In Thailand, the Royal Thai Police have often posed for photos and arranged for television coverage to present their suspects to Thailand and the world. When a crime has been committed and a suspect apprehended, you can be sure that a photo op is not far away.
This is a time honoured tradition and, one could say, a national past-time. In some instances, the police force suspects, Thais and foreigners alike, to 'wai' (bow) in front of the cameras and to apologize.
Yet, yesterday, Police General Chakthip Chaijinda decided to ban this practice across the kingdom. The police general stated that photos & interviewed negatively impacted the work of the Royal Thai Police and often damaged their image.
For the foreseeable future, Royal Thai Police officers of all ranks are forbidden from taking photos with suspects or giving interviews with them.
Is this a good or a bad idea? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Photo kindly borrowed from The Nation: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30318892