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PM Prayut doubles as Defence Minister in new Cabinet


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PM Prayut doubles as Defence Minister in new Cabinet

By The Nation

 

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The appointment of new Cabinet members headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has been endorsed by His Majesty the King.

 

The list of the 36-member new Cabinet was announced in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday and countersigned by Prayut, who was reappointed prime minister on June 9.

 

Prayut will also double as Defence Minister, a key position currently held by General Prawit Wongsuwan, his deputy in the outgoing government.

Prawit will retain his position as a deputy prime minister and is expected to also be in charge of security affairs.

 

The new Cabinet also has eight other ministers who have worked with Prayut and Prawit in the current post-coup government: Somkid Jatusripitak, Wissanu Krea-ngam, General Chaichan Changmongkol, Uttama Savanayana, Don Pramudwinai, Suvit Maesincee, Sontirat Sontijirawong and General Anupong Paojinda.

 

Somkid, Wissanu, Chaichan, Don and Anupong have retained their Cabinet seats, with Somkid and Wissanu also appointed deputy prime ministers in the incoming government. Anupong will again be the Interior Minister, Don the Foreign Minister and Chaichan the Deputy Defence Minister.

 

Uttama, Sontirat and Suvit last year left the Prayut government to form the Phalang Pracharat Party, which later nominated Prayut as prime minister.

Sontirat, secretary general of the core coalition partner, Phalang Pracharat, has become Energy Minister, a coveted ministerial position that had also been reportedly sought by Suriya Juangroongruangkit, leader of a key faction in the party. Suriya has instead been appointed Industry Minister.

 

Uttama, the Phalang Pracharat leader, is the new Finance Minister, despite having been criticised by opposition politicians as being unqualified for the post due to his alleged involvement with a loan scandal in 2003 regarding the state-owned Krungthai Bank while serving as its senior executive. Uttama, however, said he had had nothing to do with the approval of the loans to financially ailing property companies.

 

Other key Phalang Pracharat figures have also become government ministers. They include Somsak Thepsuthin, who will become the Justice Minister, Buddhipongse Punakanta the new Digital Economy and Society minister; Ittipol Khunpluem the new Culture Minister and Nataphol Teepsuwan the new Education Minister.

 

Two other deputy PM positions will be held by leaders of the key Democrat and Bhumjaithai coalition parties - Democrat leader Jurin Laksanawisit has been named Commerce Minister and Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul the Public Health Minister.

 

The Cabinet seats allocated to Phalang Pracharat's coalition partners were virtually unchanged from the reported agreement.

 

Key figures from the Democrat Party appointed as government ministers are secretary general Chalermchai Sri-on, who will become the Agriculture Minister, and Juti Krairiksh, who will be the social Development and Human Security Minister.

 

Chalermchai will have three deputies from three different political parties: Mananya Thaiset from Bhumjaithai, Thammanas Phromphao from Phalang Pracharat and Praphat Phothasuthon from Chart Thai Pattana.

 

Bhumjaithai Party’s Saksayam Chidchob will become the new Transport Minister and party colleague Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn will be the new Tourism and Sports Minister. His wife Natee had been tipped to win that appointment but a last-minute change was forced after a court on Tuesday banned her from politics for five years.

 

Former Bank of Thailand governor MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul, who is the leader of the Action Coalition for Thailand Party, will become the new Labour Minister.

 

Members of the new Cabinet will officially take up their new jobs after taking an oath before His Majesty the King, with their audiences expected to take place soon.

 

The incoming government is led by Phalang Pracharat, which came second in the March 24 general election but managed to gather a majority in the House of Representatives and form an 18-party coalition.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30372754

 

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-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-07-11
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44 minutes ago, webfact said:

Prayut will also double as Defence Minister, a key position currently held by General Prawit Wongsuwan,

Hmmm and yesterday there was an article about some powers of arrest and detention in the name of " National Security " being retained .. 

Despite the very dodgy " authentic " tag some would like to attach to the election retention of the gains made 5 yrs ago cannot be reversed .. Control of the important levers must be retained .. 

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2 hours ago, webfact said:

a key position currently held by General Prawit Wongsuwan, his deputy in the outgoing government.

Prawit will retain his position as a deputy prime minister and is expected to also be in charge of security affairs.

one positive and two negative developments

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Is any of this truly in the name of democracy for the Thai nation and for the betterment of safety/security/well-being, lack of quality education, economics-inequality and poverty, government accountability and transparency?

 

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5 minutes ago, colinneil said:

This just shows that he has no regard for the countries interests, as 2 very important time consuming jobs cannot be fulfilled properly by 1 person.

Well honestly, we do know he does have some regard for some of this countries interests. The interests of the Elite and Military. Not sure how he will manage to keep control if not through using the military's amnesty under the National Security gold card.

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This additional self imposed ministry must put a lot of pressure on the great one seeing as he is also the Minister for Matters of Insignificance which is the one which seems to take up most of his time.

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4 hours ago, webfact said:

PM Prayut doubles as Defence Minister in new Cabinet

 

Damn....this guy can do it all. With a versatile SOB like this steering the big boat, there's really no need to even have a crew.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, YetAnother said:

one positive and two negative developments

"Security affairs" - isn't that also well-known as "secret police" in all other dictatorships?

 

Oh - Wait! - I forgot! - Thailand is a "democracy"  (cough cough)

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43 minutes ago, colinneil said:

This just shows that he has no regard for the countries interests, as 2 very important time consuming jobs cannot be fulfilled properly by 1 person.

 

37 minutes ago, Odysseus123 said:

Col,as long as he can get the tanks and the troops out on the streets in time-he doesn't really care.

 

He doesn't wear a green suit any more, and his gang are no longer at the top of the "chain of command". Any military which may still be loyal to him have been moved away from Bangkok. No matter which perch in cabinet he is occupying, when the tanks and troops are on the streets again (and they inevitably will be) they will not be answering to him.

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1 hour ago, Thailand said:

As defence minister as well he may be able to keep AK 47 in check, at least for a while. And the military remains the big stumbling block to any real semblance of democracy.

Yingluck was also defence minister...didn't help for shit

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10 minutes ago, SABloke said:

Yingluck was also defence minister...didn't help for shit

She was pleasing on the eye; the more recent defence minister was unpleasing on both eye and stomach. And at least the excesses were contained under her watch - her government said a clear no to the Chinese submarines... 

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"PM Prayut doubles as Defense Minister in new Cabinet"

 

Obviously he feels safer with a back-up plan in place, needs to ensure he knows what his mates are doing, as has been said already it is still a military government just a change of clothes...!!

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