Biggest joke – Big Joke fired as puppet master Chuvit pulls strings

National police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas has relieved Pol Gen Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn of command of the “Tuhao” investigation and taken control of the investigation into the crime syndicates run by Chaiyanat Kornchayanant.

Big Joke has been fired apparently to appease “supergrass” Chuvit Kamolvisit, who appears now to be the de facto leader of the investigation.

Damrongsak said Chuvit persists in leaking information to the public. Such constant leaking can do nothing but hinder the investigation. Chuvit has been extremely coy about the information he passes on to the police and quite liberal in what he leaks to the public. He says police have been too slow to act and the national police chief has jumped to attention.

Chuvit has no status in Thailand beyond that of an ordinary citizen, albeit a very rich one. He has considerably enriched himself as a result of his well-timed tipoffs to police.

Damrongsak said…

“To prevent misunderstandings over what Mr Chuvit said regarding the police investigation, I will closely supervise and direct the investigation.”

Damrongsak did not expand on the precise nature of his misunderstanding, understandably.

Damrongsak said…

“I strongly believe this investigation is for real, not for show as accused. ”

Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy national police chief, had been making headlines almost every day with new arrests, seizures of illicit goods and what appeared to be a unprecedented, fearless campaign against Thailand’s worst crooks – something the nation has been waiting to see for years, perhaps decades.

Before Big Joke was fired, the investigation was being handled by a team headed by the Metropolitan Police Bureau, with nine key suspects, including Tuhao, arrested.

Damrongsak also dismissed a claim by Chuvit that only six people had undergone urine drug tests on October 26 when the police raided the Jinling pub in Bangkok.

The operation marked the beginning of this investigation. Police claim that 104 people tested positive for “drugs” at the scene, while 77 positive results were confirmed by tests run by Thanyarak Hospital. Damrongsak said that 66 of them have admitted to using drugs. One of the 77 drug suspects has fled while the rest are facing prosecution.