He has also ordered the police to control traffic flow and escort the foreign guests to and from the summit.

More than 10,000 police officers will be positioned along the routes and at the spots that the Asean heads of government and their spouses visit, including Don Mueang airbase and the summit hotel and meeting hall, Prawit announced.

Importantly, he added, commuters in the capital should be impacted by the meeting and the security arrangements surrounding it as little as possible.

The Air Force is responsible for anti-drone missions and guarding the visitors at Don Mueang airbase, he said, adding that the Navy will maintain order along the riverside, while the Army will take care of intelligence.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, meanwhile, has arranged plans for disaster risks, and the Public Health Ministry is providing clinics and medical teams, the deputy PM – who is also defence minister – said.

The Asean heads of government gather on Saturday and Sunday at a Bangkok hotel for the summit.

Wireless Road from Sarasin intersection to Phloen Chit intersection will be closed from 6am to 6pm on both days.

People will have to use Rama IV Road and Phloen Chit Road instead.

Anyone wanting to complain about the effects of the meeting on them, or inform the authorities about any serious threats or abnormal incidents, should contact the Damrongdhama Centre, the Government Contact Centre or the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Ekarat Changlao, Phalang Pracharat party-list MP and chairman of the party’s strategic committee in the Northeast, yesterday threatened to review collaboration with the party if MPs from the region failed to get any ministerial seats in the Cabinet.

The group last week held a press conference to voice disappointment about the party’s failing to allocate ministerial seats for its northeastern MPs.

As key party leaders have yet to give them answers, the group will meet today to discuss its stance, Ekarat said.

“Phuyai [seniors] in the party overlook our group. If we don’t have our [group] members to become ministers or deputy ministers, we won’t be able to drive or deliver policies we had campaigned for in the last election,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Niphan Sirithorn, Phalang Pracharat MP from Trang province, yesterday also called for the party to allocate ministerial seats to his group in the South.

In the general election, Phalang Pracharat won 13 seats in the South, which had previously been a Democrat Party stronghold.

The group said they still supported Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, but insisted that representatives from all regions should be appointed ministers in the Cabinet.

It said voters in the South had voted for Phalang Pracharat’s candidates because they believed the party would help them to solve the low prices of rubber and oil palm.

“The party should know how important we are,” Niphan said.

He believes the government will be short-lived.

The veteran Muslim politician, who leads the Prachachart Party, pointed out that the 19-party coalition government headed by Prayut has only a slim majority in the House of Representatives. The weakness is bound to affect stability in the coalition, he said.

“The government may be at risk of losing important votes in the Lower House, or at least failing to form a quorum,” Wan Noor said in an interview.

He believes the new government, in which Prayut will serve as prime minister for the second time, is “weak” because junta-appointed senators will be of no help in swinging vote outcomes, unlike when both Houses in a joint session voted to select the prime minister.

Wan Noor said reports of coalition partners and factions within Prayut’s Phalang Pracharat Party wrestling over Cabinet seats pointed to a further weakness in the government.

“The head of government virtually has no bargaining power. If any coalition member withdraws, the government could collapse immediately. So the prime minister must hang on to everyone that joins his coalition.”

Without the powers he enjoyed as head of the National Council for Peace and Order, Prayut cannot keep coalition partners and MPs completely under his control when the new government takes over, Wan Noor said.

Wan Noor’s Prachachart is a member of the seven-party opposition bloc.

He said yesterday the opposition, as part of its mission to keep the government from duping the public, would set up a working group to hear citizens’ complaints and suggestions.

It would also circulate a petition aimed at amending the Constitution, which he said favours the military junta’s retention of power.

He planned to ask Prayut in Parliament about his role in leading the military coup in May 2014, which overthrew an elected government.

“I remember well what the then-Army chief said on May 22, 2014, when he staged the coup. I will ask him about what he did at that time. He doesn’t deserve to be prime minister today,” Wan Noor said.

Asked to predict the longevity of the incoming government, Wan Noor said it could last a year, perhaps a little longer. Judging from Thai political history, he said, governments like Prayut’s are typically short-lived.

