Chavarat turns to Suthep on choice of police chief

       Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul says he will not stand in the way of the prime minister's nomination for the police chief if it has the backing of other senior Democrat Party members.
       Mr Chavarat, who has a seat on the Police Commission which formalises the appointment of the police chief, said he would go with whoever Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and PM's secretary-general Niphon Prompan backed for the position.
       Mr Suthep and Mr Niphon are not members of the commission.
       Mr Chavarat and the majority of commissioners rejected Abhisit Vejjajiva's choice of Pateep Tanprasert as police chief at the last commission meeting on Aug 20.
       Mr Suthep is thought to be close to the Bhumjaithai Party, which is headed by Mr Chavarat. Mr Niphon is reported to favour deputy police chief Chumpol Manmai as the new police chief.
       The incumbent chief, Patcharawat Wongsuwon, is due to retire at the end of the month.
       The commissioners have reportedly been lobbied to give Mr Abhisit a free hand to appoint Pol Gen Pateep. Mr Chavarat said he did not expect any major problems to hold back the nomination.
       In another development, assistant police chief Boonruang Polpanit has asked Mr Abhisit in a letter to cancel the investigation into the Royal Thai Police Office's spending of 18 million baht on public relations four years ago.
       The request came after a press report said Pol Lt Gen Boonruang, Pol Gen Patcharawat and former national police chief Kowit Watana were being investigated.
       It was reported Mr Abhisit wanted the investigation concluded before Pol Gen Patcharawat's retirement.
       A source said Pol Lt Gen Boonruang wrote that the investigation should not have been launched because the complaint was based on an anonymous letter.
       He said it was suspicious the complainant had waited until after the money had been spent before alerting the authorities.