The 200,000-plus police force has a fair number of women officers these days after the Royal Police Cadet Academy began recruiting women in 2009.
While many have climbed the ladder to senior ranks like major-general and held top positions, one job is still eluding them: chief of a police station. But that may soon change.
In the upcoming police reshuffle involving station heads nationwide, a few chosen women police officers are in line to take some of the posts. If that happens, it will be a radical break from the norm.
Prawit: Subject of rumours
Efforts are ongoing to push female officers into command positions, but the idea faces strong resistance from some male counterparts who do not think women have the stomach for the tougher aspects of their work, one officer says.
The latest push is said to be spearheaded by the Metropolitan Police Bureau, and it is believed to have the blessing of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon who oversees the police force.
Gen Prawit has reportedly suggested that there should be a training programme to increase the abilities of policewomen, making them more qualified for promotion. He has also reportedly reviewed files of some potential candidates.
Observers are holding their breath over the reshuffle, which is expected this month after several postponements, to see if it will bring changes to the police force.
However, says the officer, the delay to the reshuffle involving station heads is due to jockeying and bargaining for posts.
Even though the country is under a military regime which preaches reforms in all areas and pledges to get tough on bribery and kickbacks, jockeying among police officers for promotion is as intense as ever, the officer said.
These officers are reportedly turning to certain people known as the "list-makers", who have strong communication skills and knowledge of the rules and regulations on appointments and promotions.
"These people have access to government figures and they can explain all the rules about police appointments and promotions in a clear and concise manner. And the most important thing is there is no talk about fees," said the source.
The list-makers name-drop to draw attention. Some police officers who have been told to pay for promotion have lodged complaints with senior figures in the Prayut administration, but so far no action has been taken.
Gen Prawit is said to be among the government figures named by the list-makers as a contact. The general has complained vigorously about this name-dropping, but nothing has changed, the source said.
Adm Phajun Tamprateep, a former close aide to Privy Council president Gen Prem Tinsulanonda and a member of the National Reform Steering Assembly, recently blew the whistle on alleged position-buying in the police force.
Instead of getting a thank-you note, Adm Phajun was slapped with a charge of defaming the force and violating the Computer Crime Act after sharing a message on Line suggesting some officers paid money for their positions and that an army general had a role in position-buying among police officers.
The police force's reaction to Adm Phajun's move has raised several eyebrows and put a big question mark over police reforms.
Monk on a mission
Activist monk Phra Buddha Isara's role in spearheading moves to correct what he perceives as improper conduct in the monastic community has drawn flak from monks and laymen alike who oppose him.
Recently, Phra Rajvijitpatipan, assistant abbot of Wat Suthat Thepphawararam, attacked Phra Buddha Isara for his efforts to block the appointment of Somdet Phra Maha Ratchamangalacharn, also known as Somdet Chuang, as the new supreme patriarch.
Phra Buddha Isara: No backing down
Phra Rajvijitpatipan alleged that the reason behind Phra Buddha Isara's move against Somdet Chuang is because Phra Buddha Isara wanted to become the new supreme patriarch himself.
Phra Buddha Isara responded by suing the monk for defamation.
Phra Buddha Isara is one of the fiercest critics of Wat Phra Dhammakaya's controversial abbot Phra Dhammachayo as well as Somdet Chuang who mentored the abbot when he entered the monkhood in 1969.
Phra Buddha Isara filed a slew of complaints with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) calling for probes into scandals involving Phra Dhammachayo and Somdet Chuang.
The cases under DSI investigation include the massive Klongchan Credit Union Cooperative embezzlement scandal and Wat Phra Dhammakaya's alleged links to it, and a luxury car tax evasion case involving Somdet Chuang.
Somdet Chuang was linked to the case after his signature was found on an illegal registration form for a vintage Mercedes-Benz he owned.
A source close to Phra Buddha Isara said the crusading monk has taken it upon himself to clean up the mess in the Sangha community and called on the government to reform the Buddhist clergy.
The source said Phra Buddha Isara had great respect for the late supreme patriarch, His Holiness Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara who once visited Wat Or Noi in Nakhon Pathom, where Phra Buddha Isara is the abbot.
The source said Phra Buddha Isara has gained the respect of the military top brass as well as rank-and-file soldiers.
During the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) street protests against the Yingluck administration, Phra Buddha Isara led demonstrators at Laksi intersection. He was guarded by unidentified armed men who kept a careful watch for hostile gunmen.
These armed men were called the "popcorn shooters" and were believed to be well-trained soldiers, the source said, adding the monk's supporters are always ready to back his activities.
While opponents criticise Phra Buddha Isara for getting too involved in political activities and worldly affairs, the monk's outspoken and fearless personality has won him a big following.
Some liken the role of Phra Buddha Isara to that of Phra Acharn Dhammachote, a famous monk who acted as a rallying point for Bang Rachan villagers in Sing Buri during their heroic battle against a Burmese invasion shortly before the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767.
There appears to be no let-up in Phra Buddha Isara's efforts to be a thorn in the side of "rogue monks", and there won't be until he completes his mission for the sake of Buddhism, the source said.
As thick as thieves
Many names are on the list of people who might be considered well-liked enough by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) that they continue to be invited to join the various reform bodies.
Some are regarded as being in thick with the military to the extent that they are suspected of trying to return the favours given by the military regime by backing the proposal to have an appointed Senate help select a prime minister during the country's five-year transition to democracy.
Wanchai: Backs Senate role to pick PM
Legal technician Wanchai Sornsiri, who is a member of the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA), has always been vocal about having an appointed Senate chaperone the House of Representatives during the five-year transition period when political stability might be fragile and prone to civil unrest.
An appointed Upper House formed the heart of a proposal that was signed, sealed and delivered by the government to the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) during the final days of charter writing last month. It came with a recommendation that the Senate be empowered to take part in choosing a prime minister.
The proposal was slammed by critics who said an appointed Senate with such powers was merely a tool for the NCPO to prolong its grip on power well into the next government.
The CDC took several days to study the proposal, particularly the appointed Senate, and finally it settled for a system of pre-screening candidates for the 250 seats to be offered in the Upper House. Two hundred senators will be drawn from candidates presented by a special candidacy selection committee, while the other 50 will be picked from among a cross vote of professional groups, a method first suggested by the CDC.
But the final say on who will sit in the Senate rests entirely with the NCPO.
The CDC, however, decided that should a non-MP be needed to become prime minister, he or she must have at least two-thirds support of both chambers. That would require the entire vote of the Senate, plus half of the Lower House, a number that is not easily achievable.
Academics and government opponents insist a non-elected Senate should not be allowed to help choose the prime minister, as this is a job for democratically-elected MPs.
As critics watched the drama unfold, a new development startled them. They found the appointed Senate aspect had not gone away. In fact it had got worse.
The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) decided to put the issue to a referendum alongside the draft charter, tentatively set for Aug 7.
The NRSA last week voted 136-3 to pose the question of an appointed Senate joining MPs in deciding who will be prime minister. That question, however, needed the approval of the NLA. And yesterday the assembly gave the green light.
Voters will therefore be asked if the appointed Senate should be allowed to join the House of Representatives in selecting a prime minister during the five-year post-election transition period.
Mr Wanchai proposed the question be included, arguing the Senate would help the Lower House find a suitable candidate.
The critics who claim the move is intended to secure military power over the next government also believe Mr Wanchai has his eye on a Senate seat.
If he does not covet a Senate post, they say, he should say so publicly.
Mr Wanchai previously served on the National Reform Council.