They have ended in House dissolution or counter-coups in which a pro-government military seized power just to help the premier end an unstable administration rife with infighting among coalition partners.

“But power seizures are not acceptable to the international community,” Wan Noor said.

He urged politicians to avoid giving the military any “excuse” to stage another coup by indulging in corrupt practices. Corruption has often been cited as the justification for coups in the past.

“Thai democracy still has some flaws, but it takes time for them to be rectified,” he said. “People shouldn’t vote for corrupt and bad candidates. And power outside the system should not be allowed to ‘correct’ the flaws.”

The party’s two MPs, leader Damrong Phidej, and secretary general Santiparp Intharapat, held a press conference to announce that the party would review its decision to join the coalition.

Damrong said he was invited to join the coalition with a promise to help in the administration related to the natural resource and environment.

But after his party voted for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the party said it has not been consulted how to implement its policies.

Damrong said he does not want a Cabinet seat but he wants to work in the ministry so that his party can implement its policies to protect forests.

If the Phalang Pracharat does not review its decision to give the ministry to the Chart Pattana, the Thai Forest Conservation will pull out and work as an independent opposition party, Damrong said.

Sontirat Sontijirawong told reporters that there has been good progress, even though the past week was rife with confusion, rumours and leaks about the shifting fortunes of politicians and the coalition.

Phalang Pracharat, he said, had already submitted its ministerial candidates to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and is awaiting his approval. He added that some positions had more than one candidate, so Prayut had a choice.

The list has also been submitted to the Cabinet Secretariat, so candidates’ qualifications can be checked, he said.

Other coalition partners, such as the Democrat Party, are expected to submit their lists soon, he said, adding that everything was now in the hands of the prime minister. The setting up of the Cabinet has taken such a long time because of horse-trading and disagreements among party MPs. Sontirat admitted that conflicts have occurred, but he said this is common given that Phalang Pracharat has more than 100 MPs. He pointed out that some are satisfied and some dissatisfied with the arrangement, but he added that the selection would be based on merit.

Democrat leader Jurin Laksanawisit also told the press yesterday his party was working on its list and should have it ready for Prayut by the end of the day.

As for rumours about Prayut taking over Phalang Pracharat’s leadership and having his close colleague, incumbent Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan, take over as chair of the party’s advisory committee, Sontirat said the party has had no talks about such changes in the executive board.

He said the party has neither asked Prayut to become its leader nor has it discussed the matter, but if Prayut does want to take over the party leader’s post, it would be good news.

Sontirat refused to say if installing Prayut and Prawit in leadership positions would prove that Phalang Prachart was a means for the junta to retain power.

He only said it was still unclear if the former junta leaders would take these positions.

High school students of Chumpol Phisai school in Northeastern Nong Khai province attached sarcastic messages on a pedestal tray design. They wrote “250 Votes” on a the heavier side of a balance scale image and “Millions of Votes” on the lighter side of the scale.

The message apparently referred to Thailand’s recent election for Prime Minister, where 250 senators from the junta National Council for Peace and Order had the power to elect General Prayut Chan-o-cha to the top government post over more than a million votes from eligible voters.

After photos of the pedestal tray spread on social media, Police Colonel Phuwit Siripanit, the superintendent of district Phon Phisai in Nong Khai police station instructed officials to investigate the school and order the students to delete every picture shared on the social media.

Later Phuwit said that he instructed police to inspect the school so he would be prepared if high-ranking officials asked him about the matter.

“Personally, I think it’s just the attitude of teens towards politics. I see no spiteful things from the students. Also, my subordinates just visited the school, took photos, then sent them to me. I didn’t order them to force the students to delete pictures from social media,” he said.

Many people shared opinions on the incident.

Assistant professor Sawatree Suksri, the professor of Faculty of Law of Thammasat University commented on Facebook that the students were not at fault and the authorities must react carefully because the students had the right to prosecute them.

Teachers’ Day is an annual ceremony held in the first Thursday of June, at the beginning of new semester. Every school has to hold the ceremony for the students to pay respect to their teachers and students traditionally create pedestal trays to respect and express their gratitude to teachers.

This year a lot of pedestal trays were designed to express political views.

