Welcome back to Lifestyle Asia Thailand’s LSA Debutante, where we meet Thailand’s younger generation and talk about their thoughts and opinions on current topics. Today, we’re with Geno-Jirayut Kuptanond who’s here to share his perspective on being a Thai police officer as a new generation.
It is without a doubt that during the past few years, the Thai police force has faced many issues in the public eye. However, one young and energetic policeman is ready to close that chapter, and that man is Geno-Jirayut Kuptanond, who’s on Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew’s team and is the grandson of Pol. Lt. Gen. Teerapon Kuptanond, Former Commissioner of Thai Tourist Police Bureau, Lt. Gen. Weerasak Kuptanond, Former Deputy Commander of Army Region 3 and Pol. Lt. Thana Kuptanond Cadet Leader of Batch 50, and Mr. Soonthorn Phathanaphonkornsakun, Vice President of The Jeweller Association.
As Geno is in his 20s, this determined man is ready to pursue his goal to create a better image for the Thai police force. So, without further ado, let’s get to know Geno-Jirayut better as Lifestyle Asia sits down to have a chat with this fearless man.
LSA Debutante: Geno-Jirayut on creating a better image for police officers What are you working on right now?
Right now, I’m working with Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew in the office as usual. I’m also a special adviser to the Anti-Corruption Division, where I help the foreign affairs department to coordinate with the FBI. For example, I’ve worked on the Nopparat Boonsri case, who’s the former director of the National Office of Buddhism.
You studied Diplomatic Studies. How does that correlate with FBI work?
It is related to national relations. However, to be a police officer, you have to study to prepare for the military, and then become a cadet. After completing that stage, you then can be a police officer. As for diplomacy, you have to first study International Relations for your bachelor’s degree. Then there are the electives. If you have a master’s degree, you can choose Diplomatic Studies to become a diplomat. My family really wanted me to become that. However, two of my father’s younger brothers are police officers, and Grandpa was a soldier. It’s like they’ve all chosen this side. My uncle was the Cadet Leader of Batch 50. He was so talented.
During my childhood, I studied at Ruamrudee International School and received a 100% scholarship from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They paid everything including my tuition and food from kindergarten until graduation. Then I received a scholarship to study in the U.S. at George Mason University. However, being the only child and grandchild, my family was worried about me going there alone, so I decided to study at Mahidol University, in the international section. I was studying International Relations and Global Affairs as my main bachelor’s degree. I also studied 2 other minors. As for my master’s degree, I completed it in England at Swansea University.
Tell us about your role.
I do a lot of things. I used to intern at the Crime Suppression Division. That’s where the public saw the news that police officers were reviewing creams [laughs]. However, after completing my internship and graduating, I decided to work at the DEA, in the International Relations division. I’m also a special advisor there. Later, my boss saw that there was a case where we had to work with Police Major General Charoonkiat Pankaew, who’s known as “Big Tao.” After being there for around 2 years, I went for my master’s degree in International Security and Development. I wanted to take leave to continue my studies. When I came back, everyone thought I was going to become a diplomat. Many places wanted me, even offered me lots of money. I always knew that money isn’t the answer to everything in life. So, I decided to work here.
My boss works against corruption in the Office of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) as well as the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO). Since I studied diplomacy, anything related to English, I coordinate with foreign countries.
As a new generation for Thailand’s police force, what does it mean to you to change the image of this organisation?
I want people to stop looking at the Thai police force negatively. I work very hard, and I’m doing this not for the image, but so people know that I’m not just a privileged kid with a famous last name. For me, money isn’t everything. It’s about being a person who society admires. I remember this one time when I worked in the tourism unit, and helped a foreigner return to his country. When that man thanked me, it made me so happy [smiles]. I’ve also organised events before, opened a restaurant, and even was in the cosmetics industry a bit, making lots of profit. However, I never felt satisfied compared to when I’m doing something good for society.
In this profession, you need to use everything you know. It’s a challenging career. My father always says the higher up you are, the more the fall will hurt. However, I want to go as high as possible since I want to know how high I can go without falling. I’m really passionate about my job. It’s really a profession where you have to believe in yourself. You also can’t do anything bad. It’s about abiding by the law. I’m so ecstatic that people recognise how I’ve helped improve the image of the police force. I feel that it is a career that my family loves, and it is a career that has been instilled in me since I was young, to the point that I love it too.
Do you feel any pressure to be a good role model?
Not that much. I’m quite attached to American culture, so I tend to be more direct. Growing up, my parents always told me whatever I wanted to do, do it, except things that are bad, addictive, or illegal. So when I go out with friends, I do that to the fullest extent since it is my private life. As long as it doesn’t affect my job, it’s fine because we all need some sort of relaxation. Otherwise, we’d have mental health issues. I think my only pressure is that I want to prove to people that I got this job not because of my family, but because of me.
Tell us about your work with the FBI.
As an example, I’ve worked on a case involving embezzlement and money laundering. We worked with many divisions on this, including the FBI, since we went through lots of processes to bring this person back. In this case, we went to the U.S. court. We even got the Bank of Japan to handle it. There was a lot of back and forth between huge organisations. So, you really need good coordination skills. You know, the FBI has headquarters in Asia, right in Singapore. And of course, there’s not enough manpower, but to me, it’s not about that. If we have the right man to lead, the job will be more effective.
How do you balance your work and personal life?
I work so hard it’s like I sold my soul. I’m usually tied to work as I want every second of my breath to be used as efficiently as possible. Since I want to give back to society, I’m always working. For example, my relationship status right now is zero [laughs] because I prioritise my career. Work always comes first, then my partner, family, friends, and there’s me. If I love someone, I want to give everything to them. But work is work, and with this, I can give everything to my country. I don’t want it to just be me who’s happy. So right now, I’m choosing work over relationships.
Lastly, what would you tell Geno 10 years ago, and Geno in the next 10 years?
Ten years ago, a teacher once told me that if I continued on that path, I wouldn’t get far. And he was right because at that time I was quite naughty. However, as those 10 years passed, I’m a different man. I help my boss catch criminals, and I think I truly did prove to him that not only do I have a career that I’m passionate about, but I also didn’t use my background to achieve this.
In the next 10 years, I know I still want to pursue this career. I want to create a positive image with my work, to prove that the police profession isn’t just a job that eats public taxes or commits fraud. I truly believe that others can create a positive image, but that just depends on their choices. No one is perfect. I am not perfect. I just choose to be and do good.
Source link : https://www.lifestyleasia.com/bk/culture/people/lsa-debutante-geno-jirayut-on-creating-a-better-image-for-the-thai-police-force/amp/
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Publish date : 2024-06-29 04:21:28
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