Police launch lese majeste hunt

Police launch lese majeste hunt

Lese majeste investigator Pol Lt Gen Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul, front left, leads national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda and others into a briefing room to outline the mysterious investigation begun on Monday. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)
Lese majeste investigator Pol Lt Gen Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul, front left, leads national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda and others into a briefing room to outline the mysterious investigation begun on Monday. (Photo by Pornprom Satrabhaya)

A police investigation is under way into a group of people accused of violating Section 112 of the Criminal Code, better known as the lese majeste law, a chief investigator says.

Assistant police chief Pol Lt Gen Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul said the probe follows a complaint lodged by the military, and warrants for the arrest of the group members have been approved by a court.

Pol Lt Gen Srivara, who was appointed the head of a 19-member police committee investigating the alleged lese majeste offences, said the details are expected to be made public tomorrow when authorities seek to detain the suspects.

He declined to say how many people have been charged or are being investigated.

The Srivara committee was appointed by national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda on Friday.

Also on the committee is Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) commissioner Thitiraj Nhongharnpitak who was named deputy head of the team comprising high-level officers from various police units. 

The committee is required to wrap up the investigation as soon as possible and is authorised to extend the probe if more people are found to have been involved in the offences.

The committee will report the results of the probe to the Royal Thai Police.

Police refused to name the people being investigated.

The investigating committee was established ahead of the transfer of eight police officers which was authorised by the CIB commissioner on Sunday.

The officers named in the transfer order are Crime Suppression Division (CSD) deputy chief Pol Col Siwapong Patpongpanich; CSD superintendent Pol Col Pairot Rojanakachorn; CSD deputy superintendent Pol Col Wasu Saengsuksai; CSD deputy superintendent Pol Lt Col Thammawat Hiranyalekha; Pol Lt Col Jirawat Boonwattanaporn of Highways Police; Pol Lt Col Natkrit Phromchan of the CSD; Pol Lt Col Pittaya Klam-em of the Highways Police; and Po Lt Col Suwatchai Srithongsuk of the Anti-Human Trafficking Division.

However, Pol Gen Chakthip insisted Monday the decision to set up the investigating committee had nothing to do with the eight police transfers.

He declined to discuss the details of the lese majeste investigation, but noted that anyone implicated in the case would be questioned.

He said it is too early to say if the latest case is as broad in scope as that of former CIB chief Pongpat Chayaphan whose criminal network was brought down late last year. Pol Lt Gen Pongpat was charged on several counts ranging from violating the lese majeste law, demanding kickbacks for police transfers, asking for bribes from oil smuggling networks, operating a gambling den, money-laundering, illegal logging and illegally possessing historic artifacts.

Following Pol Lt Gen Pongpat's fall from grace, several senior police attached to units under the CIB were transferred.

The CIB said the transfers were intended to help shore up the bureau's image.

It was widely believed the targets of the shake-up at the time were core operational units under the supervision of the CIB.

Several high-ranking officers were implicated in Pol Lt Gen Pongpat's criminal network.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (5)