Thailand’s former immigration supremo, Surachat Hakparn, spoke to the media yesterday concerning the bullets fired into his automobile on Monday night time. He was not within the automobile on the time.

He speculated confidently that the pictures fired on the white Lexus SUV, parked close to a therapeutic massage institution in Patpong, Bangkok, had been related to a two billion baht buy of a biometric system for Thai airports. Surachat handed over paperwork regarding the biometric system buy to police whereas being questioned at Bang Rak police station on Tuesday.

His feedback to the media yesterday give the primary perception into doable causes for his abrupt side-lining while on the peak of his profession.

When he was Pol Lt Gen Surachat and head of the Thai Immigration Division, he urged the nationwide police chief, in a written assertion, to think about cancelling the acquisition of the biometrics system firstly of final yr. The 2 billion baht biometric gear was to scan faces and fingerprints of passengers as they handed by Thai airports.

The Nationwide Police Chief has since gone on to reward the brand new biometrics system and referred to as media conferences to point out examples of the brand new system’s effectiveness in figuring out pretend passports and other people utilizing pretend paperwork.

On the time, Pol Lt-Gen Surachat was invited by the Nationwide Anti-Corruption Fee to testify concerning the procurement. The 2 billion baht price range for a brand new biometrics system been authorised by three earlier commissioners of the Immigration Bureau. However Surachat finally rejected the acquisition.

Surachat met with the deputy nationwide police chief yesterday to offer extra data and his account concerning the capturing and doable motives.

A motorcyclist and pillion rider had been caught on CCTV capturing at Surachat’s parked Lexus. The gunman, sitting on the again on the bike, seems to shoot eight occasions into the automobile at about 8pm on Monday night time. The bullets all ended up within the decrease a part of the automobile doorways, most within the entrance a part of the rear door.

In numerous studies, he was both having a therapeutic massage on the time or the capturing, or attending a enterprise assembly at a restaurant. There was nobody within the automobile on the time of the pictures being fired.

Surachat informed the media that he had determined to cancel the biometrics system buy “within the public curiosity”. He informed the media that he “has an concept of who the mastermind is likely to be”.

The previous Immigration Chief referred to as on the nationwide police chief to arrest the 2 perpetrators, saying that “it needs to be straightforward as a result of they had been clearly recorded by the CCTV system” (though they had been each carrying full-face helmets).

He categorically denied hypothesis as “ridiculous” that he might need staged the capturing to draw public consideration. He maintained that he has saved a low profile since he was abruptly side-lined in Could final yr to function a civil advisor within the PM’s Workplace.

Talking on the “Inside Thailand” program yesterday, Surachat says he ended his police profession with “no private grudge in direction of different officers”.

“I’m now not a police officer. I left my police profession behind with no private conflicts.”

However he did point out that he desires to return to the police pressure.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World