UPDATE: All 226 reserve OrSor members suspended as Thalang checkpoint probe widens

All 226 reserve Volunteer Defence Corps (OrSor) members in Thalang have been suspended from duty and ordered to undergo fingerprinting and criminal-record checks as the inquiry into alleged demands for money at a drug checkpoint widens. The Phuket News reported the development on 21 September 2026.

Thalang District Chief Wilailak Rueangphol told the newspaper that the 226 people are reserve volunteers recruited from the civilian sector, rather than regular government officials. None is currently authorised to perform duties, and only those who pass the checks will receive individual orders allowing them to return. Thalang has 18 regular OrSor officials, who underwent background checks when recruited and are not subject to the same process.

Phuket authorities are investigating allegations that territorial defence volunteers demanded money from people at a drug checkpoint in Thalang district. Personnel directly connected with the allegations have been removed from the operation while the inquiry proceeds, and replacement units are maintaining public-order and safety duties.

On 20 September 2026, Deputy Government Spokesperson Ploytalay Laksmisangchan said Deputy Interior Minister Worasit Liangprasit had instructed the Phuket governor and Thalang district chief to establish the facts and report publicly. If the allegations are substantiated, legal and disciplinary action should follow without exception, she said.

Phuket Governor Chotinrin Koedsom said authorities were taking complaints circulating on social media seriously and moving quickly to establish the facts. Investigators had gathered available operational records and interviewed witnesses, while the Thalang district chief had reassigned the duties of the officers involved.

The province dissolved the previous operational team and formed two replacement units totalling about 30 personnel on 19 September. Chotinrin described the reorganisation as an administrative measure to maintain continuous security and public-order coverage while the inquiry continues, rather than a finding that all 226 reserve volunteers had committed wrongdoing.

Rueangphol also said one Palad, a local administrative official with responsibilities connected with the OrSor units, had been reassigned and removed from security and anti-narcotics duties while the fact-finding inquiry continues. She said other officials could be included if the evidence shows their involvement.

Most other witnesses have been interviewed, but formal statements from the complainants are still needed to complete the evidential picture. Authorities have said the complaint will be assessed on the basis of facts, evidence and due process to ensure fairness to all sides.

Phuket MP Chalermphong Saengdee has raised a possible mule-account link in the case. He said information indicated that, in some instances, money allegedly connected with the checkpoint was transferred to an account identified as a mule account linked to a Thalang district territorial-defence volunteer. The account holder, the person actually using the account and any ultimate beneficiaries have not been independently established.

In an earlier disclosure, Saengdee cited complaints about a late-night drug checkpoint near Bang Jo 7-Eleven. The complaints alleged that detainees were taken to a room inside a blue building behind the Thalang District Office, where payments ranging from B6,000 to B15,000 were allegedly demanded for their release. One alleged B15,000 demand was reportedly negotiated down to B12,000, while the person later received a court fine of B2,000. Another allegation said a family member arranged B6,000 to secure the release of an elderly detainee who did not have enough money. Those allegations remain under investigation.

Saengdee has urged authorities to trace the financial trail, including who owned or used the account, the timing and amounts of transfers, any subsequent withdrawals or transfers, and possible links to officials or others involved. He said the investigation should go beyond replacing personnel and identify anyone who ordered the alleged payments or ultimately benefited from them.

Territorial defence volunteers are assigned to assist administrative or police officials with maintaining public order and protecting residents, rather than seeking personal gain, the deputy government spokesperson said.