总感觉，泰国和柬埔寨此番从交火，到“叔侄反目”的大戏，还没有完全结束。目前看，普坦对未来局势较为乐观。他认为佩通坦能够渡过难关，在宪法法院的审判之中胜诉。
On the afternoon of the day, the Thai government convened a special cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office to announce:
During the period when Phatakhon was ordered by the Constitutional Court to suspend his duties as Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Phatakhon Wichaicharin, will act as Acting Prime Minister.
On the same day, Soraya Chunlongkorn, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, led the newly reorganized cabinet members to the Grand Palace in Bangkok to present to King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
In less than an hour, Thailand experienced two changes in its Prime Minister.
This means that from Phatakhon Wichaicharin being suspended from his duties as Prime Minister, to Soraya Chunlongkorn acting as Acting Prime Minister, and then to Phatakhon Wichaicharin again, it’s like a whirlwind! This pace is much faster than the pace of changing the acting President in South Korea during Yen Shin-gyo’s suspension period!
Theoretically speaking, Phatakhon Wichaicharin has not been completely deprived of his power in the Thai cabinet.
However, how she obtained this cultural minister position is quite intriguing! Before she was suspended from her duties as Prime Minister, she nominated herself for the position of Thai Cultural Minister. After Yamnool Khositiyanon presided over her oath-taking ceremony, Phatakhon Wichaicharin officially became the Thai Cultural Minister. Since she still held the title of Prime Minister, she was referred to as “the Prime Minister.” Some comments suggest that this temporary appointment of the Cultural Minister allowed Phatakhon Wichaicharin to participate in the Ministerial Meeting while awaiting trial for alleged improper conduct.
Seashu must say, Phatakhon Wichaicharin and the political forces she relies on in Thailand really know how to play their cards! They managed to keep Phatakhon Wichaicharin temporarily in the cabinet!
Despite the current situation, it is important to recognize that the Thai government remains influential. This is particularly true for the Chalermchai Pokphandian family, including his father Prayuth and his aunt Ekkachai Srirasmabhumi, who are part of the Chin Na Wa family.
However, this time around, the Thai Constitutional Court’s judges did not show them any favor, leading to Prayuth having to temporarily remove his hat as Prime Minister.
On the same day he was sworn in as the Minister of Culture, Prayuth’s deputy prime minister and Minister of Interior, Prawit Wongsuwan, also took on the role of acting Prime Minister. His term as acting Prime Minister was explicitly stated to be “during the period when Prayuth is temporarily suspended from his duties as Prime Minister.”
“Can Prayuth Return?”
As mentioned by Mr. Hai Siao in a previous report, after Prayuth’s suspension, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, Somrit Rattanakun, took over as the acting Prime Minister. However, due to Prayuth’s temporary suspension from his duties as Prime Minister, he had to gain the understanding of both the Constitutional Court and the entire Thai society, as well as deal with opposition, making a comeback quite challenging!
The recent cabinet reshuffle in Thailand has its roots in Prayuth’s temporary suspension from his duties as Prime Minister, but there are other reasons too. The largest party in the ruling coalition, the Jomroj Party, announced its withdrawal from the coalition, with its leader Anutin stepping down from his position as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. All members of the Jomroj Party cabinet have also resigned.
However, with the sudden replacement of Somrit Rattanakun by Prawit Wongsuwan as the acting Prime Minister, it seems the Chin Na Wa family is starting to make their move! It’s worth noting that Prayuth’s direct reason for being temporarily suspended from his duties as Prime Minister was his use of a private phone call to Hun Sen. Hun Sen, who once served as the Prime Minister of Cambodia and is now the Speaker of the Cambodian Senate, played a cruel game against Prayuth.
In the call, Prayuth referred to Hun Sen as “Uncle,” but Hun Sen directly recorded the call and posted it online, deeply estranged.
In the future, there will be no more uncle-niece relationships.
As for him and Hung Seng, can they still be brothers?
The appointment of Phatthaman Wichai as acting Prime Minister is a clear indication. During his normal tenure as Prime Minister of Thailand, Phatthaman Wichai held the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport. Indeed, from the early 2000s when he was with Thai Rak Thai Party to his temporary departure from politics, working with the People Power Party which shares similar sentiments with him, and then joining Thai Rak Thai to assist Phatthaman Wichai, Suthiraj Wongsuwan has been considered a key figure in the Chiang Manee family.
On the day, Phatthaman Wichai expressed acceptance of the decision made by the Constitutional Court of Thailand at the Prime Minister’s Office. Standing next to him was Phatthaman Wichai. However, compared to Phatthaman Wichai, there are some differences.
After all, Phatthaman Wichai had previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense in Phatthaman Wichai’s cabinet. The reason why Phatthaman Wichai was set up by Hung Seng was due to the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, where Thai troops killed a Cambodian soldier. In private phone calls, Phatthaman Wichai not only addressed Hung Seng as “Uncle”, but also criticized the commander of the Second Military Region of Thailand.
Now, with the former Minister of Defense Phatthaman Wichai taking on the role of Acting Prime Minister, he is also serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. According to a spokesperson for the Thai government:
Phatthaman Wichai Deputy Prime Minister has ample experience and qualifications to ensure the normal operation of the government in uncertain situations.
So, let’s see how he handles it!
Suthiraj Wongsuwan once stated that he would temporarily take on the role of Prime Minister until the new cabinet completes its oath ceremony, after which Phatthaman Wichai will assume the role of Acting Prime Minister.
Now, Phatthaman Wichai has become Thailand’s Acting Prime Minister. He will lead the cabinet members, including the Minister of Culture, Phatthaman Wichai, through another ten days of hardship. Once the decision by the Constitutional Court on Phatthaman Wichai’s ruling is released.
If the verdict against Pettong is unfavorable, forcing her to resign as Prime Minister, then whether Phatthaman can ensure that the Chinnava family remains influential in Thailand’s political arena and whether the Chinnava family can elect a new successor to the Prime Minister role remains to be seen.
It seems that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has not yet concluded completely.
Currently, Phatthaman appears to be optimistic about the future situation. He believes that Pettong will overcome difficulties and win in the constitutional court’s trial.
In the view of Haishu, the confidence of hisincentive should come from recent changes in Thai politics.
Before the general election, the domestic political situation in Thailand was essentially between the centrist leftist coalition led by him and the right-wing conservative opposition opposing him. The centrist leftist coalition generally won elections, securing a majority in the House of Representatives, while the pro-military conservatives leveraged their Senate advantage to counteract the centrist leftist coalition.
It remains to be seen if the political climate in Thailand will undergo a significant shift over the next ten days or so.