Crowd-control cops told to get physical, mental check-ups
Kawintra Jaiseu
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- PROVINCIAL POLICE Region 4 yesterday urged all police assigned to control crowds in Bangkok to get physical and mental health check-ups after a sergeant committed suicide reportedly over stress from work as well as from clinical depression.

Pol Sergeant Suphot Jaken, 33, of Nam Som Police Station in Udon Thani, shot himself dead at his parents' home in Khon Kaen on Tuesday.

Suphot's mother Prapai, 57, said her youngest son was cheerful and easygoing.

He had served with riot police in Bangkok several times. He seemed unusually down, had lost his appetite and was very quiet during his visit to her home on Monday, which suggested work-related stress might have been the cause, she said.

Provincial Police Region 4 spokesman Colonel Supakorn Khamsingnok said Suphot, who was due to join crowd control operations in Bangkok on Sunday, had been treated at Khon Kaen Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital until he fully recovered and started working as a policeman at Nam Som Police Station in 2010.

Suphot's wife noticed that he was despondent during the weekends so the couple went to Khon Kaen where his mother took him to a clinic and so he asked for further leave, Supakorn said.

"It remains unclear if the suicide was due to stress from joining crowd control operations in Bangkok," he said.

This tragedy prompted the office to urge all police to have health checks and engage in relaxing activities during their free time, he added.


-- The Nation 2014-01-09

"During their free time." You mean when they are not busy collecting payoffs, fines, bribes, and a piece of settled bargains? When the pockets are lined good and proper, they'll head off to see the Thai guy posing as a psychiatrist with ready made certificates of having a checkup from the neck up.

Don't know about physical but I am absolutely sure, our police, with the IQ and attitude they possess, will be passing the mental check-ups, with flying colours.

That headline could easily be misread...

Crowd-control cops told to get physical. mental check-ups necessary...

Hopefully not too physical...

Well I guess it is pretty stressful when the police have to actually DO THEIR JOBS. Most expect a pay check for sitting around doing nothing while supplementing their income with bribes.

That headline could easily be misread...

Crowd-control cops told to get physical. mental check-ups necessary...

Hopefully not too physical...

Not so much misread but a misquoted headline twisted to suit the purpose of the poster.

Is this Suthep's idea to cut the number of police that will be fit for crowd control on January 13th?

Is it against his conscience that lead him to depression follow by commit sucide?

Maybe he has done or ask to do something against his willingness.

Some simple people just can't take that.

It is a great loss for the family.

RIP