Amnuay favoured to be new DSI chief
FOUR CANDIDATES are emerging for the influential job as head of the Department of Special Investigation after DSI chief Pol General Chatchawal Suksomjit was promoted to permanent secretary of the Justice Ministry.
Three candidates are former police serving at the ministry – deputy permanent secretary Pol Colonel Dussadee Arayawuth, inspector-general Pol Colonel Suchart Wongchai-anant, Department for Rights and Liberties Protection chief Pol Colonel Narat Sawetanan. The fourth candidate, acting head of Provincial Police Region 1 Maj-General Amnuay Nimmano, is the only officer on active duty.
Amnuay is reportedly the strongest candidate, as he has close ties to senior members of the National Council for Peace and Order. He was instrumental in arranging the arrest of anti-coup protesters and successfully deterring many anti-coup rallies. He was a deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau chief in the Yingluck Shinawatra government, but was later transferred to be a deputy Police Education Bureau commander, considered a less significant post, after he was seen as being unfriendly to the previous government.
The Provincial Police Region 1 commander’s post holds a rank of police lieutenant-general, which will be ceremonially granted to him. Police sources said it was very likely that once Amnuay is promoted to the upper rank, he would be made the new DSI director-general.
Chatchawal has been named the new Justice permanent secretary partly because of his ties with Army commander and Deputy Defence Minister General Udomdej Sitabutr, who was a military classmate. He has also reportedly backed by Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya.
Narat is reportedly the second-strongest candidate. He is a former deputy DSI chief and helped found the agency in 2002. He has known ties to the Pheu Thai Party, but is also married to Nuanpan Lamsam, currently the manager of the Thai women’s soccer team and formerly an adviser to deputy Democrat Party leader Apirak Kosayodhin.
Meanwhile, noted forensic scientist Porntip Rojanasunan posted a message on Facebook complaining about “an outsider being granted the top job”.
The director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science also said: “There is no hope left after the coup.”
Paiboon yesterday defended his decision to make Chatchawal the new permanent secretary, saying that Chatchawal would be working with him, and his appointment had no link with politics after the coup.
