CHIANG MAI -- A second senior officer at Chang Puak police station has been transferred to an inactive post for his role in the Malin Sky pub assault case.
The officer was reassigned for "not being enthusiastic" in the case while his colleague had been moved earlier after online allegations arose that he had close links with the controversial pub and the suspects.
Pol Maj Gen Poonsub Prasertsak, acting chief of Provincial Police Region 5, signed the order transferring Pol Lt Col Sitthiporn Buasook, Chang Puak deputy investigative chief, to the Region 5 operations centre, citing damage avoidance to the bureaucracy as a reason.
“The transfer was ordered because this police officer has not been enthusiastic in his work while other officers are working hard to wrap up the case,” Pol Maj Gen Poonsub said.
He said police investigators only needed to interview a few more witnesses to ensure watertight evidence as the case had drawn wide public attention.
The investigation report would be forwarded to prosecutors by late this month or early January, said Pittaya Sirirak, acting deputy chief of Police Region 5.
The case centres on the beating of Issarajnuwat Wankawisan, 23, son of Maj Gen Witthaya Wankawisan, by Malin Sky pub security guards on the night of Nov 25 after he complained about being blocked from the male restroom because some TV stars were using it. Maj Gen Witthaya is the commander of the 38th Army Circle.
Arrest warrants have been issued for five men in connection with the attack, including businessman Kritsna “Ball” Amitsoon, the boyfriend of actress Lakana “Aum” Wattanawongsiri,
Late last week, Pol Maj Satitchai Nittayawan, a Chang Puak investigator, was transferred to Police Region 5 while the case investigation was underway, after some popular Facebook pages, each with followers numbering from 300,000 to 600,000, accused him of having a share in the Malin Sky pub and being involved in the missing CCTV footage of the attack.
Pol Maj Satitchai denied having the share in the pub -- now ordered closed and demolished -- and that he previously seized CCTV cameras from an illegal pub housed in the same building with Malin Sky but both places had the same owner.
He vowed to sue people who released his picture online and made accusations against him.