The Special Branch Bureau or SBB (Thai: กองบัญชาการตำรวจสันติบาล) is a Law enforcement agency under the Royal Thai Police Headquarters. Special Branch Bureau has major security functions to the king, queen and all the royal family along with the action on the intelligence of the person or group that acts as a threat to national security. The agency was established on 17 November 1932 (Thai solar calendar year 2475) by Royal Decree of His Majesty King Prajadhipok's by the advice of The House of Representatives. As a result, the department is divided into four divisions. Sometimes referred to by critics as the "political police", it is responsible for controlling subversive activities and serves as the Thai Police's major intelligence organization, as well as the unit responsible for VIP protection.
History
A Special Branch Bureau (SBB) division exists in the Royal Thai Police as part of its Crime Prevention and Suppression Support Group.[1] Aside from intelligence gathering, they provide protection to VIPs[2] alongside the Bangkok Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) and Armed Forces Security Centre.[3] They handle matters that have to do with citizenship, such as the renunciation of Thai nationality.[4] Foreign nationals living in Thailand go to the Special Branch office to secure a Thai police clearance certificate.[5][6] Other cases such as lèse majesté, terrorism, and anything that endangers Thai national security are also handled by the Thai SBB.[7][8][9]
The SBB worked with the Malaysian Special Branch during the Cold War.[10] During that time, SBB officers were involved in the Red Drum killings, in which 3,008 accused of being pro-communist were burned to death from 200-litre (44 imp gal; 53 US gal) red drums alive or semi-conscious and incinerated during the administration of Prime Minister Thanom Kittikachorn.[11]
The SBB was accused of human rights violations toward Falun Gong practitioners.[12] They have been promoted as a means of routing political opposition to the government.[13] The division stirred controversy in the run-up to the 2007 general election when media revealed that the SBB had conducted its own opinion poll to assess the probable electoral outcome.[14] In response to similar stories before the 2011 general election, the SB characterised its gathering of data as a study rather than a poll.[15]
A special police unit called the "Black Tiger" is under the control of the Special Branch. It handles VIP protection operations.[16]
^Comber, Leon (2006). Malaya's Secret Police 1945–60. The Role of the Special Branch in the Malayan Emergency (PhD thesis). Singapore: ISEAS (Institute of SE Asian Affairs, Singapore) and MAI (Monash Asia Institute. p. 257.
^"Police deny making election survey". Bangkok Post. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2015. Special Branch had gathered information about the coming [July 3 election] for a report sent directly to the police chief, but that was not an opinion survey in the form the media reported.
