A mysterious fall from grace - The rise and fall of 'Big Joke' Surachate Hakparn

[webfact]

A mysterious fall from grace

By The Nation

 

 

In second transfer within a week, new civilian post created for ousted immigration bureau chief

 

THE HIGH-PROFILE former Immigration Bureau chief, Pol Lt-General Surachate Hakparn, once considered a rising star in the police force, was shockingly transferred yesterday to a newly created civilian post.

 

His designation as special adviser attached to the Prime Minister’s Office only fuels more speculation about his fate. 

 

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as head of the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), issued an order dated yesterday transferring Surachate from Royal Thai Police to a civil servant in the Prime Minister’s Office.

 

According to the order, published in the Royal Gazette yesterday, Surachate is among state officials who have been moved to other jobs because they are undergoing investigation or have problems regarding personnel. The order said the NCPO saw it fit to add Surachate’s name to the list, but did not say why. 

 

The NCPO order said the prime minister would seek royal endorsement for Surachate’s new post.

 

The Cabinet “acknowledged” the order at its weekly meeting yesterday, Deputy Government Spokesperson Colonel Taksada Sangkachan said.

 

The list of transferred state officials, to which Surachate’s name was added, dates back to May 2015 – a year after the NCPO took power after a military coup. 

 

 

However, questions regarding the abrupt move remain unanswered, as those involved are maintaining a silence. Prayut, National Police chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda, and even Surachate himself, who was seen at a meeting at the National Police headquarters yesterday, refused to reveal the real reason behind this sudden exit.

 

Surachate was initially transferred to the Royal Thai Police’s operation centre in an order issued on Friday by the National Police chief. Then, in an additional order issued yesterday, the National Police chief said Surachate had been “removed” from all duties at the Immigration Bureau, before the premier decided to move him to the Prime Minister’s Office. 

 

Chakthip also announced yesterday that Surachate was removed from all special task forces and ad hoc positions in the Royal Thai Police. Apart from leading the Immigration Bureau, Surachate was the deputy director of Action Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression. 

 

The Royal Thai Police was yesterday scheduled to discuss Surachate’s successor as Immigration Bureau chief, but the meeting was cancelled for unknown reasons, an official said. 

 

Deputy police chief Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul, meanwhile, refused to answer questions by reporters who wanted to know if he had been told to investigate allegations that had resulted in Surachate’s sudden transfers. He only said that he had not received any verbal or written instructions to do so. 

 

Surachate, better known as “Big Joke”, was considered a rising star in the police force, attaining a general’s rank in his mid-40s. He quickly began climbing the career ladder after graduating from the Police Cadet School in 1995. It is rare for police officers to move from the rank of sub-lieutenant to police lieutenant-general in merely 22 years. 

 

Surachate began making a name for himself from 2015, when, as chief of tourist police he began suppressing crimes committed by foreigners and tour operators. 

 

He had the opportunity to serve some top police officers in the past, and is believed to be close to Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the police force. 

 

Prawit was not available for comment, as he did not attend the Cabinet meeting yesterday. Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tratravanich said Prawit’s absence was because he suffered from food poisoning, not to avoid questions from reporters. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30367441

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-10

 

[quandow]

He was the fair-haired boy for SO long, and appeared to be making some actual progress. Obviously he couldn't read the tea money leaves about how that wasn't REALLY what the powers that be wanted.  My only question is if they gave him any warning about backing off, and his hubris got the better of him.

[Somtamnication]

LOL. Oh No. Banged and got caught. No soup for you tonight!

[Aussie999]

56 minutes ago, quandow said:

He was the fair-haired boy for SO long, and appeared to be making some actual progress. Obviously he couldn't read the tea money leaves about how that wasn't REALLY what the powers that be wanted.  My only question is if they gave him any warning about backing off, and his hubris got the better of him.

Well, let's not forget the very honest cop, that was doing a very good job, had to flee Thailand, to Australia, in fear of his life, that fear from higher up, not from street criminals.

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed. 

[Thailand]

Intriguing.

 

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Prawit was not available for comment,

because he is a fool and ridiculed at every opportunity

[Lingba]

whats the mystery?.....I think we all have a pretty good idea what this is about

[KiChakayan]

19 minutes ago, Thailand said:

Intriguing.

 

Absolutely not, TIT.

[mok199]

Thailand thrives on Drama,in an effort to blur the truth....Nothing will ever change ...

[Gecko123]

Reading about his political connections for the first time. Can't help but wonder if the rank and file felt his promotions were well-earned or if he was seen as a fair haired boy.

 

I've been keeping an eye on how many foreign criminals have been arrested ever since Prayut claimed that Thailand had become a haven for international criminal activity. Yes, there's been a few Interpol-assisted arrests of guys who have been on the lam for a long time, and a few pedophiles, foreign prostitutes, shoplifters, romance scammers, and boiler room fraudsters were arrested, but to me, the vast majority of the guys paraded in front of the cameras night after night were overstayers whose big crime was laziness about visa related matters or illegal migrants from neighboring countries just trying to feed their families. Beyond immigration violations, criminality was only occasionally reported to have been uncovered during these highly publicized roundups and raids.

