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Saudis want promotion reviewed
By The Nation
Somkid
Saudi Arabia yesterday urged Thai authorities to review the decision to promote Pol Lt-General Somkid Boonthanom to assistant national police chief, on grounds that the courts had yet to prove his innocence.
Saudi diplomat Nabil Hussein Ashri expressed his concern over the promotion of Somkid, who was a defendant in the case concerning the murder of Saudi businessman Mohammad Al-Ruwaili, to the House of Representatives' committee on foreign affairs.
During testimony, the diplomat released a five-page document to explain the position of his government over the case, as well as relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
The document was misinterpreted by media representatives at Parliament as referring to a further downgrading of relations between the countries, whereas it merely gave the full background of bilateral relations.
Riyadh downgraded its diplomatic relations with Bangkok in |1990 after the cases involving the theft of royal Saudi jewellery and the murder of Saudi diplomats and Ruwaili.
On seeing the diplomat's report yesterday, many reporters sent messages to their editorial offices that Saudi Arabia had further downgraded relations with Thailand. A number of websites reported the same message.
Many newspapers were ready to feature the news prominently but needed to change their layouts at the last minute, as the copy of the document sent to their offices said nothing had changed in relations between the two kingdoms.
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya rushed to explain to reporters |that bilateral ties remained at the same level, with no further downgrade.
The government is striving to restore relations to the pre-1990 level but it would take time, he said.
"There are many factors involved in the relationship, not only the promotion of Pol Lt-General Somkid. We have to consider the progress of the whole case," Kasit said.
National Police chief Pol General Wichean Potphosree said he would explain today to the Saudi diplomat the police service procedures related to the promotion of his assistant, Somkid.
Nabil Hussein Ashri will pay a courtesy call on Wichean to congratulate him on his appointment as police commissioner-general.
Wichean said he would outline the justification of Somkid's promotion despite the legal wrangling related to the disappearance of Ruwaili in 1990.
The Police Commission decided to promote Somkid from head |of Provincial Police Region 5 to |the position of assistant national police chief in accordance with |prescribed procedures because he had cleared his name in every criminal and disciplinary proceeding, he said.
Under the amnesty law, Somkid's records related to the missing businessman have been expunged twice, therefore he is entitled to an assignment review with a clean slate, Wichean said.
Although the debate over Somkid's promotion took place under the leadership of acting national police chief Pol General Patheep Tanprasert, all police commissioners, himself included, had voted to endorse the promotion, Wichean said.
Regardless of a recent push by the Department of Special Investigation to prosecute Somkid, this had not triggered the reopening of the disciplinary proceedings against him, hence the police service had no justification either to suspend him or stall his promotion, he said.
The police chief said he also would tell the Saudi diplomat that if it were any consolation, Somkid's promotion had actually resulted in his having a lesser mandate, since a commissioner in charge of a police region is seen as more powerful than an assistant national police chief.
-- The Nation 2010-09-09
