Abhisit looks to have numbers in police chief poll

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has scheduled a meeting of the Royal Thai Police board tomorrow to consider the nomination of a new police commissioner-general, a source said. The meeting will be held at Parliament at 3pm.

Abhisit has indicated he will re-nominate Pol General Patheep Tanprasert for the new police chief job. During the last board meeting, Patheep and Pol General Jumpol Manmai were candidates. Patheep lost 5:4 to Jumpol, the candidate proposed by outgoing police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan.
Since Pol General Suthep Thammarak, one of the committees who voted against Patheep, has resigned from the board, it is likely Abhisit will call the new meeting without appointing anyone to replace Suthep.
"It is not necessary to wait for a new committee to be appointed. We can continue the meeting," Abhisit said. The premier said Suthep resigned because he often travels abroad.
However, it was still uncertain who would win the board's vote. Without Suthep, the board will have ten committees. Votes against Patheep will now be reduced from five to three, as outgoing police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan is also out of the board. But Jumpol may receive one more vote from Noppadon Inna, who abstained from voting in the last meeting.
Abhisit would get one more vote from acting police chief Thanee Somboonsap, who replaced Patcharawat in the board.
But a source said it was likely permanent-secretary of the Justice Ministry, Kittipong Kitayarak, who earlier supported Patheep, had changed his mind and would vote for Jumpol. But Kittipong is now on an official trip abroad, so Chanchao Chaiyanukij, his deputy and acting permanent-secretary would attend the meeting on behalf of him. Chanchao is a classmate of Justice Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, who voted for Patheep.
If no one changes their mind it is likely Abhisit's nomination, Patheep, will win appointment as the new police chief.

The NAtion