It is still unclear who will be appointed the new chief of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) after its former controversial head, Tarit Pengdith, was removed following the May 22 coup.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) made deputy national police chief Pol Gen Chatchawal Suksomjit the acting DSI chief. He has now been appointed permanent secretary for justice.
Tarit: Crime and punishment
But during his four-month stint in charge at the agency, the DSI was criticised for making little contribution to special investigation cases compared to other agencies under the Justice Ministry.
In the eyes of many, the department is regarded as "a twilight zone", shrouded in uncertainties and fraught with intrigue and alleged interference by politicians.
The DSI is tasked with taking up and investigating special cases and is authorised to recommend indictments or to dismiss cases which it deems have no grounds for further legal action.
In light of this, the agency has been seen as a tool to be exploited by politicians for political gain or the persecution of political rivals, a source said.
During the six-month-long street protests by the People's Democratic Reform Committee movement — which ended with the coup on May 22 — Mr Tarit was one of the targets for verbal attacks by protesters who claimed he was too ready to serve the Yingluck Shinawatra government by seeking to prosecute its political foes.
At the DSI, personnel appointments and promotions are not based on merit but on the connections they have with politicians in power, the source said.
Amid questionable performances by the department, critics clamoured for its dissolution, although some believe the agency may still serve a useful purpose.
The DSI has been allocated a sizeable "secret budget", and the DSI chief can authorise disbursements himself, according to the source.
The new DSI chief has not yet been chosen because many hopefuls are jostling for the post. Justice deputy permanent secretary Suwana Suwannajutha is currently the acting DSI director-general.
Among the possible contenders for the top job is Pol Lt Gen Dejnarong Sutthachanbancha, the acting chief of the Provincial Police Region 4 and former director of the Royal Thai Police Office's Budget Bureau, the source said.
Pol Lt Gen Dejnarong has the support of Justice Minister Paiboon Kumchaya, the source said.
Pol Col Narach Sawetanant, director-general of the Rights and Liberties Protection Department under the Justice Ministry, is also tipped for the job.
Another deputy permanent secretary for justice, Pol Col Dusadee Arayawut, who was a former secretary-general of the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission, also has his hat in the ring.
The source said officials at the DSI themselves are trying hard to prevent an outsider from becoming their chief.
"Even those at the agency do not know who is who. They only work under the direction of politicians. Anyone who wants to support a decent person for the post is forced to go underground," the source said.
Military personnel with close ties to the NCPO are actively involved in the selection of the new DSI chief. Some heads of the department have been accused of helping governments consolidate political power as well as deal with their political rivals.
Since the post is very important, NCPO chief and Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha may eventually have the final say on who will be the new DSI boss.
Chequered career
The appointment of Pol Col Surachet Hakphan on Oct 9 to the position of acting commander attached to the Royal Thai Police Office so he can help protect the prime minister appears to have stirred up a hornet's nest.
Prayut: Personal choice of bodyguard
The appointment is in the media spotlight, partly because there is a common understanding the post is under the prime minister's quota, meaning the country's leader is free to choose who gets to be around him. So it was always going to create a buzz about which police officers would stand among the military officers around Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
When the name of Pol Col Surachet, deputy commander of Songkhla provincial police, turned up in the appointment order signed by national police chief Somyot Pumpunmuang, murmurs were heard around the police community.
It is felt that he is too junior to be promoted to commander, even in an acting capacity, given the rules and requirements for promotions set out by the Police Commission.
Under its regulations, a police officer eligible to be promoted as a commander must have served in the force for at least 21 years. Starting his career in the police in 1994, Pol Col Surachet will have served 21 full years in April next year.
According to a source familiar with police appointments, when April comes around, Pol Col Surachet will still not be eligible to be appointed a commander. There is another rule that requires that a candidate must serve as a deputy commander for at least four years. The officer has been a deputy commander for a little over a year.
