Phukphong Phongpetra ( th, ภัคพงศ์ พงษ์เภตรา; RTGS: Phukphong Phongpetra; born 26 July 1961) is a Thai police officer. He is the former Commissioner of the

Metropolitan Police Bureau Metropolitan Police Bureau () is a unit in the Royal Thai Police, and is responsible for maintaining security in Bangkok - the capital of Thailand. There are a total of 14 divisions (command units) and 2 direct divisions which report directly to t ...

of the

Royal Thai Police The Royal Thai Police (RTP) ( th, สำนักงานตำรวจแห่งชาติ; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excludi ...

. Police Lieutenant General () Phukphong was appointed to the Commissioner of the

on October 1, 2019. He retired on 30 September, 2021, and was succeeded by Samran Nuanma. Pol. Lt. Gen. Phukphong, known for his leadership skills and expertise in protection and crowd control, played a crucial role in resolving both the 2010 Thai protests and 2020 Thai protests.

Early life and education

Phukphong was born in

Surat Thani Surat Thani ( th, สุราษฎร์ธานี, ) is a city in Amphoe Mueang Surat Thani, Surat Thani Province, southern Thailand. It lies south of Bangkok. It is the capital of Surat Thani Province. The city has a population of 1 ...

on 26 July 1961. Phukphong was brought up in a wealthy family in

, known for "running big businesses including

palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...

plantations, a mine and a rock quarry." After graduating from Assumption College Siracha, a private, prestigious

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for boys in

Chonburi Chonburi ( th, ชลบุรี, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and Mueang Chonburi District in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Bangkok, on the coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Its name means 'city of water'. Chonb ...

province, Phukphong enrolled in the

Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School The Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School or AFAPS (Thai: โรงเรียนเตรียมทหาร) is a senior high school in Nakhon Nayok Province. It is a flagship institution of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters. The ...

(AFAPS) (Class 22). Later, he continued his education and graduated in the 38th Class at the Royal Police Cadet Academy (RPCA). Phukphong also graduated from special training abroad, including Tactical Operations Seminar from the Virginia Public Safety Academy in

Fairfax, Virginia The City of Fairfax ( ), colloquially known as Fairfax City, Downtown Fairfax, Old Town Fairfax, Fairfax Courthouse, FFX, or simply Fairfax, is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth ...

. In addition, Phukphong is a alumni at the

National Defence College of Thailand The National Defence College of Thailand or NDC ( th, วิทยาลัยป้องกันราชอาณาจักร, Witayalai Bongkan Ratcha-Anarchak) is an education organization that provides advanced training for both senior m ...

(Class 59).

Career

Beginnings

Phukphong began his career as a Deputy Inspector of Investigation at Muang Surat Thani Police Station, his hometown. Later, he was promoted to many ranks in different lines of work in the police form, finally becoming the Deputy Commander at Surat Thani Province in 2008.

Protection and Crowd Control Division

In 2009, Pol. Lt. Gen. Phukphong was transferred to work on special operations in

Southern Thailand Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus. Geography Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounded ...

, and subsequently was put in charge of the Protection and Crowd Control Division. After political unrest came to an end in Thailand, Pol. Lt. Gen. Phukphong was promoted to Commissioner of

Division 9.

Metropolitan Police Bureau

In 2014, after the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

that toppled the

Pheu Thai The Pheu Thai Party (PTP; th, พรรคเพื่อไทย, lit=For Thais Party, , ) is the third incarnation of a Thai political party founded by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The Pheu Thai Party was founded on 20 Septemb ...

-led administration, Pol. Lt. Gen. Phukphong was promoted to Deputy Commissioner of the

, under Police General Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul (), the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau at that time. Although Pol. Lt. Gen Phukphong gained tremendous experience in maintaining stability and security in Bangkok from the various cases of investigations, the most renowned and notable incident that spurred Phukphong's introduction to the Thai public was his help in investigating the

2015 Bangkok bombing On 17 August 2015, a bombing took place inside the Erawan Shrine at the Ratchaprasong, Ratchaprasong intersection in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, Thailand, killing 20 people and injuring 125. Thai police were reported to have arrested two su ...

, which took place inside the

Erawan Shrine The Erawan Shrine, formally the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine ( th, ศาลท้าวมหาพรหม; ; 'shrine of Lord Maha Brahma'), is a shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, which houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of Brahma, ...

at the

Ratchaprasong intersection Ratchaprasong ( th, ราชประสงค์, ; also spelled ''Rajprasong'') is the name of an intersection, and a shopping district named after it, in Pathum Wan District, Bangkok, adjacent to the Siam area, at the BTS Skytrain's Chit L ...

Pathum Wan District Pathum Wan ( th, ปทุมวัน, ) is one of the fifty districts (''khet'') of Bangkok, Thailand. It lies just beyond the old city boundary of Khlong Phadung Krung Kasem, and was a rural area on the eastern outskirts of the city when roya ...

The National Police Policy Committee, on 1 October 2019, appointed Pol. Lt. Gen. Phukphong to be the 50th Commissioner of the

, replacing Pol. Lt. Gen. Sutipong Wongpin, who retired on 30 September 2019.

Timeline of Position in the Royal Thai Police

Awards

* Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) ''('') of The Most Noble

Order of the Crown of Thailand The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันมีเกียรติยศยิ่งมงกุฎไทย; ) is a Thai order, established in 1869 by King Rama ...

() *

Order of the White Elephant - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Knight Grand Cross (First Class) () of The Most Exalted

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order (decoration), orde ...

() *

Chakra Mala Medal ()

Seminars

* Participated in "The 14th International Asian Organized Crime Conference"

Calgary, Alberta Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,30 ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

) * Participated in "International Criminal Police Organization 62nd General Assembly Session"

Aruba Aruba ( , , ), officially the Country of Aruba ( nl, Land Aruba; pap, Pais Aruba) is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands physically located in the mid-south of the Caribbean Sea, about north of the Venezuela peninsula of ...

* Participated in "The 16th Annual International Asian Organized Crime Conference"

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

(

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

) * Participated in "The 18th International Asian Organized Crime Conference"

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

(

)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phongpetra, Phukphong 1961 births Living people Phukphong Phongpetra Phukphong Phongpetra