The Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced three human traffickers to between 167 and 320 years each in prison in connection with the Mae Hong Son underage sex trade scandal.
By law each will serve a maximum of 50 years. The three men were taken from a local prison to hear the court's ruling.
They are Piyawan Sukma, 27, sentenced to 167 years; Piyathas Thiensuwan, 31, who was handed a term of 176 years, and Pol Sen Sgt Maj Yutthachai Thongchart, an ex-policeman attached to Ban Nam Phieng Din station in Mae Hong Son, who received 320 years.
Five other defendants, who had earlier been bailed, were also handed prison terms. They are Mongkol Kiatpakdeepong, 31, Patthamaporn Inkaew, 32, Kanokwan Rattanapakdee, 23, Kwanhathai Rerk-udom, 40, and Kallaya Wutthikul, 41. All are Mae Hong Son residents.
They received jail terms of 19 years, 12 years, 8 years, 7 years and 36 years respectively. All were also ordered to compensate the victims.
In its ruling, the court found all eight defendants guilty of colluding in sex trafficking in violation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act, and the Criminal Code.
The court said all those jailed were members of a sex trade ring who had colluded in procuring underage prostitutes for both civilians and state officials from Feb 1 to Dec 31, 2014, in Ban Nam Phieng Din in Muang district, Mae Hong Son.
They also abducted a 14-year-old girl from her parents and forced her into prostitution.
The case came to light after the girl's mother, identified only as Nampetch, sought help from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, an agency under the umbrella of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
She went to the DSI after claiming the probe by Mae Hong Son police was moving at a snail's pace.
Authorities widened the investigation, resulting in the arrests of the eight people who received their sentences Wednesday.
