Jumpol Manmai, a former deputy police chief who for a time served as King Vajiralongkorn’s Grand Chamberlain for security and special activities, has passed away at Siriraj Hospital from a lung infection.

Jumpol Manmai (Source: Banrasdr Photo)

According to media reports, Jumpol died early Monday morning, 1 November, after two months of treatment.

Born in the Northern province of Lampang on 23 September 1950, Jumpol began his police career at the Metropolitan Police School as a student with Batch 34. He subsequently attended the Royal Police Cadet Academy with Batch 26 along with Thaksin Shinavatra, who later became Prime Minister.

On Wake Up Thailand on 1 November, Atukkit Sawaengsuk, a Voice TV anchorman, said that Jumpol was an important connection for Thaksin, adding that the two were “very close friends.”

Daily News reported that Jumpol started his police duties at Aranyaprathet District bordering Cambodia. He was later transferred to the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Office, working in the Crime Suppression Division where he rose to the rank of Deputy Commander.

He was promoted to be Police Commander at the Nonthaburi Police Station, rising to become the 3rd Region Police Commissioner before being transferred to the Police Special Branch Bureau to oversee intelligence and crime suppression work.

His career entered the political sphere in 2006, when coup makers appointed him to be Director of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). He was also asked to serve as the Prime Minister’s advisor on bureaucrat issues and was later made Deputy Chief of the National Police.

Jumpol became a candidate for the Police Chief seat in 2009, competing with Pol Gen Pateep Tanprasert for the post. Despite endorsements from then influential government figures like Suthep Thaugsuban, Newin Chidchob, and Nipon Promphan, PM Abhisit Vejjajiva chose Pateep to serve as “acting” Police Chief until he retired in 2010.

On the matter of Jumpol’s endorsements, Atukkit reported that his support came from “many hands … including hands that could not be seen” without offering any further explanation.

On 23 September 2016, a royal decree appointed Jumpol as the King’s Grand Chamberlain for security and special activities. 

His career took a sudden turn six months later.  On 7 March 2017, he was found guilty by the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Court of land misuse and malfeasance. He was sentenced to three years in prison, a sentence reduced by half due because he confessed to the crime. He was ordered to compensate the state for 892,302 baht in damages and remove buildings from a plot of land in a forest area.

The day of the verdict, the Royal Gazette published an order dismissing Jumpol from his police positions and stripping him of his royal decorations. The order was backdated, coming into effect from when he was removed from his official position on 27 February 2017.

The order stated that he had abused his position for personal benefit and meddled in politics in ways that threatened the King’s security, acts unbefitting of a close royal aide.

The same charges were stated in a dismissal order issued by the Bureau of the Royal Household (BRH) on 27 February.  It stated that Jumpol violated the 2008 Civil Service Act by abusing his position for personal benefit. 

It also accused him of meddling with politics in ways that threatened the security of the crown, causing the King to lose trust in him.

The dismissal, performed under the Civil Service Act, was signed by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha,  junta leader and Prime Minister.