After half a year pursuing human traffickers in Thailand’s southern border provinces, Maj. Gen. Paween Pongsiri is reported to be leaving not only the national police force, but also the country.
Paween went public with fears the associates of criminals he had arrested during his shelved investigation would come after him.
Unverifiable accounts also rumored that Paween had implicated a top military official in illegal activity, despite having received warnings about doing so, and had been removed from his post for this reason.
Police Chief Chakthip Chaijinda has accepted Paween’s resignation. The chief said he believed the officer had weighed his decision.
Police officials did not confirm whether Paween was fleeing Thailand, saying that even if he was taking his family elsewhere, it may only be for a vacation.
By James Haleavy