Police deserve praise -- and a PR adviser

Police deserve praise -- and a PR adviser

With the dust now starting to settle on the deadly bombing at Ratchaprasong intersection on Aug 17, it is becoming clearer who the possible culprits are behind this hideous act of terrorism.

Although it took the police more than two weeks to formulate and figure out what was happening, the fact that at least some of those allegedly behind the attack are being apprehended is a positive step.

To be honest, not many of us would have expected the police to be able to connect the dots and catch those who were behind the bombing that killed 20 and injured more than 130 innocent people.

With a link to Turkish extremists now firming up, Thailand's decision to deport 109 Uighurs earlier this year is coming more and more under the spotlight.

The controversy reached fever pitch when pictures of the deported Uighurs in hoods made the front pages and prompted many critics to jump on the issue and denounce the Thai government.

But not only Thailand should be blamed for its actions. After all, Thailand's neighbour and Asean partner, Malaysia, has undertaken similar deportations starting from 2011 until last year while other countries such as Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Cambodia have also carried out deportations. None, however, had the pictures splashed on front pages of newspapers. These actions were mostly conducted in secret.

There has been much criticism of the Thai authorities recently. Not least of the deportation itself, but also in the aftermath of the bombing, where the conduct and investigative nous of the Thai police also came into question. Then there was also the proud Thai police chief, handing out millions of baht in reward money to his own staff for simply doing their jobs.

For many years, Thailand has been viewed as a "safe haven" for many of the world's criminals who want to live under the radar.

Indian criminal gangster Choota Rajan was living in Thailand for yers, for example. And as recently as July this year, Swiss national Xavier Andre Justo was living it up on Koh Samui. Mr Justo received a three-year jail sentence last month after confessing to blackmailing his former employer in a shakedown connected to the unravelling 1MDB scandal in Malaysia.

These are well-known cases that we have heard of and a chat with any high-level security official would reveal there is a lot more dirt on Thailand.

The Thai policy of "not in my backyard" somehow backfired on Aug 17 and this is a loud wake-up call for the country. It is not just another incident, but one that the authorities -- from the top down -- should seriously examine and use as an incentive to thoroughly clean up their act.

What was worse was the fact that we Thais were in denial even though evidence was mounting that it was an act of terrorism. The fact that Thai police found bomb materials at a suspect's apartment certainly suggests more attacks were in the pipeline.

But rather than recognising the fact that the country has become a possible target for terrorists, authorities misled the public. Distrust should be rife among the population.

Military spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd theorised that the bombing was part of a "political" vendetta, in a veiled reference to "those who lost power" from the military's takeover of administration.

How did he come to this conclusion? Does Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha know that his staffer is actually creating divisions by voicing opinions based on personal feelings rather than facts? Maybe now, with the evidence piling up to suggest it was not related to domestic politics, one could expect Maj Gen Sansern to come out, admit his mistake and apologise.

The police should be applauded for their work so far, but they also lost ground when police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang came out to give away his "prize money". The fact that the police worked day and night to track down the bombers is something to be appreciated, but the reward money has also made them the laughing stock of the world.

These public relation fiascos -- whether it's Maj Gen Sansern saying too much or Pol Gen Somyot handing out rewards to his subordinates -- are things that need to be reconsidered by the military government if it wants to win the hearts and minds of its people.


Umesh Pandey is editor of Asia Focus, Bangkok Post.

Umesh Pandey

Bangkok Post Editor

Umesh Pandey is Editor, Bangkok Post.

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