Top cops transferred, probed over photo-ops with Sek

Top cops transferred, probed over photo-ops with Sek

Senior officers in Bangkok, Nakhon Si Thammarat face inquiries

Pol Col Sing Singhadej (second from right), chief of Kannayao police in Bangkok, and two
Pol Col Sing Singhadej (second from right), chief of Kannayao police in Bangkok, and two "visitors" to the police station, pose with rock star Sek Loso (centre) after he was charged with resisting arrest and firearms offences. (Photo from @KannayaoPoliceStation Facebook account)

The chief of Kannayao police district in Bangkok and two senior investigators in Nakhon Si Thammarat have been transferred pending investigation for being too friendly with rock singer Sek Loso, who faces firearms and drug charges.

The Kannayao chief, Pol Col Sing Singhadej, has been transferred pending a probe into a photo-taking session with the polemic rock singer in an investigation room after Sek was charged with resisting police at his home in Bang Khen, Bangkok.  

Pol Col Sing came under a barrage of criticism after a photo of him posing with the rocker and two other men, giving a thumbs-up, went viral online.

Pol Maj Gen Ekkachai Boonwisut, chief of the Metropolitan Police Division 2, has told Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner Pol Lt Gen Charnthep Selsavej  a fact-finding panel has been set up to investigate Pol Col Sing and the photo-op.

The Kannayao police chief was also transferred to Metropolitan Police Division 2 pending the finding, Thai media reported on Friday.

Sek, 43, whose real name is Seksan Sookpimay, was taken to Kannyayao police station on Sunday and charged with resisting police when they went to his house in nearby Bang Khen, Bangkok, to arrest him for firing shots into the air and ground in front of the statue of King Taksin the Great at Wat Khao Khun Phanom in Phrommakhiri district in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Dec 29.

Phrommakhiri police have also charged him with unauthorised possession of a firearm and firing shots in a public area. The Nakhon Si Thammarat Court granted him bail on Wednesday.

The embattled rocker is now also facing a summons to report to Kannayao police on Jan 12 to acknowledge a charge of drug use after a urine sample tested positive.

National police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda issued an order on June 22 last year banning police from posing for photos with suspects or acting in a manner that suggested they were close to a suspect, saying it would erode public faith in the force.

A post on the Facebook account of Kannyao police station says the district police chief has already explained his photo-op with Sek to the public.

In the photo taken on Jan 1, the other two people were Pol Maj Gen Prasopchok Prommoon, who took the rocker for drug rehabilitation treatment in 2011, and Kritikhun Thaksinnukulwong, an executive of Grammy Entertainment. The two men commanded respect from the rocker and had helped him turn over a new leaf, the Facebook post said.

In a posted video clip, Pol Col Sing shows the investigation room at Kannayao police station where the controversial photo was taken on Jan 1. He explains that the photo was taken after two visitors - Pol Maj Gen Prasopchok, former chief of the Crime Suppression Division, and Mr Kritikhun, an executive of Grammy Entertainment, which Sek used to work for - visited the rock singer after police interrogated him overnight Sunday (Dec 31) and into Monday.

The two nen had been counselling Sek to stay away from illegal drugs, he said. The rocker promised to do so.

Pol Col Sing said it was the right for the two men to visit the suspect. Police had not given the rock star any special treatment.

Meanwhile, two senior police officers in Nakhon Si Thamarat have also been transferred pending an inquiry after photos of them attending a party with Sek were posted on Facebook and drew heavy criticism.

Pol Maj Gen Wanchai Ekpornpit, police chief of Nakhon Si Thammarat, set up a panel to investigate the attendance of Pol Col Rangsan Sukkua, chief investigator at Nakhon Si Thammarat police office, and Pol Lt Col Theerachai Pumpichai, crime suppression chief at Muang police station, at a party hosted by Sek  in the southern province.

The two officers were moved to  the Nakhon Si Thammarat police operations centre pending the finding.

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