Senior officers Torsak, Surachate play down transfers to PM’s Office

Pol General Torsak Sukvimol said his attempt to bring reconciliation between the conflicting sides “was okay to an extent”.

“I admit that, as the head of the agency, it was my fault to be unable to create unity within the organisation,” he said, speaking to reporters at Government House.

When asked if his transfer was caused by his failure to properly manage his agency, the suspended police chief said, “Yes”, while raising his thumb.

He told reporters that his transfer did not cause him strock or shock, as he learned about it before the news came out.

“I play my role as the police commissioner general. When the play is over, the curtain comes down, and I go home. That’s life. What are you stressed about? I am not. Sooner or later, we have to part ways,” Torsak said.

The national police chief and his most senior deputy, Pol General Surachate Hakparn, reported to Teerapong Wongsiwawilas, the permanent secretary of the Prime Minister's Office, on Thursday morning. Torsak arrived at about 9.40am while Surachate got there 15 minutes later.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had issued his order to transfer both Torsak and Surachate to inactive posts at the PM’s Office for 60 days, pending an investigation by a fact-finding committee set up by the prime minister.

It is rare for the two most senior police officers to be sidelined at the same time. The double transfer came after growing conflict in the Royal Thai Police amid exchanges of allegations that certain high-ranking officers condoned illegal gambling networks.

Almost an hour after they arrived at the PM’s Office on Thursday, both Torsak and Surachate emerged to talk to reporters.

Torsak said that he was assigned to handle volunteerism matters and to offer advice on public demonstrations. Regarding the prime minister’s remarks that issues in the police force must be handled strictly through the proper justice process, he said that as he had already stepped aside, the acting national police chief would deal with the matter.
“I can no longer get involved,” he added.

Surachate told reporters that he was rather familiar with the PM’s Office as he had been transferred to this agency for two years during the previous government. “I don’t feel any pressure for having to return here. I am ready to do any work assigned to me,” he said.

The suspended deputy police chief also dismissed media speculation that he was close to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is regarded as the patriarch of the ruling Pheu Thai Party. He said the prime minister had ordered the double transfer to ensure unity within the police force in order to serve the public interest.

Surachate was among senior public officials on hand to welcome Thaksin in Chiang Mai last week when the ex-PM visited his native province after being released on parole.

When asked on Thursday if he thought he could return to the Royal Thai Police, Surachate said it would depend on the prime minister. “I stay wherever [the supervisors] want me. Anywhere can make me happy. I don’t think too much.”

Surachate, 53, has seven years left before his mandatory retirement at 60, while Torsak is set to retire at the end of September this year.

Both of them had made frequent headlines over the past week amid reports that Surachate could face charges of money laundering in connection with an online gambling network.

A police summons notice was posted at Surachate’s Bangkok house last Sunday, requiring him to acknowledge the money-laundering charge related to a gambling website. Torsak later said that if Surachate ignored repeated summonses, he could face an arrest warrant and suspension from duty.

Surachate’s lawyers told a press conference on Tuesday that there were ongoing attempts to discredit him due to his potential succession as the next national police chief later this year.

Torsak and Surachate held a joint press conference on Wednesday after they had met with PM Srettha. Both senior police officers said Surachate’s case would be handled by the National Anti-Corruption Commission to ensure fairness and reduce conflict within the police force.