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ABSTRACT
In many new democracies, the police continue to be a political tool of the ruling elites, and governments are reluctant to reform the police to be a democratic police force. This article examines why these problems occur by analyzing how the police relate to ruling elites and how this relationship affects police practices and police reforms based on a case study on Thailand. By adopting the institutionalist approach concerning the impacts of informal institutions on formal institutions, this study finds that political patronage between politicians and police officers made the police a political tool of politicians in power and led to the failure to reform the police to develop democratic policing during democratisation in Thailand in the period of 1992–2006. After the 1992 uprising, businessman-politicians replaced military leaders to be patrons of police officers by manipulating police reshuffles in Thailand. Through these relationships, police officers abused their powers to aid politicians and political parties to suppress political opponents and dissent through selective law enforcement and criminal investigations. Political patronage affected police reforms through ‘constraining’ policies that were designed to increase the accountability of the police and prevent abuse of police powers, while, at the same time, ‘reinforcing’ the restructuring of police organisation and administration to strengthen the relationship of political patronage.
Acknowledgements
This paper is a part of the Ph.D. research of the author conducted for the fulfilment of the Ph.D. in Human Rights and Peace Studies, Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University under the supervision of Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree, Dr. Eakpant Pindavanija, and Dr. Nick Cheesman. The author would like to express deepest gratitude to these three advisors for their constructive comments and valuable advice during the research and the writing of the thesis.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1 Hensell (Citation2012) reformulates the concept of patrimonialism to illustrate the practices of job patronage over police appointments by political parties in power in Albania and Georgia, but this paper does not gives details on how job patronage operates and its effects on policing.
2 Notes from Interviewees (police officer and official of state agencies concerning police practices).
3 Notes from Interviewee (civil society activist).
4 Bangkok Post, 1995. Police appointments get Cabinet approval. Bangkok Post, 8 February.
5 Bangkok Post, 1995. Sanan opposes panel's role in police shake-up. Bangkok Post, 15 August.
6 Bangkok Post, 1997. Raids point to shakeup in police ranks. Bangkok Post, 13 January.
7 Notes from Interviewees (politician and police officer).
8 Notes from Interviewees (politician and police officer).
9 Notes from Interviewee (politician).
10 Bangkok Post, 1995. Politicians suspected of interfering in state work. Bangkok Post, 2 March.
11 Notes from Interviewee (politician).
12 Bangkok Post, 2004. Priawpan continues fast rise in the force. Bangkok Post, 3 February.
13 Bangkok Post, 2001. Thaksin’s friends get a big boost. Bangkok Post, 14 August; Bangkok Post, 2003. PM’s former classmates to be promoted. Bangkok Post, 30 August.
14 Notes from Interviewees (official of state agencies concerning police practices and journalist).
15 Bangkok Post, 1995. Big vote-buying money handed out earlier in Sakon Nakhon. Bangkok Post, 23 June.
16 Bangkok Post, 1996. High voter turnout seen. Bangkok Post, 17 November.
17 Notes from Interviewees (police officer and legal practitioner).
18 Bangkok Post, 1995. Panel investigating land reform scam uneasy about task at hand. Bangkok Post, 31 July; Bangkok Post, 1995. PM agrees with police on decision not to file charges. Bangkok Post, 25 August; Bangkok Post, 1997. The case of the rich and the influential. Bangkok Post, 9 June.
19 Bangkok Post, 1995. Sanan: Special Branch confirms MP behind foul play in RID dam bidding. Bangkok Post, 10 April; Bangkok Post, 1995. Group 16 member claims being threatened. Bangkok Post, 11 May; Bangkok Post, 1997. MP accuses govt of political persecution. Bangkok Post, 18 June.
20 Bangkok Post, 2002. Thaksin looks like he's here to stay. Bangkok Post, 26 August.
21 Bangkok Post, 2003. Inactive posts for staff who disgrace government. Bangkok Post, 25 February.
22 Bangkok Post, 2003. Governors leaking inside info to mafia pals. Bangkok Post, 12 June; Bangkok Post, 2003. PM says real influential figures spared from list. Bangkok Post, 2 July.
23 Bangkok Post, 2003. Two Democrats hit as campaign kicks off. Bangkok Post, 5 July; Bangkok Post, 2003. Crackdown lacks conviction. Bangkok Post, 18 July.
24 Notes from Interviewee (journalist).
25 Independent Commission For Examination, Study and Analysis of the Formation and Implementation of the Drug Suppression Policy, 2011. Extra-judicial Killings of Drug Suspects in Thailand: Legal or Willful?—Official Report of the Independent Commission for Examination, Study, and Analysis of the Formation and Implementation of the Drug Suppression Policy. Bangkok: Independent Commission For Examination, Study and Analysis of the Formation and Implementation of the Drug Suppression Policy.
26 The Reply of the Minister of Interior Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to the question of Niyom Worapanya (MP from Chat Thai Party) about the ‘effects of restructuring the police upon people’ on July 15, 1994 [in Thai], in the Government Gazette, vol. 111, 29ก (July 15, 1994): 43–50, http://dl.parliament.go.th/handle/lirt/46913.
27 Notes from Interviewee (official of state agencies concerning police practices).
28 Bangkok Post, 1994. LAD comes out in opposition to suspects’ rights. Bangkok Post, 7 December.
29 Notes from Interviewees (legal practitioner and civil society activist).
30 Bangkok Post, 1995. New Cabinet appointed but shakeup likely in 6 months. Bangkok Post, 19 July.
31 See ‘Policy Statement of the Cabinet by Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai to the Parliament on November 20, 1997’ [in Thai], in the Government Gazette, vol. 114, Special 112ง (December 2, 1997): 1–37, http://dl.parliament.go.th/handle/lirt/264924.
32 Notes from Interviewee (official of state agencies concerning police practices).
33 Notes from Interviewees (police officer and legal practitioner).
34 Notes from Interviewee (scholar).
35 Bangkok Post, 1999. FBI-style office likely to be set up. Bangkok Post, 11 October.
36 Bangkok Post, 1994. Council: Forensic chief hid full facts. Bangkok Post, 7 October.
37 Notes from Interviewee (official of state agencies concerning police practices).
38 Bangkok Post, 2001. Pornthip could quit ministry job. Bangkok Post, 7 September.
39 Bangkok Post, 2003. Fledgling agencies falling on hard times. Bangkok Post, 27 February.