'Big Joke' says search of his house 'political'

Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn walks towards a police officer during the search at one of his properties on Monday morning. (Photo supplied)
Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn walks towards a police officer during the search at one of his properties on Monday morning. (Photo supplied)

Deputy national police chief Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn said the search of his home in Bangkok on Monday morning was dishonest and politically motivated.

Speaking to reporters at the Police Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit road, Pol Gen Surachate said the search of his house, in Soi Vibhavadi 60, was dishonest because in seeking the warrant cyber crime police gave the court only the number of the house to be searched. They did not tell the court who owned the place.

In fact, many of the police who showed up for the search knew that it was his house, he said.

Nothing illegal was found in the house.

Surachate admitted that eight other police officers the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau had obtained arrest warrants for were his subordinates.

He said their financial transactions must be examined to show whether they were involved in the operations of online gambling websites as alleged, or not.

The embattled deputy police chief said what happened to him was linked to politics within the Office of the Royal Thai Police.

Surachate said he still did not know who ordered the search, which was intended to discredit him and ruin his reputation.

He admitted having handled many criminal cases in which many police officers were implicated and were served with arrest or search warrants. It was normal that he would be the subject of hard feelings.

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Vocabulary

  • court: the place where legal trials take place and where crimes, etc. are judged - ศาล
  • discredit: to cause people to stop respecting someone or believing in an idea or person - ทำให้สูญเสียความเชื่อถือ,ทำให้เสื่อมเสียชื่อเสียง
  • dishonest: not honest; intending to trick people - ไม่ซื่อสัตย์
  • embattled: experiencing a lot of problems - ที่ถูกโจมตี
  • gambling: the activity of betting money, for example in a game or on a horse race - การพนัน
  • implicate: to show or suggest that someone is involved in something illegal or morally wrong   - โยงใยถึง, เกี่ยวพันกับ
  • political (adj): connected with the state, government or public affairs - เกี่ยวกับการเมือง, เกี่ยวกับการปกครอง, เกี่ยวกับการเมือง
  • reputation: the opinion people have about how good or bad someone or something is - ชื่อเสียง
  • ruin: to damage something so badly that it loses all its value, pleasure, etc; to spoil something - ทำลาย
  • subordinate: someone who has less power or authority than someone else - ผู้ใต้บังคับบัญชา สมุน
  • transaction: a business dealing - การติดต่อทางธุรกิจ
  • warrant (noun): a legal document that is signed by a judge and gives the police authority to do something - หมาย
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