The peace and security of Bangkok residents is now in the hands of new Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sriwara Rangsipramkul — who may find it a tough task to prove himself worthy of the job.
Possibly because he has centralised the key powers of the MPB.
Never before has an MPB chief given himself so many important tasks to occupy himself with.
Sriwara: Hands-on approach
Typically, the incumbent commissioner tends to delegate responsibility, including the overseeing of crime suppression in the “grey areas” of the city prone to crime, to his deputies. But that is no longer the case with Pol Lt Gen Sriwara, according to a source in the police force.
Pol Lt Gen Sriwara retains close links to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, dubbed the big brother of the Burapha Payak military clique which counts Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as a member. Gen Prawit sits at the top of the “chain of command” as he supervises the Royal Thai Police Office (RTPO).
As the country’s political situation remains volatile, security issues rank high on the government’s list of priorities and the RTPO is one of the vital agencies ensuring protection.
Pol Lt Gen Sriwara apparently feels the pressure of keeping his finger firmly on the pulse of security in the capital, which could explain why he wants to take care of crime suppression oversight himself.
After taking up his new post on Oct 1, the commissioner lost no time in dividing up the MPB’s responsibilities in the nine city police divisions. As head of the MPB, he will have direct supervision of the two most powerful sections of the bureau — the Crime Suppression Division and the Youth Welfare Division. The youth welfare unit extends its reach to tackling vice and crime across the city as well.
In the past, the two units fell under the watch of MPB deputy commissioners who had the necessary experience and were senior investigators. There are currently 12 deputy commissioners.
The source said the two divisions are the heart of the city’s anti-crime apparatus as their jurisdictions cover nightspots and establishments prone to criminal activities.
Critics charge Pol Lt Gen Sriwara may not possess the required credentials of an investigator needed for the task of single-handedly overseeing security on such a scale. He also may not be familiar with handling complex, urban security problems.
The source said a number of names were floated who could have made the cut as supervisors of the two units.
However, looking on the bright side, having total control over the core crime suppression and prevention tasks will enable Pol Lt Gen Sriwara to get a firm grip on security matters. There will also be less red tape in meeting the challenges in that department.
His imposing presence could well be a boon to policy implementation as officers down the chain of command will be compelled to work effectively and concentrate more on their jobs.
The source noted that how Pol Lt Gen Sriwara fares in his role as head of the city police force is something to be closely watched as his performance could have an effect on the reputation of Gen Prawit.
Laying down the law
Upon taking up the post of justice minister, Gen Paiboon Kumchaya quickly realised that working at the Justice Ministry would be a tough job, especially in comparison with his position on the National Council for Peace and Order where he was in charge of judicial affairs.
Paiboon: Frustrated with results
At the helm of the Justice Ministry, he oversees 13 agencies, where the officials are well used to being told what to do by politicians.
It is the first time that so many ministries have been run by active and retired military personnel — and many are having to work in unfamiliar territory. Gen Paiboon, who is deputy supreme commander, is no exception.
This is despite the fact that the work he has been assigned by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to focus mainly on security, tackling corruption and combating drugs.
These tasks are carried out by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, the Corrections Department, the Anti-Money Laundering Office, and the Office of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission.
But it seems these agencies have failed to adequately deliver what Gen Paiboon has expected.
He recently complained at an event marking the DSI’s 12th anniversary that: “Today, the DSI has not gained acceptance from the public. I want DSI personnel to accept the truth and prove yourselves.”
The DSI has made little progress in investigations into many cases, even after Pol Gen Chatchawal Suksomjit was appointed by the coup-makers as its new chief replacing the controversial Tarit Pengdith.
Pol Gen Chatchawal was later appointed permanent secretary for justice. The selection of the new DSI chief is still under way.
Moreover, an incident that was seen to challenge Gen Paiboon’s authority took place when someone splashed brake fluid on a car belonging to a deputy director of the DSI’s regional operations bureau. It was in a car park at the government’s civil service complex where the DSI head office is located.
Learning of the incident, Gen Paiboon fumed, saying, “They are not man enough.” The motive for the incident is still unclear — whether it was related to transfers at the agency or something else.