COUP LEADER-turned-two-term prime minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has decided to take over the leadership of the junta-aligned Phalang Pracharat Party once his Cabinet is installed, a party source said.

A party assembly to change the executive board is expected next month, the source said.

Uttama Savanayana would reportedly step down to make way for Prayut, while Sontirat Sontijirawong would likely continue as secretary-general.

The No 1 party-list MP, Nattapol Teepsuwan, might also emerge as contender for the secretary-general’s job but was deemed by the source as unlikely to take over the post.

The move to prop Prayut as the party leader is aimed at reportedly transform the military general into a full-fledged politician and reduce public perception of his links with the junta. That association has been among the most vulnerable spots for attacks by political rivals.

Prayut plans to stay in politics for the long term, the source said. Without holding a party membership, it was difficult for the general to help the party campaign and build up popularity.

Prayut’s leadership of Phalang Pracharat was also aimed at resolving tensions in the party related to the influential Sam Mitr or Three Allies faction. The group had been a stumbling block in the recent allocation of Cabinet portfolios.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, in charge of the government’s legal affairs, said yesterday that Prayut could take the position if he wanted to.

Wissanu, however, also warned that if anything went wrong, Prayut would inevitably be affected as a party executive. Thus, the general should also plan a way out in case of an emergency, the deputy advised.

Phalang Pracharat’s deputy spokesman, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, told The Nation that he would prefer not to speak about the issue yet. He had not been notified of any changes in the party so far, he said.

Prayut had yet to register as a party member, Thanakorn noted.

Another source in the party said the circulating leaks were inconsistent with the truth. It had been leaked by party members who were disappointed with the allocation of ministerial positions, he added.

The leaked reports aimed to discredit the party, the source said.

The party had yet to discuss replacing Uttama with Prayut, he said, adding that Uttama and Sontirat had been dedicated executives and were well-accepted by their colleagues.

Meanwhile, political scientist Wanwichit Boonprong noted that Prayut had up until now kept some distance between the party and himself.

He viewed any move to assume the party leadership as intended to eliminate the middle men in talks between the party executives and partner parties.

“With Prayut’s leadership, it would become clear who is in charge of the party,” the expert explained. “Prior to this, many people did not give Uttama and Sontirat much credit. They did not think [these two] could make the decisions. If Prayut takes charge, it would become more clear.”

Some pundits believe Prayut was having to shift fully to the political sphere due to alleged lack of support from the Army, but Wanwichit disagrees, adding the question was irrelevant.

Prayut is also said to be considering taking control of the defence ministry. Wanwichit said to do so would be a way to maintain the network backed by his close colleague and former mentor, General Prawit Wongsuwan, who might step down because of health issues.

But this would not necessarily mean that Prayut’s relations with the Army would weaken, he added.

Siripong was the only MP from the parties in the pro-junta bloc who decided not to vote.

The party leader Anutin Charnvirakul said earlier that the MP had the privilege to decide whether to vote and there would be no consequences.

However, at a party meeting on Thursday, it was agreed that a committee should investigate the case.

Siripong is due to testify next Tuesday before the committee and, if found guilty, could be expelled from the party, said Saksiam Chidchob of the party’s secretariat.

Sgt Pongsan Saenkaew, the host of several television programmes, posted pictures on Facebook, showing the funeral rites for Rakkiart.

Pongsan said Rakkiart, who was elected as an Udon Thani MP seven times and became a Cabinet member five times, died in Chiang Rai and a cremation rite will be held in the province on Friday.

Rakkiart was the first Thai politician found guilty in a corruption case by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office. The Supreme Court sentenced him to 15 years in jail in 2003 for accepting Bt5 million in bribes from a drugs firm when he was public health minister in the Chuan Leekpai government in 1998. The bribe prompted the Public Health Ministry to buy medicine from the firm at inflated prices.

Rakkiart did not attend the verdict and disappeared until he was found exercising in a park in Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district.

His jail term was halved by a royal pardon and he was released in October 2009.

After he was released, Rakkiart entered the monkhood at Wat Mak Sukthana Srikharam where he often preached to warn politicians against corruption. He left the monkhood in January 2013.