Police chief OK with Army's halt of spy device show
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Israeli demo of tapping devices, location scanners at special branch cut short
NATIONAL POLICE CHIEF General Somyot Poompanmoung says the military followed correct procedures when it shut down an Israeli company’s demonstration of spy devices at Special Branch headquarters on Thursday night.
“What happened is not something alarming or a loss of face,” he said yesterday.
Soldiers crashed the demonstration on how to operate tapping devices and location scanners and briefly detained a number of Israelis.
Somyot said he made telephone calls to coordinate between police and the military before the soldiers arrived at the Special Branch office inside the Royal Thai Police compound.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the company did not approach the police through a diplomatic channel like it should have before staging the demonstration.
He said there should be communication between both sides, before extending an apology. He did not identify the recipient of the gesture.
Asked by reporters whether the incident could cause a rift between police and soldiers, he said the media should stop stirring up the issue.
“I just finished saying that both soldiers and police had settled the issue, or do you want the soldiers to fight with the police or what?”
Deputy Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said special communications and location-scanning devices required a higher level of clearance before they could be brought into Thailand or be demonstrated here.
He said Somyot was contacted by the military before the soldiers entered the police compound, and Somyot ordered a halt to the demonstration.
National Council for Peace and Order spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvari had earlier denied the |soldiers used force and drew weapons.
Ten fully armed soldiers from the 2nd Cavalry Division travelling in three Humvees shut down the demonstration citing the military’s authority to do so under Article 44 of the interim charter.
The team detained nine Israelis employed by the company, and brought them to the 2nd Cavalry Division compound for a brief detention during which they were questioned.
Winthai said the soldiers had no intent to harm anyone, and police had provided them with information about the device demonstration before they entered the compound.
