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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019542

General Prayut Chan-o-cha is still in good morale and continues to work as the defence minister after he was suspended from his duties as the prime minister last week, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda said on Tuesday.

“He’s doing his work as usual,” Anupong replied when reporters approached him before the weekly Cabinet meeting to ask him about Prayut.

“His morale is still okay,” Anupong replied when reporters asked how Prayut had been affected by the suspension.

Last Wednesday, the Constitutional Court accepted the petition of opposition MPs for deliberation as to whether Prayut’s tenure expired on August 24, when he finished eight years in office. The court suspended Prayut from the prime minister’s duties pending its ruling.

Prayut has avoided giving comments to reporters since his suspension.

He did not attend the weekly Cabinet meeting as defence minister in person on Tuesday but joined the meeting by video-conference.

He also avoided reporters when he inaugurated the defence exhibition at Muang Thong Thani on Monday.

Anupong, whose nickname is Big Pok, is one of the so-called “Three Por” generals who joined Prayut and caretaker prime minister and Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwat to seize power in May 2014. The three have been continuously holding posts in all Cabinets since the coup.

Published : August 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019538

The Cabinet on Tuesday amended regulations to allow acting Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan to approve national budget spending and reshuffles, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said.

Wissanu, the government’s legal expert, said ministers amended the regulations so Prawit could spend budget and approve transfers of senior officials without consulting Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, who has been suspended as PM.

Prayut was suspended from duties by the Constitutional Court last week pending its ruling on whether his eight-year tenure expired on August 24.

Wissanu said the amendments will be effective retroactively but did not empower Prawit as acting prime minister to dissolve the House of Representatives.

Prayut is not suspended from his post as defence minister though he failed to show up for Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, attending via video link instead.

Wissanu said he had no information on why Prayut had opted not to turn up but added that attending via video was not unusual.

He denied there was a vacuum in the country’s leadership, saying Prawit had taken over as acting PM once Prayut was suspended. He said he expected Prayut’s legal team to submit its argument to the Constitution Court soon to counter the opposition’s claim that his tenure ended last week.

He declined to give details of the argument but said the court typically allowed the defence 15 days to submit its case.

Published : August 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019534

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Tuesday ruled out a Cabinet reshuffle in the first meeting chaired by him as caretaker prime minister following the suspension of General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Prawit was speaking to reporters while leaving Government House after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

Deputy PM Prawit took over as caretaker prime minister after the Constitutional Court suspended Prayut as prime minister pending a ruling on whether he had completed eight years in office.

Prayut did not attend the weekly Cabinet meeting, though he continues to function as defence minister, a portfolio he held even as PM. Government House officials had left a seat for the defence minister but it remained vacant during the meeting.

While chairing the Cabinet meeting, Prawit remained seated on his usual deputy prime minister’s seat, leaving Prayut’s normal PM’s seat vacant.

Asked whether he would reshuffle the Cabinet soon, Prawit replied “No reshuffle, I affirm”.

Last week, a group of southern MPs of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party had said they would call for a Cabinet reshuffle to demand the Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Commerce ministries back from coalition partner Democrat Party. The call prompted the Democrats to threaten to pull out of the coalition.

Asked to comment on the call of the southern MPs of his party, Prawit said: “You must ask them. I didn’t say it.”

“Why should I reshuffle Cabinet when we can still work,” Prawit said when asked again whether he would change the Cabinet line-up in the near future.

Prawit appeared in a good mood and was smiling as he stopped to answer reporters’ questions on his way to his official vehicle. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin, Digital Economy and Society Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn and Deputy Transport Minister Atirat Ratanasate accompanied Prawit to his vehicle.

Published : August 30, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019485

Thailand is not ready to hold a national election right now should the government dissolve Parliament, as the new “Organic Act on the Election of Members of Parliament” has not yet come into effect, a news source from the Election Commission (EC) said on Monday.

The EC source made the comment in reaction to opposition parties and several groups pressuring the government to dissolve the lower house after General Prayut Chan-o-cha was suspended last week from his duties as a prime minister by the Constitutional Court, pending its verdict on the expiry of his eight-year tenure in the post.

