Police walking a tightrope in Bt30m lottery case

Anyone wanting the police chief to put to rest what has become a national debate over who owned the lottery tickets that won the November 1 jackpot, following conflicting claims, must have been disappointed. At a press conference on Wednesday, Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda essentially tossed the ball to the courts, even though police action earlier that same day strongly hinted at which party they think is innocent and which is guilty.
The good news is that Chakthip did what police should be doing regarding suspects’ rights, distinct duties within the justice process, and how far his agency should go in serving and protecting. The bad news is that what he did represented the exception, not the rule, as far as the Thai police are concerned.
On one hand, there is the urgent need to help the innocent. On the other, Thailand needs a higher standard regarding the rights of the accused, which have been terribly violated in so-called “trial by media” and police attempts to prove beyond doubt that anyone they arrest must be guilty. Both problems have been feeding off each other.
Chakthip made it clear that the criminal and civil courts would have the final says. Those courts at times disagree, but there are established procedures concerning the judicial process, and the best the police can do is present evidence to back up their accusations. Despite the perceived refusal to bang the table and say which side is guilty in the lottery case, the police played their role in the process with the arrest of key figures in the showdown.
Chakthip’s press conference did not sufficiently address a central issue – the widespread speculation that provincial and regional police were biased in their investigation, in an apparent attempt to help one side. Chakthip’s vow to punish any police officer found guilty of malfeasance was the only brief moment this staggering issue was mentioned during the news conference.
Chakthip’s action can be viewed from different perspectives. Some feel he did the right thing, since police officers were also suspects themselves and thus deserved to be treated fairly. Also, further investigation is needed, and the officers’ transfers from positions that could impact the lottery case are part of a continuing process that still has a long way to go. Others, justifiably, wanted Chakthip to be more serious in addressing the issue of suspected police corruption.
The latter camp has probably seen enough to be pessimistic about pledges to punish rotten apples. They fear that, when the whole lottery saga dies down, the police will do what’s always happened before. Suspected officers will be helped, either because of nepotism or because of the need to protect the force’s image. After all, punishing them would mean admitting that men in uniform sometimes prey on innocent people.
The role of central investigators, who took over from the provincial and regional police in probing the case, helped maintain the public’s fragile trust, but faith will remain shaky due to the remaining questions about whether the lottery controversy involved dishonest cops.
Chakthip was right in saying the case wasn’t over yet. Some standards were set on Wednesday, but the force’s integrity will also continue to be tested, and a time might come when Wednesday’s press conference will feel like a walk in the park.