Department of Special Investigation senior detective Col Piyawat Kingkate is nearing early retirement, ending a career dedicated to diligence and integrity.
Col Piyawat Kingkate, a C-9 specialist at the Department of Special Investigation, has opted for early retirement. His steadfast refusal to accept the status quo in the bureaucracy did little to help his career. SURAPOL PROMSAKA NA SAKOLNAKORN
On Oct 1, Col Piyawat will bring down the curtain on his career even though he still has two years remaining in public service.
He admits politics is a key factor in his early retirement decision.
A well-educated and thoughtful man, he could have advanced further in his career had he "gone with the flow" or just "looked the other way".
But of course, that is not in his nature. His outstanding record and the awards he has received for his achievements in public service speak volumes about his dedication and selflessness.
He was the recipient of the 2009 Role Model Person of the Year Award in recognition of his crime prevention and suppression efforts.
He also won an award from the Office of the Consumer Protection Board for his contribution towards consumer protection.
He is well-known among members of the media as "the scourge of pyramid schemes" for his tireless efforts to crack down on pyramid investment scams.
Born in Phetchaburi, Col Piyawat graduated with a law degree from Ramkhamhaeng University in 1971 and obtained a barrister-at-law certificate at the Thai Bar Association in 1978.
Following in the footsteps of his father who served as a Judge Advocate-General Department officer, he began his civil service career as an assistant military prosecutor at the Bangkok Military Court attached to the department under the Defence Ministry.
He steadily climbed the ladder until he became deputy chief judge of the Bangkok Military Court before he requested a transfer to the DSI in 2004.
Col Piyawat decided to seek a new career path at the newly created DSI in the hope that he could make better use of his experience and ability to work in the interests of the country.
"I wanted to see the justice system be more transparent and to establish meritocracy in the system. I believed my 30 years of experience would be of help to the DSI," he said.
Col Piyawat, right, wades through a flooded road during a relief operation in Bangkok last year. PHOTOS TAKEN FROM COL PIYAWAT’S FACEBOOK PAGE
"I had some regrets about the decision to leave the Judge Advocate-General's Department. If I had stayed on, I would have had a greater career advancement. But that cannot be reversed now," he added.
At the DSI, it gradually dawned on him that transfers and job reassignments are a fact of life and that is what he has had to learn to live with.
As a government agency, the DSI is duty-bound to act on the orders and policies by governments which come and go.
"The problem is sometimes some things are not right. As a soldier, I feel the need to act honestly and to uphold my principles," he said.
Col Piyawat has worked under four DSI chiefs - Pol Gen Sombat Amornwiwat, Sunai Manomai-udom, Pol Col Thawee Sodsong and Tarit Pengdith, the current DSI head.
In 2004, he started out as a level-8 DSI investigator handling cases involving differing views between the DSI and the prosecution as to whether to proceed with indictments.
He was promoted to a level-9 investigator in the same year before he was appointed director of the DSI's bureau of consumer protection and environmental crime.
Col Piyawat hands out relief supplies to residents in flooded communities in Bangkok.
In 2007, he was made director of the DSI's bureau of special crime and then director of the DSI's bureau of intellectual property crime before ending up as a level-9 specialist - a post seen as an inactive one which he is retaining until he retires at the end of this month.
Some department insiders have said the DSI has never been free of political interference and a change in administration always means the DSI has to refocus and reprioritise its tasks.
"When there is a change in government, pressure by politicians is inevitable. It would be a lie if I denied this," he said, explaining why he has decided to leave his civil service career prematurely.
His experience, qualifications and seniority are enough to qualify him for the post of DSI deputy director-general.
He has been given regular assignments to oversee numerous important cases over the years. Most of the cases have concerned murders and pyramid fund schemes.
Some of the cases were successful but others made little headway. "But I have always done my best," he said.
Of all the cases he has handled, two stand out as highlights of his career as a DSI investigator and from which he takes great pride.
One case involved forest encroachment in Phangnga's Kapong district. Former deputy interior minister Vatana Asavahame was among 11 suspects charged with trespassing on protected forest in the district in 1986.
The DSI specialist takes part in destroying pirated goods.
The other case concerned the murder of 17-year-old Kiattisak Thitboonkrong, a native of Kalasin.
The teenager had been arrested for alleged motorcycle theft and was found hanging from the ceiling of a hut in Roi Et's Chang Han district several days after being released from Muang Kalasin police station in July 2004.
His death was believed to be linked to alleged extra-judicial killings during the Thaksin Shinawatra government's war on drugs between 2003-2005.
The Criminal Court on July 30 convicted five police officers from Kalasin's Muang district for Kiattisak's murder.
Three of the defendants were sentenced to death, another was sentenced to life imprisonment and the other was sentenced to seven years in prison. All five were released on bail the day after their conviction.
With only one month remaining in office, Col Piyawat remains busy at work and plans to keep at it until his very last day in the DSI.
He is preoccupied with sifting through the details of several cases which are to be handed over to his successor.
After his retirement, he plans to teach at educational institutes to pass on his 30 years of experience and knowledge of the country's judicial system.
He said while his colleagues and subordinates do not want him to quit the job early, his superiors had no reaction.
"But there are no hard feelings," he said. "I now just want to live a happy life after my retirement."
Officials from the DSI, the Royal Thai Police Office, the Intellectual Property Department and other agencies collaborate in the crackdown on counterfeit products in a campaign which kicked off in August last year in Bangkok.
