Khamronwit unfazed by ethics report

Khamronwit unfazed by ethics report

Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Khamronwit Thoopkrachang on Monday said he is not worried by the Ombudsman's reported recommendation that police chief Adul Saengsingkaew take action against him for a breach of ethics by going to see fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Hong Kong last year.

Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit was responding to reporters' questions after the Office of the Ombudsman's report concluded that he acted inappropriately and had damaged the credibility of the police force by going to Hong Kong on June 30 last year to meet Thaksin and thank him for his promotion.

Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit Thoopkrachang with an old friend.

The Ombudsman launched an investigation after being requested by the Green Politics Group to establish whether Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit had breached police ethics and caused the public to doubt the neutrality of the police and the justice system.

Suriyasai Katasila, coordinator of the Green Politics Group and a former core leader of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), revealed on Sunday that the Ombudsman had found the metropolitian police chief to have breached police ethics and had sent its report to Pol Gen Adul, asking that he take action against him within 30 days.

Mr Suriyasai said the finding would also be forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further investigation.

Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit said that after consulting his mother he went to see Thaksin out of personal respect for his former boss. He asked him to pin on his new rank insignia, after being appointed the metropolitan police chief. 

This happened abroad, not in the country, he said.

Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit said he would leave it to Pol Gen Adul to decide whether disciplinary action is appropriate.

If the Ombudsman had sent its finding to the NACC, he would comply with any decision made by the anti-graft agency, he added.

He suggested that the NACC do this quickly, because he has only 14 months left until he retires from the police service.

Pol Gen Adul said he had not yet received the Ombudsman's letter concerning Pol Lt Gen Khamronwit.

NACC secretary-general Narong Rathamarit also said his office had not received a letter from the Ombudsman.

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