Police Probe Officer Over Fuel Fee Demands in Ubon Ratchathani

Hardly a new thing, just a new reason behind it. How many times have we heard of police asking for money from victims of crime to get up and leave their chairs in their office and do some work?

As jacko45k above notes, it's hardly a new thing.

Being transferred to an “operations centre” has become such a familiar pattern that many people now see it as little more than administrative limbo. Over the years, a long list of senior officers facing allegations, from gambling dens to extortion cases to mishandled investigations, have been quietly moved to these centres, only for the public to hear little or nothing about the outcome afterward. So while the RTP says this latest case will involve both disciplinary and criminal proceedings, it’s understandable that many Thais are sceptical.

The issue isn’t just one officer asking for fuel money; it’s the repeated cycle of misconduct, temporary transfers, and unclear follow‑through. If the police want to rebuild trust, the public needs to see transparent investigations and actual consequences, not just another relocation to an office where cases tend to fade from view.

For those interested, a quick web search was able to identify a few examples of high‑profile transfers that led to little or no visible follow‑up

2020: The “Boss” Vorayuth hit‑and‑run case

Several senior officers including the then‑commander of the Office of the Attorney General’s investigation division and multiple RTP officers were transferred to inactive posts after public outrage over dropped charges. Despite the scale of the scandal, many of those transferred quietly returned to normal duties later, with no major disciplinary outcomes reported.

2021: The Nakhon Sawan “torture/murder” case (Pol Col Thitisan “Joe Ferrari”)

After the video emerged, the provincial police chief and several senior officers were transferred to an operations centre. Only Thitisan and the directly involved officers faced prosecution; the transferred commanders saw no major long‑term consequences.

2022: Illegal gambling dens in the South and Central provinces

Multiple senior officers, including provincial commanders, were moved to inactive posts after raids exposed large, long‑running gambling operations. Most of these cases ended with internal reshuffles rather than criminal charges.

2023: The “Kamnan Nok” case (murder of a highway police officer)

Several senior officers were transferred after allegations of systemic protection of influential figures. Many of those moved to inactive posts later resumed normal roles once public attention faded.

Also, numerous cases involving police links to online gambling networks that often resulted in temporary transfers of commanders and station chiefs, with few cases leading to prosecutions or permanent dismissals.

These examples show why the public reacts with scepticism whenever the RTP announces that an officer has been “transferred to an operations centre pending investigation.” It’s a pattern people have seen many times: a temporary move, a promise of inquiry, and then silence.

who would have thought...corruption in the ROYAL Thai Police

A bit like those crooked immigration officers, who provide long stay visas for 20k, 30k "tea money", to unqualified foreigners,