Thailand: Justice gets a lot of policing
Kamronwit rally tarnishes force | Bangkok Post: news
Justice gets a lot of policing
The Justice Ministry is being likened to a ''police state'' now that all of its principal agencies are under the control of former police officers.
The justice minister, Pracha Promnok, and the deputy prime minister in charge of overseeing the ministry, Chalerm Yubamrung, are also ex-police officers.
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Chalerm: Heads police chain at Justice
Critics of the appointment of ex-police to head up sensitive agencies say the ministry is now being governed by a system of patronage which many police officers, past and present, are well accustomed to.
Much of the way the ministry is being run mirrors the concept borrowed from the police force.
While Pol Gen Pracha, a former police chief, sits at the top of the ministry echelon, Mr Chalerm sees to the execution of overall security-related policies.
Together, the two men formulate what is referred to as a ''double-layer'' of policies wrapped around the Justice Ministry.
At the helm of the Department of Special Investigation is Tarit Pengdith who has shrugged off criticism he has gone with the flow and clung tightly to his seat despite having served in the previous Democrat Party-led government.
Mr Tarit, although having no police career background, is said to have close ties to Somchai Wongsawat, the former premier and former justice permanent secretary who is a brother-in-law of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Tarit is also on cordial terms with Mr Chalerm.
It had been speculated that when the Pheu Thai Party clinched electoral victory last year it would herald the beginning of the end of Mr Tarit's DSI career as he had worked closely with the previous Democrat-led administration.
However, Mr Chalerm lived up to his assurance that Mr Tarit would be allowed to stay put.
Mr Tarit now finds himself in the line of fire after hinting at the possibility that former premier Abhisit Vejjajiva and former deputy premier Suthep Thaugsuban could be charged with premeditated murder as a result of the Criminal Court ruling on the death of a taxi driver during the 2010 political unrest.
The security officials accused of shooting the driver will be classified as witnesses, as they were acting under instructions. Mr Tarit said it was possible Mr Abhisit and Mr Suthep could face premeditated murder charges because they ordered the military to quell the riots.
Democrat supporters slammed Mr Tarit for jumping to a conclusion while Mr Abhisit warned Mr Tarit could be in the same boat as he also took part in directing the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES), which oversaw the government's response to the police unrest.
The supporters poured scorn on Mr Tarit and suggested he change his surname to Plien Si (changing colours).
At the Corrections Department, police-style riot control procedures have been adopted by prison officials with a priority duty to suppress the drugs trade being run from behind bars. The department is directed by Suchart Wong-ananchai, a former police colonel.
The emphasis is on a sustained crackdown on drug trading inmates with funds being sought to improve the physical structure and security of prisons.
Also under a former policeman is the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC). The current secretary-general is Pol Col Dussadee Arayawuthi who at the end of the month will hand over control to Pol Col Pokepiboon Protanant, currently chief of the Probation Department.
A political source said Pol Col Pokepiboon will take charge of the PACC until DSI deputy chief Prawet Moolpramuk, a red-shirt sympathiser, has his rank elevated from C-9 to C-10, which will qualify him to take over.
As the core of the Justice Ministry's administration lies firmly in the hands of former policemen, some ministry officials are wondering whether non-police individuals will ever get the chance to win promotion.
