Police chief vows to step in and resolve dispute between senior officers
National Police chief Pol General Torsak Sukvimol said he would arrange personal talks with two senior police officers to resolve their animosity over alleged involvement with an online gambling website.
Torsak on Friday told media that he was unhappy about two seasoned officers — Pol General Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn and Pol Maj-General Jaroonkiat “Big Tao” Pankaew” — expressing their disagreements in public. He warned this would damage the image of the Royal Thai Police.
The two senior officers came into the limelight after Jaroonkiat filed a complaint with the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), accusing Surachate and his subordinates of breaching the laws, due to the latter’s alleged financial link to an online gambling website run by a woman nicknamed "Minnie".
Torsak said that he was not detached from the controversy and that he would schedule a talk with the two police officers on Friday afternoon.
Dubbing himself the “head of the family”, he said he was responsible for bringing about unity “amongst family members”.
Earlier, Torsak received a complaint from one of Surachate’s subordinates, Pol Maj-General Namkiat Teerarotjanapong, who is amongst those accused by Jaroonkiat. The police chief was accused of failing to exercise his authority. The reason behind this move has not been revealed by Namkiat.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Friday warned the Royal Thai police not to bring their controversy in the public spotlight, and to ensure that all sides received a fair legal process.
Surachate currently serves as the deputy chief of the Royal Thai Police while Jaroonkiat is deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau.
