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Patong Police chief shunted amid suspected seafood restaurant shakedown

Patong Police chief shunted amid suspected seafood restaurant shakedown

PHUKET: Acting police-inspector general of the Royal Thai Police Gen Suchart Teerasawat has issued an order to transfer four Phuket police officers to Bangkok, active today (Nov 18).

corruptionpatongpoliceimmigration
By Eakkapop Thongtub

Saturday 18 November 2017 05:30 PM


Patong Police Chief Col Tassanai Orarigdech. Photo: The Phuket News / file

Patong Police Chief Col Tassanai Orarigdech. Photo: The Phuket News / file

The latest order comes following an order issued on Monday (Nov 13) for six officers to also be transferred off of the island.

According to speculation from a Phuket police source, the transfer may be related to a seafood restaurant clampdown, which had associations to a senior police officer in Bangkok.

The transfers are severely affecting the morale of Phuket Police. They also question whether the inspector-general has authority to transfer officers to Bangkok from other provinces,” said the source.

The order numbered 41/2560, issued yesterday (Nov 17), listed Patong Police Chief Col Tassanai Orarigdech, Deputy inspector of Anti-Trafficking in Persons Sub-division 5 Capt Srisuda Muangkaew, head of the sub-division 5 Snr Sgt Maj Jakthiporn Nakpongphat, and Patong Traffic Police chief Snr Sgt Maj Worachat Thappun.

From today, the four officers have been transferred to inactive posts at the Royal Thai Police Operations Centre in Bangkok until further notice, stated the order.

The orders for transfers comes for the second time this week, with six other Phuket police, including three immigration officers, ordered to transfer on Monday (Nov 13).

The Immigration officers transferred were named as Lt Col Surasak Jaidee, Lt Col Teanchai Chomphu and Sen Sgt Maj Pongphet Jantharat.

The other three officers ordered to report to Bangkok were Capt Adul Boonrat of the Patong Police, Sen Sgt Maj Pornprasit Wenthong of Phuket City Police, and Capt Nimit Sukprasert of Region 8 Police, based at the north end of the island.

The order said the transfers were “to manage neat and productive working”. (See story here).