Pol Col Surachet's appointment is unprecedented. Before the rules were instituted, many found shortcuts and were promoted to the rank of general after only 18-20 years of service.
Moreover, his transfer was approved after the annual reshuffle was completed. Some observers wonder why he missed the appointment in the normal round. The post was vacant when the annual reshuffle took place.
Given his record, Pol Col Surachet is not a stranger to controversy. He was once embroiled in a scandal that almost put an end to his career, but he managed to fight off the charges and clear his name.
Pol Col Surachet began his career in the highway police division before he was transferred to the Office of the Royal Thai Police Commander to work as an aide to Pol Gen Wichean Potephosree. Pol Gen Wichean, the former national police chief, at that time was a commander at the Office of Royal Court Security Police.
He was seen by Pol Gen Wichean's side until the latter became the national police chief and pushed for him to be appointed a superintendent.
His career took a twist after he was transferred to the Anti-Human Trafficking Division as a superintendent in charge of the Northeast. There, he and three non-commissioned police were accused in 2010 of extortion by karaoke parlour operators in Nakhon Phanom.
Consequently, he was reassigned to the Marine Police Division in early 2011 while facing a series of disciplinary probes. After being cleared of all wrongdoing, Pol Col Surachet sued his civilian accusers for defamation and won the case.
Pol Col Surachet also filed a lawsuit with the Criminal Court against his ex-boss, Pol Gen Wichean, and 13 other senior police officers for abuse of authority for ordering the disciplinary probes against him.
He was later transferred to the Central Investigation Bureau and then assigned to serve as the chief of Hat Yai police station in 2012. In early 2013, he was made deputy commander of Songkhla provincial police.
With the new role, Pol Col Surachet is thought to be the first among his classmates at the Royal Police Academy to be made a general.
A thorn less prickly
There is a first time for everything, including the premiership, and Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is showing signs that he is adapting to the learning curve, especially when it comes to interaction with reporters.
Yuwadee: No soft-soap questions
Gen Prayut, who has displayed a quick temper, knows interviews are not his strong point, said a source close to him.
However, he tries not to blow his top too quickly, and this was evident during his time as army chief. His wife, Naraporn, has been at his side, prodding him to stay calm and restrain himself in the face of verbal agitation.
When Gen Prayut was commander-in-chief of the army, he appeared calm when appearing for media interviews or speaking to reporters. He would resort to taking a deep breath and counting to 10.
Gen Prayut says that is the person he is — not the quiet, retiring type. But he insists he means well and does not hold grudges against anyone.
Now that he is prime minister, watchers are eager to know how well he can keep his composure in front of the cameras.
But old habits die hard. Some rather prickly questions from reporters at Government House have been met with scornful retorts from the prime minister.
Gen Prayut says at times he feels his blood boiling when confronted by some reporters' questions.
Recently, he was put under pressure by reporters during a routine press conference and made a joke about wanting to throw a podium at them.
However, compared to his early days as commander of the army, he loses his cool less often now and apologises for not keeping his composure, the source said.
Since moving office to Government House from army headquarters, Gen Prayut has met with senior reporters who have covered the political beat for years.
One of the most experienced of them is Yuwadee Tunyasiri who has traded tense verbal exchanges with Gen Prayut from time to time.
Ms Yuwadee says it is never her intention to get Gen Prayut irritated by asking him what some critics view as difficult questions. She maintains the prime minister should shed light on issues which are important to people because they have the right to know.
Reporters have to put up questions that some think are tough even if it aggravates the prime minister.
The media, while being entitled to free speech, also has to be responsible for what they report, she said.
She adds that she does not want to be the subject of news reports herself since she puts herself in the firing line. It would be counterproductive for anyone to try and make her look as though she is an enemy of the prime minister.
Ms Yuwadee says she sometimes gives advice to Gen Prayut about ways to respond to the media. She said on certain occasions, the premier should keep what he says to a minimum.
This can work in his favour as fewer words can mean less opportunity for responses from reporters that might leave him peeved.
