A traffic policeman in Bangkok was found to have broken the traffic law himself and fined 500 baht for riding a motorcycle with the licence plate covered over by a road safety sticker.
A photo of him and his motorbike, with the offending sticker, was posted on social media and went viral, drawing heavy criticism.
“Ya Ha Tham’’ @donotdostupidshit Facebook page put up the photo on Thursday, with the comment: What have you done? Why do you have to cover the licence plate? You don’t feel ashamed, do you?
The post sparked a torrent of criticism of the errant policeman from Facebook users.
It came to the attention of Pol Maj Gen Jirasan Kaewsaeng-ek, deputy commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.
He learned that the officer in question was Pol Snr Sgt Maj Sudsakhon Boonlom, a traffic cop at Thung Mahamek. according to a police press statemment issued on Friday.
Pol Snr Sgt Maj Sudsakhon owned up, admitting he was the person on the bike seen in the photo.
However, he claimed was not aware that there was a sticker obscuring the licence plate. The sticker was for a Covid-19 and road accident-free New Year.
Pol Snr Sgt Maj Sudsakhon said he would never intentionally cover over the licence plate.
He was taken to meet a Thung Mahamek police investigator, who fined him 500 baht for making "changes by any means, covering or partly covering a licence plate".
The bureau has instructed all officers to set a good example for the public, and they will face punishment if found committing offences, according to the bureau press release.
