When Bangkoks Bad-Boy Cops Break The Rules, Theres Hell To Pay...Or Maybe Just Hello Kitty
As someone whos never had a job in law enforcement, my knowledge of how rule-breaking police officers are dealt with by their superiors has been gleaned from the world of movies and TV. I can only assume that when a cop crosses the line, they first get yelled at by an irascible chief or sergeant or older balding and/or moustached guy. Then if they dont throw their badge and gun down on a desk and storm out to take the law into their own hands, they get shipped off to California or kindergarten, get paired up with a staid veteran cop of a different race whos this close to retiring, or get taken off the road and put on permanent radio duty.
It was quite shocking to discover exact how harsh the penalties can be when real-life police officers decide to bend the rules. Officers in Bangkok, Thailands Crime Suppression Division who show up to work late, park in the wrong spot, or receive complaints from civilians will now be forced to wear a bright pink Hello Kitty armband on their uniforms. Or in the words of acting CSD Chief Pongpat Chayaphan:
"Simple warnings no longer work. This new twist is expected to make them feel guilt and shame and prevent them from repeating the offense, no matter how minor Hello Kitty is a cute icon for young girls. It's not something macho police officers want covering their biceps"
Because what could possibly go wrong when you make a gun-toting macho cop feel guilty and ashamed while questioning his masculinity by comparing him to a little girl?
If youre concerned that people who stop by a Bangkok police station might be a little confused about the meaning of the new armband and think that Sanrio is sponsoring another military coup, dont worry. Any cop whos ordered to wear the armband isnt allowed to tell anyone why theyre wearing it. Or as Pongpat explains:
Guilty officers will be made to wear the armbands in the office for a few days, with instructions not to disclose their offences. Let people guess what they have done"
Of course, those guesses could include Took a huge bribe from a guy running a massive brothel stocked with underage girls or Beat the living shit out of some anti-government protestors, but realistically, those offenses would be better symbolized by a Badtz-Maru armband.
If the Hello Kitty armbands fail to solve their discipline problems, Im hoping that the Bangkok police department will also take their cues from cop movies and consider replacing their all-too-flawed human officers with the future of super-cute law enforcement: Hello Kitty robots.
Thai Army Not Superhero or Dancer Friendly
Apparently the party poopers in Thailand's military, responsible for the country's first coup in 15 years, want to be taken seriously.
Citing distractions from the "serious business of power," Today Bangkok police detained four actors dressed as superheroes for violating military policy.
After handing soldiers roses and striking a brief pose, the four promoters of a Japanese action-hero show coming to Thailand next month were whisked away in the back of a police truck.
"We invited them for questioning because we wanted to know why they were there," a police interrogator told Reuters. "Soldiers are afraid of third parties stirring things up after the coup, so we had to make sure they were harmless."
The men were later released without charge, the officer said.
This comes only a day after they banned go-go girls from dancing with the tanks and soldiers.
"It is not appropriate to entertain soldiers while they are on duty," Colonel Acra Tiprote told Reuters after a troupe of 10 women in tight camouflage vests and shorts posed with soldiers and tanks while making a music video.
"People should differentiate between entertainment and seriousness. A coup is not entertaining," Acra said, although the tanks sent in to lead Thailand's first coup in 15 years had turned Bangkok into a carnival-type attraction.
I say, lighten up, Thailand. If all our armies were filled with costumed heroes and scantily-clad women, war would be a thing of the past.
Pic location
Pic location
Thailand Falls
Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, was given the boot today in a bloodless coup led by General Boonyaratkalin, head of the Thai armed forces.
An army spokesman in Thailand says a general who has close ties to the country's king will serve as Thailand's acting prime minister.
This, after the army commander staged a coup and ousted the country's prime minister while the leader was in New York for the UN General Assembly session. The prime minister (Thaksin Shinawatra) had been scheduled to address the General Assembly later Tuesday, but that speech has now been canceled.
Back home, the army commander has declared martial law, and has revoked the constitution. He's surrounded the prime minister's offices with tanks.
The general who's been named as acting prime minister, Sondi Boonyaratkalin, is a Muslim in a country that is dominated by Buddhists.
In a statement on national TV, the new leaders say they took power without a struggle, and are asking for the cooperation of the public. The military says a provisional authority loyal to the country's king Bhumibol Adulyadej will soon return power to a democratic government.
Boonyaratkalin is on record saying "military coups are a thing of the past." Apparently not, although hopefully his pledge to return governmental control to elected officials is sincere; PM Thaksin has been weathering a brutal storm of criticism from what were widely perceived as his abuses of power, particularly in his family's sale of Shin Corp. stock earlier this year that netted them almost two billion dollars, that just happened to be tax free. Go figure? Being head of state has its perks.
Thaksin said he would step down after protests threatened to tear the country apart and a general election failed to gain even 20% of the required constitutional votes necessary for incumbents to retain office, leaving Thaksin in the "caretaker" Prime Minister position until the situation could be resolved. Seven months later he still hadn't left.
While coups are usually not a good thing, neither are corrupt democracies that refuse to respect the will of the electorate. Better times may lie ahead for Thailand.
Suspect Detained in JonBenet Ramsey Case
Ten years after the vicious murder, a Boulder District Attorney announced the arrest of a suspect in the JonBenet Ramsey case. Colorado officials announced Bangkok, Thailand law enforcement arrested John Mark Karr on other unrelated sex charges. The District Attorneys office sent a representative to Thailand to escort the suspect back to Colorado.
Karr, a forty-two year old schoolteacher, once lived in a Georgia town near Atlanta, where the Ramsey family lived before moving to Denver. According to reports, Karr communicated through e-mail with an unnamed person in Boulder, admitting to certain elements of the crime. Authorities said Karrs arrest comes after "several months of focused and complex investigation."
Police suspected JonBenets parents, Patsy and John Ramsey, since the early stages of the investigation, but a grand jury failed to find sufficient evidence to indict the couple.
In a public statement, a Ramsey attorney said the family did not know Karr, and they are relieved progress is being made on the case. Although Patsy died of cancer in June, John claimed she knew of the current investigation, and understood an arrest was forthcoming.
John released the following statement Wednesday.
"I want to have only very limited comment on today's arrest because I feel it is extremely important to not only let the justice system operate to its conclusion in an orderly manner, but also to avoid feeding the type of media speculation that my wife and I were subjected to for so many years.
"I do want to say, however, that the investigation of the individual arrested today in connection with JonBenet's death was discussed with Patsy and me by the Boulder district attorney's office prior to Patsy's death in June. So Patsy was aware that authorities were close to making an arrest in the case and had she lived to see this day, would no doubt have been as pleased as I am with today's development almost 10 years after our daughter's murder. Words cannot adequately express my gratitude for the efforts of Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy and the members of her investigative team."
Karr, who is also wanted in California for possession of child pornography, spoke at a Bangkok press conference this morning. He stated he loved JonBenet, and her death was an accident.
After his news conference, an expressionless Karr declined to tell reporters what his connection was to the Ramsey family or how long he had known JonBenet. Yet asked if he were innocent of the crime, Karr said, "No." He also said, as police escorted him past reporters, "I loved JonBenet, and she died accidentally."
Federal officials stated Karr will be extradited to Colorado this week where he will be charged with a myriad of offenses including first-degree murder, first- and second-degree kidnapping and child sexual assault.
John Mark Karr