Anti-foreigner cop, 'Big Joke', lands top immigration job

[buksida]

Over at Thailand’s Immigration Bureau, the word is out: Bad guys out, Big Joke in.

A police commander whose favorite pastime involves rounding up foreigners on expired visas was appointed Thursday to lead the bureau, which processes more than 35 million people through Thailand’s borders and ports of entry annually.

Maj. Gen. Surachet “Big Joke” Hakpan, will replace Sutthipong Wongpin in the annual reshuffle announced by the police force, which will also see more than 200 others moved into new posts. His predecessor, Sutthipong, will head the metro police.

The appointments are effective Monday.

Despite his relatively junior rank as deputy tourism police commander, Surachet was one of the most visible faces of the police, having taken charge of many high-profile cases such as a crackdown on transnational boiler room scams and prosecution of netizens accused of insulting junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha online.

But he’s perhaps most well known for the numerous “Black Eagle” raids – later renamed to the less racially charged “Operation X-Ray Outlaw Foreigners” – which targets foreigners working or living without proper visa documents.

Surachet, 45, could not be reached for comment Friday.

The police major general also stirred controversy recently when he rejected an allegation from a British tourist that she was raped on Koh Tao. Surachet suggested to the media she made up the story to file a fraudulent insurance claim.

Source: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crim ... ation-job/

Prepare for more visa crackdowns ...

[europtimiste]

Let's see what kind of joke he is preparing for us.

[oakdale160]

If the worst that can be said of him is that he is going to target foreigners that are here illegally that is reassuring.

[HHTel]

So he's jumped the queue by making himself a celebrity. No training at the police academy like other 'high rankers'.

[hhinner]

I thought they all came through Police Academy. As in the movies.

[oakdale160]

You'll expect all the Lawyers to have graduated from law schools and your Doctors from Medical school next.

[Pleng]

What about the linked article makes him out to be "Anti-foreigner"?

[buksida]

His comments about the Koh Tao girl, his comments on the foreign cave diver rescue team, and his leading of the foreigner crackdowns in Bangkok. If that doesn't qualify as xenophobic I don't know what does, the guy is a schmuck.

[europtimiste]

His comments about the Koh Tao girl, his comments on the foreign cave diver rescue team, and his leading of the foreigner crackdowns in Bangkok. If that doesn't qualify as xenophobic I don't know what does, the guy is a schmuck.

Koh Tao case is still not cleared and he is not the only one who doubt the rape case. The crackdown on illegal foreigners and criminals is a good step.

[buksida]

Speaking of schmucks ...

[dtaai-maai]

Speaking of schmucks ...

Come on, buksi, I think it's nice that europtimiste has finally found someone he can identify with.

[europtimiste]

Seems that some of you are worrying. 555

[Pleng]

His comments about the Koh Tao girl, his comments on the foreign cave diver rescue team, and his leading of the foreigner crackdowns in Bangkok. If that doesn't qualify as xenophobic I don't know what does, the guy is a schmuck.

Ok, fair enough. I'm not aware of his comment about the Koh Tao girl or the cave rescue. The only crackdowns mentioned in the article linked were about over-stayers, who are fair game really.