Thai PM Sacks Two Deputy Ministers

By Linda Khoo Hui Li BANGKOK, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha sacked his Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Thammanat Prompao and Deputy Labour Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat. The move published in the Royal Gazette today and signed by Prayuth stated that the two deputy ministers ‘should vacate their posts for the good of the government’. When asked about the sacking of the two deputy ministers, Bangkok Post reported Prayuth said “he had his own reasons for the changes”. Thammanat, the secretary-general of Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), was involved in putting together the ruling coalition after an election in 2019 which saw Prayuth being elected as prime minister. Narumon is a former government spokeswoman for Prayut’s government. Rumors have been swirling that Thammant tried to broker an alliance with opposition in a move to oust Prayuth during last week’s censure debate. Prayuth survived a vote of no-confidence in Parliament on Saturday following the backing of the governing coalition. He received 264 votes in favour and 208 against him. Meanwhile, Thammanat who was appointed as deputy agriculture and cooperatives minister in 2019 said he signed the resignation letter on Wednesday and submitted to the prime minister today after realizing that he is not in the same path with Prayuth. The Member of Parliament of Phayao province said he was unhappy and uncomfortable with the politics and have been thinking about submitting his resignation for nights. “I hope to return to my province (Phayao) and work for the people,” he said at a press conference at Parliament Thursday. Thammanat was in spotlight after his appointment in 2019 when Australia’s The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age daily revealed he spent four years in a Sydney jail in the 1990s for his role in trafficking 3.2 kilograms of heroin into the country. The news report gained public attention and the opposition filed a complaint to Thailand’s Constitutional Court as he is ‘unfit’ for the post. However, the court in May this year ruled that Thammanat should keep his cabinet post as the conviction for drug trafficking was in Australia. Thammanat told the Thai media that had been caught with flour and not heroin. However, he admitted to having been convicted of an unspecified minor offence in Australia. -- BERNAMA