scandal|url=http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2016/06/12/yellow-red-seen-orange-folds-dhammakaya-scandal/|access-date=7 July 2016|work=Khaosod English|date=12 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161205044621/http://www.khaosodenglish.com/politics/2016/06/12/yellow-red-seen-orange-folds-dhammakaya-scandal/|archive-date=5 December 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicholas-liusuwan/the-complexities-of-thai-_b_10624430.html|title=Complexities of Thai Buddhism|last1=Liusuwan|first1=Nicholas|website=The Huffington Post|date=23 June 2016|access-date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708190802/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicholas-liusuwan/the-complexities-of-thai-_b_10624430.html|archive-date=8 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} One of the most criticized and debated aspects of DSI's handling of the case was its refusal to give the abbot his charges at the temple.{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wd-oHil2MFU|title=Interview of Deputy Prosecutor Mr. Paramat Intarachumum|date=26 May 2016|work=TNN|access-date=7 July 2016}}{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHNW2nKJWOc|title=Interview with former Police General Sereepisuth Temiyaves|access-date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510214156/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHNW2nKJWOc|archive-date=10 May 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} Other criticisms of DSI's handling of the case include continuing to pursue the charges after the affected credit union withdrew charges,{{cite news|title=คุยข่าวเล่าธรรม04 06 59|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYXNi6Eo2-g|access-date=16 July 2016|publisher=Peace TV|date=3 June 2016}}{{Citation|title=Credit union request an end to all civil and criminal lawsuits against Wat Phra Dhammakaya|date=29 April 2016|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPzDq1tuLRw|publisher=Thai News Network|access-date=14 December 2016}} in violation of Thai Criminal Procedure Code Section 39(2).{{cite web|title=The Criminal Procedure Code|url=https://www.unodc.org/tldb/pdf/Thailand/THA_Crim_Pro_Thai_EN.pdf|website=UNODC|access-date=16 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160809105335/https://www.unodc.org/tldb/pdf/Thailand/THA_Crim_Pro_Thai_EN.pdf|archive-date=9 August 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.dhammakayauncovered.com/editorial/2016/7/14/peace-tv-interview-legal-code-proves-venerable-dhammajayos-innocence|title=Peace TV Interviews Lawyer: Legal Code Supports Venerable Dhammajayo's Innocence|website=Dhammakaya Uncovered|date=15 July 2016 |access-date=16 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806180155/http://www.dhammakayauncovered.com/editorial/2016/7/14/peace-tv-interview-legal-code-proves-venerable-dhammajayos-innocence|archive-date=6 August 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

On 30 August 2016 it was reported by DSI that one of the suspects it had detained was allegedly found unconscious and hanging in his cell. The suspect, Tawatchai Anukul, who was a suspect in a case of land deed fraud, was then rushed to Mongkutwattana Hospital where he was pronounced dead after several attempts at revival. DSI gave conflicting reports about how Tawatchai was found, with one official stating he likely committed suicide by hanging himself with his shirt. Another official gave a report stating he was found hanging by his socks.{{cite news|last1=Laohong|first1=King-Oua|title=Arrested former lands official found dead in DSI cell|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1074248|access-date=3 September 2016|work=Bangkok Post|date=2 September 2016}}{{cite news|last1=TAMNUKASETCHAI|first1=PIYANUCH|title=Death of land official shrouded in mystery|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Death-of-land-official-shrouded-in-mystery-30294328.html|access-date=3 September 2016|work=The Nation|date=2 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160903071955/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Death-of-land-official-shrouded-in-mystery-30294328.html|archive-date=3 September 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} Tawatchai's family reported that DSI gave them contradictory information regarding his death. For instance, family members pointed out that the wound on Tawatchai's neck looked like it came from a wire rather than clothing.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Tawatchai had died of a ruptured liver, suggesting blunt trauma, as well as suffocation. DSI stated that the liver rupture was due to the hospital team performing CPR on Tawatchai in an attempt to revive him, which the hospital dismissed as impossible.{{cite news|last1=Laohong|first1=King-Oua|title=Doctor dismisses DSI's cause of suspect's death theory| url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/1075841/doctor-dismisses-dsis-cause-of-death-theory|access-date=3 September 2016|work=Bangkok Post|date=1 September 2016}} DSI also announced that their CCTV servers had malfunctioned at the time and therefore there were no recordings from security cameras of the incident.{{cite news|last1=THAMNUKASETCHAI|first1=PIYANUCH|title=Probe into suspect's death in DSI custody to be concluded in 30 days: police|url=http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Probe-into-suspects-death-in-DSI-custody-to-be-con-30294788.html|access-date=18 September 2016|work=The Nation|date=8 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919081439/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Probe-into-suspects-death-in-DSI-custody-to-be-con-30294788.html|archive-date=19 September 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

During the 23 day lock down of Wat Phra Dhammakaya in 2017 that junta leader Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered using article 44 of the interim constitution, one follower in the temple died of an asthma attack during the operation. According to temple spokespeople, the death was caused by the halting of an ambulance at the junta's blockade that delayed emergency response.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nationthailand.com/news/breakingnews/30307627|title=Dhammakaya follower dies of asthma after ambulance stopped by troops: monk spokesman|work=The Nation|access-date=2017-03-02|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701111712/http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30307627|archive-date=1 July 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} DSI, however, claimed that the temple did not notify emergency services until after the follower had died.{{Cite news|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1208133|title=Find facts in temple death|date=3 March 2017|work=Bangkok Post|department=Opinion|access-date=2017-03-04}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1207961/government-slams-fake-news-from-temple?view_comment_1817959|title=Government slams 'fake news' from temple|last1=Sattaburuth|first1=Aekarach|last2=Wongyala|first2=Pongpat|date=2017-03-03|work=Bangkok Post|access-date=2017-03-04}} DSI stepped back from this statement later, when the temple revealed time stamped LINE messages asking for emergency services that supported Wat Phra Dhammakaya's account of the timeline.{{Cite news|url=http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2017/03/02/dsi-denies-blockade-responsible-death-dhammakaya-disciple/|title=DSI Denies Blockade Responsible for Death of Dhammakaya Disciple|first1=Teeranai|last1=Charuvastra|date=2017-03-02|work=Khaosod English|access-date=2017-03-04|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701164850/http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2017/03/02/dsi-denies-blockade-responsible-death-dhammakaya-disciple/|archive-date=1 July 2018|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} The authenticity of the messages was not disputed by DSI, however DSI still denied delaying emergency services.

• {{ill|Tarit Pengdith|th|ธาริต เพ็งดิษฐ์}}, former director-general of DSI until his dismissal in 2014, was accused by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) of hiding assets while serving as DSI director-general. The NACC found that Tarit had amassed unexplained wealth of 346.65 million baht during his 12 years at DSI. The supreme court found Tarit guilty and sentenced him to six months in jail and a fine of 10,000 baht, commuted to a three-month term and a fine of 5,000 baht because he confessed. It suspended the jail term for two years because he had not previously been sentenced to prison.{{cite news|title=Tarit gets small fine, suspended jail for undeclared wealth|url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1398662/tarit-gets-small-fine-suspended-jail-for-undeclared-wealth|access-date=19 January 2018|work=Bangkok Post|date=19 January 2018}}

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Category:Government departments of Thailand

Category:Law enforcement agencies of Thailand

Category:Ministry of Justice (Thailand)