Chuwit Kamolvisit - Business and Allegations

Business and Allegations

Chuwit controls the Davis Group, which owned six luxurious massage parlours near Bangkok's Ratchadaphisek Road: Copacabana, Victoria's Secret, Honolulu, Hi Class, Emmanuelle and Julianna, employing some 600 women. The Davis Group's holdings also include the Davis Hotel and shopping mall on Sukhumvit Soi 24. Annual revenues have been estimated at about 1 billion baht.

These massage parlors cater mainly to wealthy Thais and operate in a grey area of the law; massage parlors are legal, but prostitution is not. Inside the parlors, some masseuses sit behind a glass window; others wait in a lounge or may be viewed via closed-circuit TV. Once a customer has chosen a masseuse, the couple retire to a room, where he is bathed and the masseuse performs a foam massage using her naked body. This is generally followed by sexual relations. Prices are from 2000 to 5000 baht for a two hour session. Chuwit once claimed in an interview that he was ignorant about what happens in the rooms; however, he has since admitted that prostitution does take place in his parlors.

In January 2003, Chuwit was accused of having hired some 600 men to raze several bars, shops, a laundry and a travel agency on "Sukhumvit Square", a plot of land he owns at Sukhumvit Soi 10. This was an apparent attempt to remove the low rent tenants so the land could be developed. The tenants had been led to believe they had valid leases from another company and were not notified of the raid, which took place very early on a Sunday morning. Chuwit was arrested and spent a month in jail. He denied responsibility and was finally released on bail.

Angry that police dared to arrest him, he publicly released the amounts of bribes he had regularly paid in the past, along with names of the high ranking police recipients. He put the total amount of bribes at 200 million baht over 10 years, but has since suggested it was closer to 12 million baht. He also claimed that "VIP" policemen received free service in his parlors (an allegation that was later confirmed by interviewing some of the masseuses.) Following an investigation, several prominent policemen were suspended or demoted. Chuwit also accused his prison wardens of having accepted bribes from him.

Shortly after his revelations, Chuwit disappeared for two days. He claimed he had been abducted and abused by police; however, others believe he had staged his own disappearance.

In reprisal, Chuwit's massage parlors were raided and some of his bank accounts frozen. He was also charged with procuring minors for prostitution because three masseues under the age of 18 were found working in one of his parlors. He was acquitted in June 2004, as the court found the girls had used forged ID cards and Chuwit could not be held responsible. The same month, Chuwit sold three of his parlors, saying that police harassment had made operations difficult for him.

The Nation, an English language Thai newspaper, chose Chuwit, along with Pornthip Rojanasunand and Chote Wattanachet, as persons of the year for 2003.

In a February 2004 interview, Chuwit claimed that he had paid Thai policemen to clear his Sukhumvit Soi 10 property. When the issue became public, the police had allegedly demanded more money, which he refused to pay. They turned against him, and he revealed his bribe payments in response.

In July 2006, after a three-year trial, Chuwit and 130 associates were acquitted of the charge of razing the bar area; however, a corporate lawyer was sentenced to 8 months in prison for having paid members of the Army Corps Of Engineers to destroy the businesses. Chuwit converted the area on Sukhumvit Soi 10 into a public park named Chuwit Park or Chuvit Garden for about 100 million baht.