Thai cop’s ‘exhausting’ excuse fails to sway assault claims (video)

A Thai officer from Tarnsum Police Station in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani claimed that a congenital disease and exhaustion led him to assault a man seeking assistance at the cop shop. He denied drinking alcohol on duty.

Thai man Prayoon Duangnate is seeking justice by exposing the officer’s behaviour to several media outlets. He was later identified as Tarnsum Police Station Captain Rattakrit Kuetarn.

Prayoon told ThaiRath that he suspected a neighbour of setting fire to his cottage and rice field over a boundary dispute. He decided to go to the police station on March 4 to ask the police to investigate the matter. However, the officer, Rattakrit, refused to accept his complaint and asked him to return later with the land document.

Prayon added that Rattakrit told him to return home to distinguish the fire before filing a report and even stated that the weather was too hot for police to investigate the scene on that day.

Prayoon returned to the police station the following day, March 5, with the required document, but Rattakrit again refused to deal with his complaint. Prayoon said Rattakrit, who appeared drunk, damaged the document and threw it into a bin before shouting at him.

“I don’t take complaints on land under boundary disputes. Leave! Go back home!”

Prayoon tried to retrieve the document but Rattakrit attacked him. The police captain allegedly punched him, strangled him, and kicked him in the head. Prayoon stated he sustained only minor injuries, fled the scene, and later contacted his aunt for assistance

Congenital disease, exhaustion

Prayoon’s aunt was unable to file a complaint or retrieve the document because Rattakrit also chased her away from the police station. They returned home and decided to expose Rattakrit’s behavior to the public.

Prayoon shared a video of the incident on Facebook.

“Come to the police station to ask for help and meet this… Who will dare to ask for help?”

Rattakrit was heard in the video shouting at them.

“Go back home! This way! Get out of here! Your land was burned? How much land do you own? Twenty rai (about seven acres)? Did you just shout at me? Did you? People like you have 20 rai of land? Liar!”

The video went viral on social media, attracting more news agencies and prompting Tarnsum Police Station Superintendent Surawit Yonjorhor to clarify the matter.

Surawit insisted that Rattakrit was not drunk and did not consume alcohol on duty as Prayoon and the public suspected. Surawit claimed that his subordinate looked like a drunk person because he worked non-stop for 24 hours from 8am on March 4 to the morning of March 5 due to an emergency case.

According to Surawit, the inappropriate behaviour stemmed from Rattarit’s involvement in a serious emergency case, lack of sleep, and a congenital disease. Surawit assured the public that he already apologised to Prayoon for the matter and would initiate an investigation into the complaint.

Surawit stated that he would punish Rattakrit for his inappropriate act but did not reveal what the punishment would be.

There is no report on whether Rattakit issued an apology to Prayoon. The officer remains silent and has not provided any interviews to the media.