Senior Thai police seeks asylum in Australia

"I can't stay in Thailand. It's dangerous. If I remained in the police force, I would be in danger. I had sought help from the highers-up, but there was no help, no protection, no mercy and no compassion," he told The Nation.

His plan to seeks the asylum broke out today. Arriving in Melbourne a few days ago on a tourist visa, he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s 7.30 programme and Guardian Australia he plans to seek asylum.

Paween, 57, said he resigned last month after he was transferred against his will to an insurgency-plagued region in the deep south of Thailand. He told Guardian that traffickers he was pursuing were influential in this region and “senior police” in the area were involved with the trade. He told his superiors that he feared for his life if he were sent there, but says his protests were ignored.

Paween said he hoped Australia would grant him asylum.

“I worked in the trafficking area to help human beings who were in trouble,” he said. “I wasn’t thinking of a personal benefit but now it is me who is in trouble. I believe there should be some safe place for me, somewhere on this earth to help me.”