Thailand Politics

Thailand’s Junta Prime Minister Justifies His Junta Senator Selection

BANGKOK – Thailand’s Junta Appointed Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha is defended the selection of 250 senators to be picked by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), saying they shouldn’t be judged even before they start to work.

“Although the senators will be “appointed by me“, will you look down on all 250 of them? Don’t they have brains? Don’t they love the country? Everyone loves the nation. The love of the country and democracy shouldn’t be monopolized only by political parties and politicians.

That’s all I ask,” he said.

During the five years after the new parliament convenes, senators vote alongside MPs in picking prime ministers. This is the result of the additional question people were asked when they voted on the referendum on the charter in August 2016.

Some 15.1 million voted to accept the question compared 16.8 million yes-votes on the charter.

The Bangkok Port reports that critics argue the process was not free and fair since vote-no campaigners were silenced by lawsuits for breaching the NCPO’s orders and many voters were led to believe if they accepted the charter, an election would be held sooner rather than later.

Politicians have slammed the rule as unfair in the run-up to the poll, especially after Gen Prayut accepted to be the PM candidate of the Palang Pracharath Party and since all 250 senators will be chosen either directly or indirectly by the NCPO headed by Gen Prayut.

They claim even though a party wins in all 350 constituencies, it cannot get its candidate to be PM and would need another 26 yes-votes from the senators. (see chart)

Commenting on the selection process of these senators, Gen Prayut on Friday said the NCPO was in the stage of preparing a list of 12 people whom it would appoint to a screening panel, which will in turn select 400 senator candidates to be shortlisted by the NCPO to 194.

“They are from different sources and the next step is to send them invitations and wait for their confirmations.

“Several people don’t want to enter politics for various reasons. For example, those who currently sit on some boards may have to give up the seats,” he said.

Asked how the NCPO could prevent criticism about cronyism, Gen Prayut said he was simply performing his duties.

“Please look back on what I’ve done and have some faith in me. I can’t avoid criticism in any case. Whoever we pick deserves some credit — they shouldn’t be criticized before they even start to work. If that happens, no good people would want to work for the country.”

He also complained it was not easy to find people willing to work for the government over the past 4-5 years because they will lose numerous rights as required by law for the sake of transparency.

Asked what he thought about senators being able to vote on a PM, Gen Prayut dodged the question.

“They can only do so when parties cannot agree on any PM. It’s a safeguard to prevent a deadlock,” he said, apparently referring to the rule that would apply in 2024 or five years after the upcoming election, not in the March 24 poll.

Thailand Politics

Thai Prime Minister’s Popularity Declines as Move Forward Party dominates

(CTN News) – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin continues to make local and international visits to try to solve problems and promote Thailand, but he has failed to impress most voters, according to a Nida poll. The poll also revealed the declining popularity of Pheu Thai Party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the rise of the Move Forward Party.

According to a poll released on Sunday, only 12.85% of people supported the prime minister, down from 17.75% in the previous survey. The daughter of convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin, currently on parole, saw her popularity drop from 6% to 4.85%.

The National Institute of Development Administration conducts a quarterly survey of the public’s preferred political leaders. The last survey was released at the end of March.

According to the survey, supporters of the prime minister described Mr Srettha as a resolute decision-maker determined to address their problems. Ms Paetongtarn was complimented for her vision, leadership, knowledge, and grasp of the country’s difficulties.

This weekend, the prime minister will be in the northeast region listening to citizens’ concerns. The journey occurred only a few days after he had visited northern provinces earlier in the week.

Despite criticism, he has reduced his abroad trips, citing the need to showcase Thailand to investors and traders.

Pita Limjaroenrat, the chief advisor of the Move Forward Party, remained the top candidate for prime minister with 45.50% of the vote, up slightly from 42.75% in the previous quarter’s poll.

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga was the huge winner. The leader of the United Thai National Party saw his popularity nearly quadruple from 3.55% to 6.85%.

