House panel seeks action against police officer over training course
Democrat MP says the two Chinese organisers should not bear responsibility alone, the senior police officer behind the course should also face action
The House Committee on Police Affairs summoned representatives of Siam University on Thursday to testify about the controversial “police volunteer” training course conducted at the university.
Speaking after the meeting at Parliament, Democrat MP Chaichana Detdecho, who chairs the panel, urged the Metropolitan Police Bureau to take action against a senior police officer allegedly involved in the course, in addition to the two Chinese organisers already charged.
Reports indicated that a police lieutenant colonel, who heads an investigation sub-division of Metropolitan Police Division 3, signed his name on ID cards issued to Chinese participants who graduated from the programme.
Although the bureau claimed the officer only signed graduation certificates and not ID cards, Chaichana said his signature effectively endorsed the illegal training course and called for legal action against him.
Police have already charged two Chinese nationals for allegedly organising the course and using official logos unlawfully. The duo – Li Ming Long, president of the Thai-China Business Union, and Dr Li Zhang, assistant president for International Affairs at Siam University – were also charged under the Computer Crime Act for falsely advertising the course online.
Initially, the Metropolitan Police Bureau charged the organisers with using its logo without permission on Wednesday, but the Central Investigation Bureau also filed a complaint against them both for using the CIB logo without permission.
Chaichana said his panel believes that holding only these two Chinese nationals accountable was insufficient, as a police lieutenant also appeared to have collaborated in the course’s organisation. Police are currently investigating financial transactions related to the programme and expect to identify the recipients of the course fees within 15 days.
He said 27 Chinese citizens participated in the course and paid 38,000 baht each.
The MP said that though Siam Univesity has distanced itself from the programme, it did permit the organisers to use its facilities.
The House committee has since warned the university’s representatives to exercise greater caution when allowing its premises to be used.
