Police officer gets 2-year susp jail term for negligence of duty over attack on Thaksin protesters

[Lite Beer]

Police officer gets 2-year suspended jail term for negligence of duty over attack on anti-Thaksin protesters

BANGKOK: -- A metropolitan police senior officer was given a two-year suspended jail term after the Supreme Court found him guilty of negligence of duty for not performing his duty to prevent perpetrators from attacking anti-Thaksin demonstrators at Central World in 2006.

The officer received the suspended prison term is Pol Maj Gen Rittirong Theochanda, now commander of the Police Scientific Crime Detection Office.

He was then a metropolitan police superintendent in charge of investigation when he was charged of negligence of duty for not arresting a group of Thaksin supporters after they assaulted a group of protesters gathering at Central World booing at the former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on August 21, 2006.

The officer was earlier sentenced to two years in prison by the Criminal Court (first court) and a fine of 10,000 baht. But the jail term was suspended for two years after the court found he was never sentenced to serve jail term in the past and it was his first offence.

The officer appealed but the Appeal Court upheld the first court’s sentence

He appealed again to the Supreme Court which also upheld the ruling if the Appeal Court with reason that he had neglected his duty as video tape used as evidence clearly showed the officer had knowledge in the attack because he was heard to speak to the perpetrators before the attack happened.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/police-officer-gets-2-year-suspended-jail-term-for-negligence-of-duty-over-attack-on-anti-thaksin-protesters

-- Thai PBS 2015-06-25

[Snig27]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

[PS2]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

How is that, they were not in control then, it was Thaksin.

Ohh, lets blame Yingluck...

[than]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

Have you got evidence of that ?

Diffamation is a crime in Thailand !

[zaphod reborn]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

Interesting concept considering they did not hold any political office at that time. Or, perhaps you're confusing them with the actual office holders at the time, Yingluck, Thaksin's brother-in-law Police General Priewpan Damapong (the one whom Yingluck appointed and was duly removed from office for doing so) and PTP caretaker PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan.

[Artisi]

"But the jail term was suspended for two years after the court found he was never sentenced to serve jail term in the past and it was his first offence."

So are there many police, especially senior one out there who have served prison terms or have previous offences.?

Maybe we shouldn't ask such loaded and leading questions.

[Artisi]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

think you need a reality or at least a history check.

[bassman]

"But the jail term was suspended for two years after the court found he was never sentenced to serve jail term in the past and it was his first offence."

So are there many police, especially senior one out there who have served prison terms or have previous offences.?

Maybe we shouldn't ask such loaded and leading questions.

Sort of my thoughts also, how many prison sentences do serving police officers get before really being sentenced or even thrown off the force? And this guy is still serving in a senior position, amazing

[halloween]

So how does this affect his current employment? Surely the RTP doesn't employ convicted criminals, whether the sentence is suspended or not. He has now run out of appeals, so the conviction will stand, though his status would have been moot while waiting appeal.

Note - I did say CONVICTED criminals.

Edited June 25, 2015 by halloween

[falangjim]

Eleven years will have passed by the time this guy does any time for his crime. Swift justice, Thailand. Swift.

[AleG]

It's worth noting that the persons that assaulted those protesters (including a child, a woman and an elderly man), under the eye of the police providing security were two men with criminal records working as "errand boys" for one of Thaksin aides:

Charan Chong-on and Chaisit Lomoh, worked for a close aide to Mr Thaksin. They were not the right-hand-man kind but were usually called on to run errands, he said. ''They might have been there on their own but there's no denial that they have connections with people in the government,''

Both of the men accused of assaulting anti-Thaksin protesters on Monday have long criminal records of petty crime, including gambling, drug dealing and firearm possession.

[ginjag]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

OOOHHHHH Please, ( Attacks on polling stations) ?? with grenades----rifles-----sharpened bamboos------burning the poling stations------ You have a poor memory, I have a little idea you are kicking out your usual biased agenda-------

[dru2]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

No, Snig - one doesn't, Snig does. Good luck!