The sampled voters stated they appreciated Mr Pita’s political beliefs and thought he had broad knowledge. They praised Mr Pirapan’s credibility, claiming he was clean and honest.

Two other probable prime minister candidates were Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan of the Thai Sang Thai Party and Anutin Chanvirakul, leader of Bhumjaithai. However, they were less popular than others.

About 20% of voters still did not believe any candidate was qualified to lead the country, which is the same percentage as in the last survey.

Move Forward Party was the most popular party with 49.20%, up slightly from three months ago, while Pheu Thai fell around five percentage points to 16.85% from 22.10%.

The poll, issued on Sunday, surveyed 2,000 ineligible voters between June 14 and June 18.

Thailand Politics

Move Forward Party MP Jirat Thongsuwan Appeals Suspended Jail Sentence for Defamation

(CTN News) – Jirat Thongsuwan, a Move Forward Party MP, says he would appeal his one-year suspended jail sentence for defaming a former senior defense ministry official concerning the state’s procurement of bogus bomb detectors.

The Criminal Court also fined Mr Jirat 100,000 baht for falsely accusing ACM Tharet Punsri, a former Air Force chief-of-staff who later became the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, of being the chairman and shareholder of a company that supplied the military with the infamous GT200 bomb detectors.

The Chachoengsao MP claimed a July 20, 2022, no-confidence vote against cabinet ministers in Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s government. ACM Tharet was not a cabinet member.

Jirat Thongsuwan also identified ACM Tharet as a key figure in the 2006 coup headed by then-army chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, which overthrew Thaksin Shinawatra.

ACM Tharet told the court that Jirat Thongsuwan’s charges were false and harmed his reputation. He denied involvement with the bomb detection company and said he was not the company’s senior chairman or shareholder.

In addition to the suspended jail term and fine, the court ordered Jirat Thongsuwan to pay $ 500,000 baht in damages to ACM Tharet and publish an apology in three newspapers for five days.

Jirat Thongsuwan later announced on his X account that he had challenged the verdict with the hashtag “An injustice is infuriating”.

The MP has also been accused of dodging required military conscription. He admitted to the accusation on May 8.

A British business promoted the GT200 as a “remote substance detector” and sold it in several countries. Between 2004 and 2009, fourteen Thai government organizations, most of which were military, were projected to spend 1.4 billion baht on the units.

Concerns about the GT200 and related gadgets arose after the National Science and Technology Development Agency discovered they lacked electronic components.

The devices were later revealed to be “divining rods”.

Thailand Politics

Thaksin Shinawatra Files 100 Million Baht Defamation Lawsuit Against Warong Dechgitvigrom

(CTN News) – Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister, has launched a defamation action against Warong Dechgitvigrom, the head of the Thai Pakdee Party, accusing him of paying a bribe to be released on bail in a lese majeste case.

Thaksin’s attorney, Winyat Chartmontree, filed a lawsuit against Warong, seeking 100 million baht in damages.

Warong, a long-time Thaksin Shinawatra critic, gave a public statement and posted on social media, saying that 2 billion baht was paid to judicial officials in exchange for release on bail in the lese majeste case.

Thaksin Shinawatra Granted Release on 500,000 Baht Bond

Thaksin was granted release on a 500,000 baht bond last week and told not to leave the country without court authorization after pleading innocent to charges of defaming King Rama IX in a 2015 interview with South Korean media.

Winyat stated that, while Warong did not identify Thaksin Shinawatra by name in his speech or post, he did include a hashtag with Thaksin’s name as well as the date Thaksin must appear in court, allowing readers to connect Thaksin to the allegations.

Winyat further stated that he was investigating the fact that Warong mentioned the specific aircraft and automobiles utilized by Thaksin Shinawatra to violate the Personal Data Protection Act.

“I have requested Mr Warong to provide proof as to where he received the data. “If it turns out that it came from state officials, there will be legal consequences,” he warned.

The Criminal Court has scheduled the case’s preliminary hearing for September 30.