 

In my opinion, the calibre of arrests of foreigners during Big Joke's tenure - which were for mostly low level and run-of-the-mill offenses - provided less than compelling evidence for the junta's claims that Thailand had become a swamp of foreign criminality in urgent need of being drained.

[wayned]

Most likely deported a high officials drug kingpin!

[dcnx]

He’s moved to a civilian post so that he can be promoted to a much higher ranking government level. 

 

If you thought he was tough at immigration, wait until he’s running things.

[petermik]

Openness and honesty here is non-existent we will never know the true reason.......

[dotpoom]

Comforting to know that there are so many "knowledgeable experts" on this subject amoung us....and there was me stupidly thinking that, like myself, most of us came here to get away from the "rat race" and enjoy our retirement away from the hassles of the world we moved away from?

  

    

[BestB]

Only a speculation on my part but he was Prawit boy and maybe Prayut making room for new friends 

[NickJ]

Where does he live, What's he drive.  This is Thailand. The police force is politicized........

[soalbundy]

3 minutes ago, dcnx said:

He’s moved to a civilian post so that he can be promoted to a much higher ranking government level. 

 

If you thought he was tough at immigration, wait until he’s running things.

I doubt that any future PM (or army chief in the background) would want that sort of competition.

[mtls2005]

This case is in unusual for several reasons:

 

it has played out publicly over a few days, normally (if such a word can be used) the miscreant is led away, charges made and dealt with, with little follow or public displays.

 

his fate seemed to take a brief upward direction between his "arrest" on Friday and his Article 44 "fork" yesterday, indicating that his sponsor was making an effort to save him. But that effort was probably doomed as once this sort of decision is made it cannot be reversed without making the act look capricious.

 

At this point even Lazarus would see the futility.

 

 

 

 

[Tarteso]

 

Prawit suffered from food poisoning. And I wonder, Like Stalin, Napoleon, Claudius Emperor or Pope Borgia?

 

????

 

[wildewillie89]

Some more speculation ????

Regardless of what Abhisit said about the junta just before the election, when he resigned he said he wished his party to join a coalition (saw the writing on the wall his party would never win with the introduction of Future Forward). Now that coalition isn't about to be with Pheu Thai or Future Forward is it? What happens when parties are trying to form coalitions, demands need to be met. 

In terms of speculation the logic is there, but more importantly the timing is there. The parties are having their coalition talks at the moment aren't they? The speculation on TV about the past catching up with BJ is relevant (for those who know the specific case that would affect both Democrats and Bhumjaithai not wanting him), however that incident naturally only became relevant due to the events of the last month. Otherwise this whole transfer wouldn't have happened - seeing as he is Prawits best mate. 

 

[spidermike007]

This is absolutely brilliant news! The biggest joke was censured! A bit like a modern day caning. Hallelujah! He deserved all of that. He was a saboteur, and a stick in the mud. He was slowing Thailand down, with his incessant blabbering about the evils of foreigners, the crimes we were all committing, and the ways we were degrading Thai society. Exactly what we all wanted to hear, right? All of our lives will be better without him. He was a stage hog, and wanted the spotlight and he was doing great harm to the nation, in the process. Good riddens. Few will miss him. It is a rare thing for me to praise Prayuth, but this is one of his more intelligent decisions.

[bendejo]

Next move for Big Joke: move to Penang and set up a visa procurement agency.

 

 

 

[sweatalot]

 

Re spidermike007 #22

interesting view  - but I think entirely from the ego point of view

[toenail]

I talked to a young Thai policeman 12 years ago that was stationed in Pattaya. (He was a cousin of one on my Thai buddies I got to know at work.) The 26 year old spoke basic English and was full of enthusiasm, but.... After we reached our comfort zone in conversations, I asked him about the corruption with “some” of the police. His face turned grim & he said that when you try to be a honest policeman, it makes the older ones uncomfortable. You do not report dishonesty or corruption or you will be treated like shit and never get promoted. It was an interesting but sad conversation seeing this young Thai policeman seeing “reality” in his profession. 

[PatOngo]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

A mysterious fall from grace

When I first read this I thought, oh no! He's fallen from a balcony at the Grace Hotel!

[newatthis]

12 minutes ago, toenail said:

I talked to a young Thai policeman 12 years ago that was stationed in Pattaya. (He was a cousin of one on my Thai buddies I got to know at work.) The 26 year old spoke basic English and was full of enthusiasm, but.... After we reached our comfort zone in conversations, I asked him about the corruption with “some” of the police. His face turned grim & he said that when you try to be a honest policeman, it makes the older ones uncomfortable. You do not report dishonesty or corruption or you will be treated like shit and never get promoted. It was an interesting but sad conversation seeing this young Thai policeman seeing “reality” in his profession. 

Surely, you're not saying that Big Joke is a modern day Serpico?

[Gecko123]

More than anything, it was his criss-crossing the country to ensure he never missed a photo op which built his image as a one-man crime fighting super hero. In hindsight, he appears to have been hogging the limelight just about every time the police department made a bust. Hard to believe this practice would have made him very popular with subordinates.

[Issanbound]

1 hour ago, dcnx said:

He’s moved to a civilian post so that he can be promoted to a much higher ranking government level. 

 

If you thought he was tough at immigration, wait until he’s running things.

I don't think so. He is not the squeaky clean person that he promotes himself to be. 

[kcpattaya]