Five top contenders in race for police chief post

"I plan to call the meeting to name the police chief by next month," he said in reference to the convening of the Royal Thai Police Board to nominate Patheep's successor.

In preparing for the police reshuffle, Abhisit said he would soon meet with Patheep and Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban to give his policy directive on police assignments.

"For the upcoming rotations, I will give two guidelines: first, seniority should be given more weight, and two, in case of bypassing seniority, there should be a clear explanation so as to ensure transparency in the job assignments," he said.

Suthep, who chairs the Police Service Commission, is in charge of drawing up the list for police rotations and the prime minister is responsible for the nomination of the police chief via the board.

After the abrupt removal of General Patcharawat Wongsuwan last August, Abhisit and the board could not form a consensus on the nomination of a new chief.

Instead of forcing a vote on the issue - which could have become a political embarrassment - Abhisit opted to name General Wichien Potephosree as caretaker chief for about 10 days before picking Patheep as the acting chief.

Patheep is working without a permanent appointment by royal command. The nomination of the police chief has become a highly contentious issue coinciding with the political turmoil. And the issue, remaining unresolved for a year, is poised to return and haunt Abhisit for a second time.

 Although a dozen police generals are potential candidates for the job, five have emerged as strong contenders.

General Prewpan Damapong is the deputy national police chief with the most seniority. He was bypassed in last year's promotion because of his weakest link - he is the brother-in-law of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. With a year left before retirement, he is likely to be overlooked again.

General Wichien is in the race once again. After failing to secure the job last year, he won the consolation prize by moving up a notch from an advisory job to the position of deputy national police chief. His chance of getting the top job is still not very good. He reportedly lacks the backing of the police rank and file.

General Adul Saengsingkaew is one of the top contenders because of his cordial ties with the Democrats and politicians from the coalition and the opposition. He is reportedly close to Suthep. His flaw is that he is considered a soft leader - when faced with a crisis, he seems to be indecisive. But his strength is that both yellow and red shirts claim him as their "friend".

General Pansiri Prapawat is tipped to be the lead contender about whom Abhisit is giving the most thought. He has a good track record for police work. He is seen as a politically astute officer. He enjoys support from the military, the security agencies and several ranking Democrats. His weakness is that a number of the yellow shirts view him as red-leaning, hence opposing his nomination.

 General Panupong Singhara na Ayutthaya has emerged as another strong contender. He is in charge of terrorism and other offences involving the red shirts. He is known as a crime-buster. His flaw is that he is seen as a lapdog of the government. If promoted, he might trigger the wrath of the red shirts and the Pheu Thai Party.

Should a stalemate happen in the nomination process, General Watcharapol Prasanrajkit may emerge as a dark horse. His chance is remote at this juncture because his experience is in administrative affairs rather than crime suppression. But he is seen as keeping good contacts with the power brokers and leading figures. The wind of fortune may blow his way if Abhisit is forced to overcome an impasse.