The victims positively identified the five unnamed officials as customers who bought sex on September 22 last year.

Police also have confiscated money transaction slips that show the accused officials wired money to the bank account of a person in the ring, who police kept as witness, as payment for the girls’ services, the source said.

As well as the Tambon Ban Mai officials, police say they will soon summon some Mae Hong Son provincial administrative organisation members in Pai district, the source added.

Earlier on Friday, Tambon Ban Mai Administrative Organisation president Wasu Phan-ngern insisted that nothing illegal happened during his group’s field trip to Mae Hong Son last September. He threatened to sue the Provincial Police Region 5 for summoning him and fellow officials as part of the probe into the forced prostitution ring.