Former national police spokesman Pol Gen Prawut Thavornsiri has returned from an overseas trip but he failed to show up for work Monday.
National police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda said Pol Gen Prawut already phoned him to give notice of his return and he has not resigned from the police service as reported by some media.
Pol Gen Prawut took leave, went on a leisure trip to Europe between Oct 25 and Sunday and was supposed to return to work Monday but he did not show up at his office, where many reporters were waiting.
Pol Gen Prawut was last week removed from his post as police spokesman amid suspicion that his removal was linked with a major new lese-majeste case in which three suspects -- Pol Maj Prakrom Warunprapa, Suriyan Sucharitpolwong, a well-known fortune-teller, also known as Mor Yong, and his close aide Jirawong Watthanathewasilp -- were arrested. Pol Maj Prakrom was later pronounced dead after he was found hanging in a military jail. Authorities said he had committed suicide.
On the job: Pol Gen Prawut was the public face of the Erawan shrine bombing investigation. (Bangkok Post file photo by Panupong Changchai)
Pol Gen Chakthip said that investigators have yet to determine whether Pol Gen Prawut is involved in the lese-majeste case. His removal was normal procedure to put the right man in the right job.
The police chief said Pol Gen Prawut did not say anything about resigning.
However, Pol Gen Chakthip said if Pol Gen Prawut fails to return to work after more than 15 days, under regulations, he would be fired.
Pol Gen Chakthip said it is up to the investigators handling the case if they will ask Pol Gen Prawut in for questioning. Pol Gen Prawut was found to have appeared in several photos with the suspects, particularly those taken during the "Bike for Mom" event in August.