[ratcatcher]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

OOOHHHHH Please, ( Attacks on polling stations) ?? with grenades----rifles-----sharpened bamboos------burning the poling stations------ You have a poor memory, I have a little idea you are kicking out your usual biased agenda-------

Don't be too hard on him gj, he did say "One wonders..." obviously nobody else does, as they must know the facts..

[fasteddie]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

Have you got evidence of that ?

Diffamation is a crime in Thailand !

The General promised to protect the elections, he didn't.

There were many sieges and attacks on people wanting to vote.

No DEFAMATION in stating facts.

[NongKhaiKid]

So how does this affect his current employment? Surely the RTP doesn't employ convicted criminals, whether the sentence is suspended or not. He has now run out of appeals, so the conviction will stand, though his status would have been moot while waiting appeal.

Note - I did say CONVICTED criminals.

The BIB etc never need much of an excuse to get around wrongdoing and have been handed a tailor made one in the fact that the sentence was suspended.

A lot can and will be made of that to justify limited or no further action against him.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

Have you got evidence of that ?

Diffamation is a crime in Thailand !

The General promised to protect the elections, he didn't.

There were many sieges and attacks on people wanting to vote.

No DEFAMATION in stating facts.

and the elections commission told the then current government not to hold the elections. Stating facts is fine, but don't withhold other relevant facts too.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Eleven years will have passed by the time this guy does any time for his crime. Swift justice, Thailand. Swift.

Try a lot longer than that... as in.... NEVER.

Read the OP... His sentence was SUSPENDED, meaning he'll never serve any jail time at all as a result of his conviction.

BTW, that's a nice rationale used by the court in suspending his jail sentence.

--We won't sentence him to jail because he's never been sentenced to jail before.

--But, if the courts never sentence any police to jail the first time, then there's never any second time possible to occur.

End result: police in Thailand don't get sentenced to jail, except in the rarest of cases.

[Baerboxer]

So how does this affect his current employment? Surely the RTP doesn't employ convicted criminals, whether the sentence is suspended or not. He has now run out of appeals, so the conviction will stand, though his status would have been moot while waiting appeal.

Note - I did say CONVICTED criminals.

It says 2 years suspended sentence. So he will be able to carry on with his job as normal presumably.

Having a criminal conviction and sentence does not automatically mean a loss of police rank in Thailand.

[Baerboxer]

One wonders when the leaders of the current junta will get their sentences for allowing attacks on polling stations, the EC and so on in 2013-14?

Have you got evidence of that ?

Diffamation is a crime in Thailand !

The General promised to protect the elections, he didn't.

There were many sieges and attacks on people wanting to vote.

No DEFAMATION in stating facts.

Wouldn't that be the job of the police. The police who were commanded by Yingluck's brother-in-law? The same police who failed to stop the daily attacks on anti-Shin protesters, and failed to arrest one single attacker? Even managing not to arrest the ones who "fell" into their hands.

Quite a lot of police ought to be facing cases for negligence of duty.

[halloween]

So how does this affect his current employment? Surely the RTP doesn't employ convicted criminals, whether the sentence is suspended or not. He has now run out of appeals, so the conviction will stand, though his status would have been moot while waiting appeal.

Note - I did say CONVICTED criminals.

It says 2 years suspended sentence. So he will be able to carry on with his job as normal presumably.

Having a criminal conviction and sentence does not automatically mean a loss of police rank in Thailand.

I don't see it that way. He has been convicted of a serious offence with a punishment of a 2 year sentence. That the sentence is suspended on condition of his good behaviour doesn't alter the fact of conviction.

Isn't that the same criteria used to determine if Thaksin should be stripped of his honorary title?

[Alwyn]

" now commander of the Police Scientific Crime Detection Office." So it's okay having a convicted criminal as Commander of a police division? Where are all the whiners complaining about Thaksin's passports etc?