“The new ‘Organic Act on the Election of MPs’ will increase the number of constituency MPs from 350 to 400 and reduce the number of party-list MPs from 150 to 100,” said the source. 

“The new Act will also remove the requirement that all political parties must have a branch in the constituencies where they field MP candidates, while the candidate must also win the primary vote from party members.”

Since the new organic act has not yet been officially announced, the source said dissolution of Parliament at this point would mean the upcoming election will be held as per the organic act currently in effect. “Judging from current data of political parties, it is nearly impossible for all of them to establish required branches and organise primary votes in time for the election. The result will be messy,” it said.

“Some people are speculating that the EC could issue a temporary regulation or emergency decree for the national election, before the new organic act comes into effect. This move, however, is too risky as the country’s future is at stake,” said the source. “The best solution right now is to wait until the new organic act is officially announced.”

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019475

General Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday made his first appearance at a public event in his capacity as defence minister since he was suspended from the prime minister’s duties.

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday suspended him from carrying out his duties as prime minister pending a ruling on his tenure in office.

Prayut presided over the opening ceremony of the Defence and Security 2022 exhibition at the Impact Challenger Hall in Muang Thong Thani.

He was accompanied by Deputy Defence Minister Chaicharn Changmongkol, General Warakiat Rattananont, the permanent secretary at the Defence Ministry, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai and Police assistant commissioner-general Pol Lt-General Surachate Hakpal. There was tight security at the event.

The event was also attended by Thai and foreign senior military officers and defence envoys.

Prayut declined to talk to reporters who tried to ask him how he was doing since his suspension as PM by the Constitutional Court.

On Wednesday, the court voted unanimously to accept the opposition’s petition for deliberation on whether the PM’s maximum eight-year tenure, as stipulated by the Constitution, should be deemed to have ended on August 24. The court also voted 5:4 to suspend him from PM’s duties.

In his opening speech, Prayut thanked foreign ambassadors, envoys, chiefs of foreign armed forces, and defence industry operators for joining the defence technologies’ exhibition.

Prayut said the Defence and Security exhibition was among crucial defence technology fairs in Asia where armaments and defence technologies were on show.

Prayut said he would like to thank defence ministers, ambassadors and chiefs of armed forces of allied nations for taking part in the event. He also thanked weapons makers from abroad for joining the show.

Published : August 29, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/politics/40019452

General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s legal team will cite two sections of the 2017 Constitution to support their argument that he has not reached his eight-year term limit as prime minister.

AGovernment House source said the defence team would cite sections 158 and 159 to counter the opposition’s claim that Prayut’s legal term came to an end on Tuesday (August 23).

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday voted unanimously to accept the opposition’s petition to rule on when Prayut’s term as PM started. The court also voted 5:4 to suspend him from prime ministerial duties until it delivers the ruling.

The petition said General Prayut’s tenure should be counted from August 24, 2014 when he became the prime minister after the coup he led in May that year.

The court is expected to issue its ruling before the end of next month.

According to the source, the defence team will send a written statement to the court arguing that a prime minister must be appointed by the House of Representatives as stipulated in sections 158 and 159. Section 158 requires that the PM be appointed by MPs while Section 159 requires MPs to select the prime minister from a list of candidates submitted by political parties when they register for a general election.

However, the opposition petition cites Section 264, a provisional clause stating that Cabinet ministers in power before the charter’s enactment in 2017 were legal under the charter. As a result, Prayut’s term should be counted from August 24, 2014, it said.

The defence team will counter that Section 264 only describes qualifications for Cabinet members. It will argue that sections 158 and 159 are not subordinate to Section 264, so their stipulation that a prime minister can only be appointed by the House of Representatives must be strictly enforced.

The defence team will state that Prayut’s term should end in 2027 because he was appointed as prime minister by the House under the 2017 Constitution in June 2019.

Published : August 28, 2022

By : THE NATION