National police chief Torsak Sukvimol on Wednesday declined to answer questions about deputy chief Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, who has threatened to sue the Police Commission for confirming his dismissal.
In his first media interview since being transferred back to the Royal Thai Police last month, Pol Gen Torsak said he had no comment on the commission’s decision.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin transferred both Pol Gen Torsak and Pol Gen Surachate to inactive posts in March after concluding that the long-running feud between the two was becoming a distraction for the force.
Pol Gen Surachate was subsequently dismissed amid allegations that he was linked to online gambling. He is appealing the order and seeking a malfeasance investigation against the prime minister.
When asked about Pol Gen Surachate’s petition asking him to revoke the dismissal order, Pol Gen Torsak said he had yet to see it and did not want to address the matter for now.
He also insisted that he and Pol Gen Surachate did not have any conflict, so the issue should not be raised.
The Police Commission voted 12:0 last week to back the dismissal order that was signed by deputy police chief Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet, who was acting police chief at the time.
Pol Gen Surachate has threatened to sue Mr Srettha and the 11 other commission members if the Police Merit Systems Protection Board upholds the dismissal order.
Pol Gen Torsak also dismissed media reports that he would step down before his mandatory retirement on Sept 30. He said he was fully committed to his job and working closely with his deputies.
The national police chief on Wednesday joined a press conference at the Crime Suppression Division to announce the result of a recent crackdown on hired gunmen and criminal networks.
A total of 87 people were arrested and a large number of firearms including 880 guns and 6,936 rounds of ammunition confiscated in the operation that targeted 183 locations nationwide. Also seized were seven million methamphetamine pills.
Pol Gen Torsak said the force was preparing to crack down further on drug trafficking and was keeping a close watch on a certain group of influencers whose work was seen as encouraging illegal activity.
