Police revolt against transfers to far South | Bangkok Post: news
Police revolt against transfers to far South
- Published: 27/12/2012 at 05:11 PM
- Online news: Local News
The police chief has pleaded for cooperation from investigators who are refusing to put their names in the draw for random transfer to vacant positions in the restive far South.
Pol Gen Adul Saengsingkaew commented on the police investigators' refusal to take part in the draw for assignments in the southernmost provinces on Thursday.
He said the region needs more than 100 officers, but only about 30 had volunteered for assignment there.
While it was quite normal for officers not to want to be away from their families, they should put the country's needs ahead of themselves. The police chief said that he had been assigned to the South for three years as a more junior officer.
Investigators, a position in most police stations, have submitted a letter to the police chief, questioning the policy to select 150 detectives from the pool of more than 6,000 officers to be posted in the South, based on a random drawing. The drawing has been scheduled for Jan 7.
Pol Lt Col Kaisaeng Tawilwong, who represents the discontented investigators, said they were not protesting against being transferred to the South, but against the selection process. Most of the officers whose names would be drawn were 40-50 years old with tremendous family responsibilities.
Pol Lt Col Kaisaeng: Better selection process is needed to transfer police officers to the South. Photo by Somchai Poomlard.
He also asked why the ballot concernedonly investigators while officers ranked at the superintendent level have to be assigned to the region.
As the upset officers have now exhausted all options to plead with their superiors, it is possible they will ask the Administrative Court to issue a temporary injunction to suspend the draw, he said.
The prospect of assignment to southern provinces has caused concern among police officers' families, given news reports of almost daily attacks in the deep south in the provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, Pattani and Songkhla.
The security forces were on Wednesday put on full alert in Hat Yai district of Songkhla province and pictures of four insurgents distributed to law enforcement agencies as part of precautions against possible violence during the New Year festivities.
The four insurgents were identified as Wankhoyari Sarayoraseh, 25, Abdulhalem Jehkhu, 25, Paming Jehkhae, 30, and Muhamad Mudolasae, 27, all of Narathiwat province.
The reports said intelligence units had warned security forces the men might try to sneak into towns during the New Year festival to set bombs.
In response to the warning, combined forces of military, police and defence volunteers have set up checkpoints on routes leading to Hat Yai.