Two senior police officers in Udon Thani transferred to facilitate abbot murder probe

BANGKOK: -- The Royal Thai Police commissioner today ordered the immediate transfer of two senior police officers to the Police Operation Centre to facilitate a new team of investigators to probe into the murder of the abbot in Udon Thani early this month.

Royal Police commissioner Pol Gen Somyot Phumphanmuang said the transfer of Pol Man Gen Chaiyat Saitin, chief of Udon Thani provincial police, and Pol Maj Gen Boonlue Korbangyang, commander of the. Udon Thani-based Special Action Force Training Centre of the Border Patrol Police Command was to facilitate a new police team which he personally appoint to investigate the murder of Phra Bandhit Subandhitto, abbot of Wat Pator Sisied temple in Muang Udon district on March 1.

He said the current local police team made no progress in the investigation while the new team from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has made significant progress.

He said both officers had acquaintance with the top executive of the Aek Udon hospital who had been questioned for alleged connection to the death of the abbot.

He said the transfer was necessary to stop criticism and to ensure fair treatment of the case.

Both are required to report to the Royal Thai Police’s Operation Centre in Bangkok today.

The private hospital owner Mr Bancherd Chatpaithoon turned himself to police last Friday and was questioned by chief of Udon Thani provincial police.

Details of the interrogation were not available, but Pol Gen Somyot described no progress in the interrogation.

One of the arrested suspects, the former mayor of Na Abramson municipality in Loei province implicated Mr Bancherd for alleged involvement in the murder of Phra Bandhit Subandhitto. He said that Mr Bancherd asked him to check the backgrounds of the abbot before he was gunned down on March 1.

No charges have been brought against Mr Bancherd just yet.

Pol Man Gen Chaiyat was was earlier transferred to Region 4 Provincial Police Command after the raid of a brothel by soldiers where several Laotian girls were rescued on October 1 last year.

However he returned to the same position in Udon Thani province on February 1.

It was the second time he was transferred.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/two-senior-police-officers-in-udon-thani-transferred-to-facilitate-abbot-murder-probe


-- Thai PBS 2015-03-24

Time for some laundry cleaning! Love it!

Is this another ' new ' investigation team as last week it was announced a team had been set up and they promptly spent their first day visiting important statues to pray for help ?

Not bad going for Chaiyat, transferred because the army knocked over a brothel in Oct, gets his post back in Feb and transferred again.

Someone needs to really have a look at his suitability but probably he would not have made general without some connections although nowadays they might be the wrong ones as the country and BIB are under new management.

Edited March 24, 201511 yr by NongKhaiKid

so they kick 2 people of the team, were they the problem the investigation was going nowhere ?

will they recruit the ko tao murder team to fizz up some cambodian or myanmar workers ?

It's just so pathetic.......the local guys have all the information....but sit on their hands.........