Five policemen transferred for failing to stop protesters
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Five senior police based in Khon Kaen province have been transferred to inactive posts for failing to stop students from flashing the three-finger anti-coup salute at a local government event where Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gave a speech last week.
Provincial Police Region 4 chief Pol Lt-General Bunlert Jaipradit, whose jurisdiction covers the province, set up a committee to look into the five officers’ act, which he said could be regarded as “flawed performance of duty”.
The five officers are Pol Colonel Suphakorn Kamsingnok, Pol Colonel Phongrit Khongsirisombat, Pol Lt-Colonel Anusak Sakdawatcharanont, Pol Major Jeerattikul Jaraskamol-phong and Pol Major Chartchai Thiminkul.
The order to transfer them was issued on Saturday, but made public yesterday.
Bunlert said a flaw as also detected in the police intelligence service, as tip-offs were not followed up. He said the joint security operation between police and soldiers would need to be looked into.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry will set up a meeting with the local representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Matilda Bogner to clarify it’s stance on the Khon Kaen University students, who were detained after flashing the three-finger salute at Prayut, who was delivering a speech at Khon Kaen Provincial Hall.
Bogner said this was the latest in a worrying pattern of rights violations in which “critical, independent voices” were being suppressed.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said the authorities wanted to talk to Bogner to clarify the matter.
“We believe that if there are any questions in the future, she should discuss these with the Foreign Ministry through the existing channel. Also, the ministry will assign the Thai ambassador and envoy to the UN in Geneva, to seek a meeting with the UN Human Rights Commissioner there,” he said.
Authorities met with the students and their parents after the incident. The five were later released without charge.