But he is upset about not being able to control ministry personnel, given that the DSI is a law enforcement agency and the people have high expectations of it. The incident would never have happened in the military. This was seen as defying and challenging the authority of the new minister.
As if this was not enough, senior officials at the Justice Ministry recently mounted “an implicit protest” against a cabinet order appointing Pol Gen Chatchawal as permanent secretary for justice.
Khunying Porntip Rojanasunan, director of the Central Institute of Forensic Science, criticised Pol Gen Chatchawal’s appointment on her Facebook page, while Thawatchai Thaikhiew, deputy permanent secretary for justice, placed an image of a black screen shot on his Facebook page as a gesture of protest against the order.
The military way of working is obviously different from that of other civil servants, which can make military officers feel disgruntled.
Unlike other civil servants, the military works fast, with constant follow-ups and assessments being made.
That is why pandemonium breaks out every time Gen Paiboon orders the ministry’s agencies to send in their appraisals, a source said.
For example, Gen Paiboon instructed the Corrections Department to end the problem involving prisoners using mobile phones to handle drug sales behind bars within three months, but the problem still exists, the source said.
Gen Paiboon has sought more funding and personnel for the department, but its below-par-performance is clearly disappointing him, the source added.
As a result, the department’s senior officials have received severe dressing-downs from him during meetings. “I do all I can to help. You have to help with the work. If you still fail to solve the drug problem in prisons, heads will roll,” the source quoted him as saying.
A matter of diplomacy
Trying to tough it out as foreign affairs minister when you have been a career soldier all your life is not a piece of cake.
However, Gen Tanasak Patimapragorn, the former supreme commander, is tasked with proving foreign watchers wrong about the country suffering setbacks due to the May 22 coup.
Tanasak: Takes to the global stage
A source in the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declined appointing a civilian for the foreign minister post. He put Gen Tanasak in the job out of respect for the former supreme commander, who was technically his superior when Gen Prayut was army chief.
Gen Tanasak, now retired, also concurrently holds the post of deputy premier.
Gen Tanasak was, according to Gen Prayut, well-suited and qualified to be the country’s top diplomat, having served as an army attache to London during his time in the military. Both Gen Tanasak and Gen Prayut had been in the armed forces and rose through the ranks together.
“I know the job [of foreign affairs minister] won’t be easy. But I will do my best,” he said when he took up the post.
Before the cabinet line-up was announced, Gen Tanasak had been on a mission to explain the military’s role in straightening out problems in the country after the coup. He travelled to a number of countries within Asean and invited the military commanders of those countries to Thailand for a visit.
However, Gen Tanasak set his sights further afield as he looked to make the European Union and the United States understand the political situation in Thailand after the coup. The EU and the US were particularly critical of the coup as the NCPO prepared for economic and political backlashes.
The source said the outlook for Thai diplomacy appeared brighter after Gen Tanasak attended the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York late last month. He told the assembly Thailand was not retreating from democracy but needed time to achieve reconciliation and political reform and to strengthen democratic institutions so there will be no more military coups in the future.
The session marked his first big break as foreign minister. He felt proud to have taken part in the assembly as he met with no criticism in any shape or form from the people he met there, according to the source.
Gen Tanasak admitted he went into the session prepared for any reaction from participating leaders and even the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. But there turned out to be no cold shoulders or frosty treatment toward Gen Tanasak.
He thought foreign leaders were more understanding of the changes the country has gone through.
Gen Tanasak and US Secretary of State John Kerry shook hands at the UNGA and the minister insisted he had a picture to prove it, quashing rumours Mr Kerry had ignored him.
The foreign minister’s visits abroad and engagements overseas have provided a litmus test of international reaction toward the military regime.
So far, Gen Tanasak said the signs have been positive and this will help boost Gen Prayut’s confidence when he travels on official trips abroad.
Gen Prayut only returned from a two-day trip to Myanmar yesterday. It was his first official foreign visit as prime minister with more overseas visits planned, including to Italy for the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting from Oct 16-17 in Milan. Leaders from 51 Asian and European member states will attend.
Gen Tanasak said he had full confidence that Gen Prayut will be warmly welcomed wherever his visits take him.