It happened in Suphan Buri, often called Banharn Buri – the province dominated by former prime minister Banharn Silpa-archa, advisory chairman of the Chart Thai Pattana Party.
On Sunday, the Suphan Buri police chief, Pol Maj-Gen Chatcharin Sawangwong issued an urgent order instructing 28 newly appointed police officers to show up at the home of Mr Banharn on Charunsanitwong in Bangkok on Tuesday at 7.30am to receive advice from the "little big man" of Suphan Buri.
All the officers were required to report to Pol Maj-Gen Chatcharin’s house at 5.30am so they could travel together in three vans for the "courtesy call".
Veteran politician Banharn Silpa-archa, the 'little big man' of Suphan Buri, in February 2013 (Bangkok Post file photo)
Moreover, the order stipulated that this courtesy call was a policy of Suphan Buri police and no excuses would be allowed.
All hell broke lose when somebody who had seen the order and, apparently, was not happy with it posted a copy on the social media. As could be expected, it went viral with lots of criticism of both the order and of the Suphan Buri police chief.
The negative reactions from netizens prompted Pol Maj-Gen Chatcharin to rethink, and to issue another urgent order on Monday cancelling the meeting with Mr Banharn, saying the current political situation was not conducive for such a meeting.
Unfortunately for Pol Maj-Gen Chatcharin, his cancellation order came too late to save his skin.
That same day, Monday, Pol Lt-Gen Veerapong Chuenpakdee, the commissioner of the 7th Provincial Police Bureau, ordered his immediate removal and transfer to an inactive post at the bureau and to report in on Tuesday.
Later on, Pol Maj-Gen Chatcharin defended his actions, saying he had simply followed the tradition practised by his predecessors for decades. He argued that Mr Banharn was widely respected and loved in Suphan Buri, and it would be useful for the new police officers to receive advice from the former premier.
It is true that it has been the custom for Suphan Buri police chiefs to bring new appointees to pay respect to Mr Banharn, in order to appease him or for whatever reason. Yes, it is improper for the police to kowtow to a politician because, by so doing, they may feel kreng jai with the politician, which may compromise their respnsibility to enforce the law later on. For instance, if the politician asks for some favour that is not legal from the police they may find it difficult to turn him down.
But whether the swift justice against Pol Maj-Gen Chatcharin is fair or not, without giving him a chance to defend himself, is debatable. I believe the officer was made a sacrificial lamb to set an example for other police officers – a sort of killing a chicken for the monkeys to see.
The swift action against the (former) Suphan Buri police chief reminds me of similar justice meted out to 30-plus police superintendents in Bangkok, who were abruptly transferred for alleged involvement in the LED advertising billboards on top of police kiosks in Bangkok.
None of these officers were involved in the negotiation and signing of the contract with a private company, which offered to build the kiosks equipped with the billboards free of charge. It was reported that the former metropolitan police chief, Pol Lt-Gen Kamronwit Thoopkrachang, was responsible. Yet, he escaped unscathed after his mandatory retirement and the small fry were left to face the music.
I sympathise with these officers for their abrupt transfer for a mistake which was not of their own making. And you should know that getting promoted to the position of superintendent in Bangkok is not easy without the "oil" to grease the police machinery to endorse promotions
The billboards were meant for the police to show pictures and information on wanted criminals and missing children, so that the public could help in tipping off the police if they come across them.
Fact is, the billboards have been dominated with commercials and movie trailers most of the time. I came across these billboards at intersections in Bangsue area four times a day, and rarely saw the images of missing children or wanted criminals displayed on them.
This needs to be changed if the billboards are to stay, otherwise they should best be removed.