Transcript of the above video: 

As the title of this video suggests, we are discussing Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn. We have discussed him at length in prior videos; I've been talking about "Big Joke" for years now. It's got to go back at least 2018 maybe earlier. 

So "Big Joke" first came on my radar when he became the Head of Thai Immigration and really, really shook things up at Thai Immigration. I mean if you go back into 2017, '18 and '19 especially with things like Retirement Visa funds, documentation associated with Retirement Visas, we did tons of videos because he came down, he put a great deal of scrutiny on the Thai Immigration apparatus and on Retirement Visa applications generally. And then, he had this colourful career because he fell out of favour it seems with the Police Force and then came back; he even got shot at in the interim, or his car did, then he came back, and he almost became National Police Chief. 

That said, I thought of making this video after reading a recent article from the Thai Examiner, that is thaiexaminer.com, the article is titled: Big Joke's fight finally comes to an end before the Supreme Court which voted to dismiss his case on Wednesday. Yeah, so to be clear, this was sort of the final adjudication; this was sort of the final forum for "Big Joke" who had been suspended and then effectively fired from the Police Force but procedurally he challenged it. There seemed to be some good procedural grounds for the challenge, so he challenged it in the Supreme Court, and as we can see, the Supreme Court has not gone his way. So, quoting further: "Big Joke's fight for reinstatement ends as the Supreme Court dismisses his petition, marking the end of his career in the Royal Thai Police amid corruption and money laundering allegations" - fair enough - "amid corruption and money laundering allegations", but bear in mind they remain allegations, and they were pretty flimsy from what I could tell. 

Again, not trying to inject my own thoughts into this, but I've been watching this pretty carefully over the years. "Big Joke" seems to have gotten on the wrong side politically of certain people and it seems like he rubs a lot of people the wrong way internally or did, within the Royal Thai Police. Again, these allegations, I don't know one way or the other, but it seemed a little odd, let me put it that way. Quoting further: "The case exposed deep systemic issues within the Police Force." I don't know that I would say that per se. All Police Forces have these kind of internal cleavages in them, so to point at the Thais and to say there's something anomalous or different about the Thai Police Force, I'm not quite buying that argument. That said, quoting further: "The Administrative Division of the Supreme Court dealt the final blow to the once bright and promising career of the former Deputy National Police Chief on Wednesday. In effect, the Court Justices, at a plenary session, dismissed the petition for protection. The former top cop had sought an order suspending his removal from the Royal Thai Police on April 18th. Previously the order had been signed by former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, upheld by the Police Commission, and even endorsed by the King. It came after General Surachate was the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on April 2nd. The case has raised disturbing and unanswered questions about factionalism and corruption within the Police." Again, "factionalism and corruption" - I know that the press likes to grab onto that and run with it for as long as they can. Yes, there is some evidence of at least factionalism, I can understand. Corruption again, they didn't really get to the merits of that at the end of the day, they just dismissed it. Quoting further: "General Surachate Hakparn, known as "Big Joke" once one of Thailand's most recognized police figures, now faces a major career setback. On November 13, 2024, the Supreme Administrative Court dismissed his petition for temporary protection. This ruling effectively ends his efforts to return to the Royal Thai Police after his removal from office on April 18, 2024." Quoting further: "He insisted the accusations were false and part of a broader campaign to undermine his career. The allegations of corruption linked to Surachate first surfaced when police raided his residence in Rangsit, Bangkok, on September 25, 2023. Indeed, it was just days before his expected elevation to Police Chief. During the raid, investigators claim to have uncovered evidence connecting Surachate to illegal activities. In particular, his alleged role in operating online gambling websites." Again, they never really got to the merits of all of that. Now, I'm not saying it's right or wrong or what the truth is there but it's just that's my only point, they never really fully flashed that out. That being said, from a procedural standpoint, yeah it looks like "Big Joke's" dismissal from the police is final now. 

Now that being said, I have watched this guy for a long time and if anybody has nine lives, if there's anybody that is the "comeback kid" if you will, at least in the Thai public fora it's probably "Big Joke". So it remains to be seen what's going to happen with "Big Joke" but if there's further news on the matter, we will be keeping you updated on this channel as that situation evolves.