Updated: Scams, police, lies

The farce that seems to be the (in)justice system rolls on.

The pork issue is big and growing, and Department of Special Investigation director-general Pol Maj Suriya Singhakamol announced on Monday that the agency “will expand its investigation to find the ‘key figures’ responsible for the smuggling of pork through the nation’s main cargo port between 2020 and 2022…”.

That brought an immediate response: cabinet on Tuesday transferred Pol Maj Suriya to the position of deputy permanent secretary for justice, said to be an inactive post.

Was he getting too close to the well-connected suspects? Was he too slow, protecting the bosses? And why is such a high position “inactive”? So many questions, so much protection, and so few results.

But, then, there is a dark fairy tale quality to some of the police/justice news. Take, for example, Prime Minister’s Office Minister Puangpet Chunlaiad who met with Chinese ambassador Han Zhiqiang on Monday. The minister complained that the Chinese film “No More Bets” could deter Chinese tourists as it “depicted fraud, human trafficking, trading in organs, call scams and the abduction of rich people for ransom” in Thailand.

Then she said: “She said such crimes did not happen in Thailand, and the Thai government had effective measures to protect tourists.” That’s right, no scams, no abductions, no human trafficking. She’s off in a mad place.

Update: For more on pork and DSI, see the Bangkok Post’s useful editorial.