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 Phatthaman was ordered by the Constitutional Court to suspend his duties as Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Phatthaman Wichaicharin, has taken over the role of 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 address the King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
In less than an hour, Thailand experienced two changes in its Prime Minister.
This means that from Phatthaman being suspended from his duties as Prime Minister, to Soraya Chunlongkorn taking over the role, and then to Phatthaman Wichaicharin again, it’s like a whirlwind! This pace is much faster than what South Korea experienced during the transition period when Yoon Suk-yeol was temporarily replaced by a new President.
Theoretically speaking, Phatthaman currently hasn’t completely lost his power within the Thai cabinet.
However, how she got this cultural minister position is quite intriguing! Before she was suspended from her duties as Prime Minister, she nominated herself for the position. After Yamnoj Wancharoeng held the swearing-in ceremony, Phatthaman officially became the Thai Cultural Minister. Since she still retained the title of Prime Minister, she is referred to as “Prime Minister.” Some comments suggest that this temporary appointment allowed Phatthaman to participate in the ministerial meetings while awaiting trial for alleged misconduct.
Hai Seu couldn’t help but say that Phatthaman and the political forces she relies on are indeed very clever! They managed to come up with such a strategy to keep Phatthaman temporarily in the cabinet!
But it’s also important to recognize that the Thai government, including the Thaksin family, remains a powerful force in Thailand’s political landscape.
However, this time around, the Thai Constitutional Court’s judges were not very lenient with Thaksin, forcing him to temporarily remove his hat as Prime Minister.
During the same ceremony where Thaksin was sworn in as the Minister of Culture, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Prawit Wongchaiyork who is also the acting Prime Minister, took office. His term as acting Prime Minister was explicitly stated to be “during the period when Thaksin is suspended from fulfilling his duties as Prime Minister.”
“Can Thaksin Return?”
As mentioned by Mr. Hai Seu in his report, after Thaksin’s suspension, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Somrit Rattanachai became the acting Prime Minister. However, due to Thaksin’s suspension from fulfilling his duties as Prime Minister, he had to gain the understanding of the Constitutional Court and the entire Thai society, and also deal with opposition, making a comeback quite challenging!
It’s worth mentioning that this cabinet reshuffle in Thailand has reasons beyond Thaksin’s temporary suspension. The largest party in the ruling coalition, the Grand Champion Party (Phuket), 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 Grand Champion Party cabinet have also resigned.
However, from now on, the acting Prime Minister suddenly changes from Somrit Rattanachai to Prawthip Wongchaiyork. It seems like the Thaksin family is starting to make their move! The direct reason for Thaksin being suspended from his duties as Prime Minister was his use of a private phone call to Hun Sen, the former Prime Minister of Cambodia and current Speaker of the Cambodian Senate. Hun Sen, who once served as the Prime Minister of Cambodia and is now a close friend with Thaksin’s father, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, has severely dealt a blow to Thaksin this time.
In the phone call, Thaksin referred to Hun Sen as “Uncle,” but Hun Sen directly recorded the conversation and posted it online, deeply estranged between them.
In the future, there will be no more feelings of uncle and niece.
As for him and Hong Sein, can they still be brothers?
The appointment of Phatthaman Wichaiyakul as acting Prime Minister is a clear indication. During his normal tenure as Prime Minister of Thailand, Phatthaman’s position was Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Transportation. Indeed, from the early 2000s when he followed him to power with Thai Ekaya Party, to his temporary departure from politics when he collaborated with the People Power Party, which shares a fundamentally close relationship with him, to his involvement in supporting Phatthaman as the Prime Minister of Thai Party, Suthiraj Wongsuwan can be considered a key figure within the Chiang family.
On this day, Phatthaman expressed acceptance of the decision made by the Constitutional Court of Thailand at the Prime Minister’s Office, standing next to him was Phatthaman.
However, compared to Phatthaman, there are some differences.
After all, Phatthaman had previously served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense in Phatthaman’s cabinet. The reason why Phatthaman was set up by Hung Seng was due to the border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia, where Thai forces killed a Cambodian soldier. In private phone calls, Phatthaman not only addressed Hung Seng as “Uncle”, but also criticized the commander of the Second Army of Thailand.
Now, with the former Minister of Defense Phatthaman taking on the role of Acting Prime Minister, he is also serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs. According to a spokesperson for the Thai government:
Phatthaman 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, then Phatthaman will take over as Acting Prime Minister.
Now, Phatthaman has become the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand. He will lead the cabinet members, including the Minister of Culture, Phatthaman, for another ten days. When the decision of the Constitutional Court on Phatthaman’s ruling comes out.
If the judgment against Phatthaman proves unfavorable, forcing her to resign as Prime Minister, then whether Phatthaman can ensure that the Chinnavana family continues to wield significant influence in Thailand’s political arena remains to be seen.
It seems that the conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has not yet concluded completely.
Currently, Phatthaman appears to be quite optimistic about the future situation. He believes that Phatthaman will overcome difficulties and win a victory in the constitutional court’s trial.
In the view of Haishu, the confidence of hisincentive camp should come from recent changes in Thailand’s political landscape.
Before the general election, the domestic political situation in Thailand was essentially between the centrist leftist coalition led by Thaksin Shinawatra and the right-wing conservative opposition, which opposed him. The centrist 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 coalition.
It is uncertain whether the political climate in Thailand will undergo a significant shift over the next ten days.