House police affairs panel insists on face-to-face meeting with PM

The House Police Affairs Committee is determined to meet with Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin in person, to discuss alleged political interference in the police reshuffle.

The committee had earlier asked the prime minister to testify to them over his recent statement, made during a meeting of the Pheu Thai party, regarding the police reshuffle, in particular police superintendents. He was quoted to have said that he had received many requests for promotions involving police superintendents, with several of them being granted and others not.

Instead, the prime minister assigned Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin to meet with the committee in parliament today.

During the hearing, Somsak told the committee that there are rules specified in the Constitution and the Police Service Act which govern the police reshuffle and that political appointees or politicians cannot interfere.

He…