BANGKOK: Marine Police chief Preutthipong Nuchanart (pic inset) has been suspended pending an investigation of whether his department allowed fuel-smuggling boats to escape detention last month.
Pol Lt Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej (pic right), chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), signed the order to transfer Preutthipong on Monday (July 8). Crime Suppression Division deputy commander Pornsak Laorujiralai has been appointed to take Preutthipong’s place as acting Marine Police chief.
A police source said Jirabhop transferred the Marine Police chief to ensure transparency in the probe. The boats escaped detention in Sattahip, Chonburi with 330,000 litres of smuggled diesel oil on June 11.
Five officials at Marine Police Subdivision 5, which oversees Sattahip marine police station, were previously transferred to inactive posts at CIB head office, including its commander Intharat Panya.
The three fishing boats were among five seized by the coast guard in the Gulf of Thailand on March 17. The 28 crewmen, mostly Thai nationals, were charged and released on bail.
The three fishing boats were eventually tracked down in Malaysian waters on June 16 but had already offloaded their cargo of smuggled diesel.
The diesel was originally smuggled from a neighbouring country to sell cheaply in Thailand, according to investigators.
Police said they were seeking an arrest warrant for the suspected mastermind, a Pattani-based boat owner they named only as “Boss Jor”. - The Nation/ANN
