The ruling Palang Pracharat Party (PPRP) sacked its controversial secretary-general, Thammanat Prompao, and 21 other MPs loyal to him on Wednesday, further threatening the stability of the party formed just a year before the 2019 general elections and the formation of the subsequent government coalition.

 

The shocking decision came after a tense meeting of the party’s executive committee, held at the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation, following an ultimatum submitted by Thammanat and his group demanding a ministerial post, adding that they would resign en masse if the demand was not met. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, the party leader.

 

It is widely believed that the group wanted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment portfolio, a position currently held by Varawut Silpa-archa of the Chart Thai Pattana party.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/ruling-palang-pracharat-party-sacks-thammanat-prompao-21-other-dissident-mps/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-01-19

 

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Trough feeders are like piranhas it appears.  Need to just all dissappear.

Same rationale as for the four boys party. The new law gives more weight to consistuencies vs party list. So politicians benefiting from a strong local presence become more powerful and therefore also become more demanding.... that's the way the cookie crumbles....

Convicted drug smugglers in a position to demand Govt Ministerial Posts? I don't understand.

Thammanat and his group demanding a ministerial post, adding that they would resign en masse if the demand was not met. The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, the party leader.

Now who exactly is Judas in this latest game for throne? 

12 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Convicted drug smugglers in a position to demand Govt Ministerial Posts? I don't understand.

He seems to 'know where the bodies are buried', probably literally in his case!

5 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Trough feeders are like piranhas it appears.  Need to just all dissappear.

I wonder if ASF will have any effect on them?

The self-raising captain versus General Rolex.  Hmn ... choices, choices.

1 hour ago, edwinchester said:

Convicted drug smugglers in a position to demand Govt Ministerial Posts? I don't understand.

Quite.

 

A complete humiliation for all concerned.

 

He should have been sacked when the facts of his previous conviction were made known.

Obviously, reflects poorly on him but also on the government who were presented the opportunity to make a decision of integrity and turned the other way…

 

Pathetic all round and a national embarrassment. 

I will keen to watch the aftermath of this major fallout. 

1. With 21 MPs sacked, PPRP will not hold the majority. Will this lead to an early election?

2. The MPs will have 30 days to join another party or lose their seats. Who will they join? Unlikely they will register a new party. Perhaps BJT or join the with former PPRP ministers in new party. My guess is BJT. 

3. Thammanat is Prawit's prodigy. Will Prawit also resigned further splitting PPRP. 

 

Not that it matter to me personally in the political sense but Thailand really need to move forward with a better elected leader. Prayut is just the bad for Thailand. 

3 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Convicted drug smugglers in a position to demand Govt Ministerial Posts? I don't understand.

Sure but that conviction was almost 30 years ago and he served his sentence in Australia.  My guess would be, if he were to help remove the current regime, nobody on here would then really much care.

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The shocking decision

In my opinion, the only "shocking decision" has been to admit a convicted heroin dealer into the party in the first place, even making him secretary-general and giving him a deputy minister. 

In a 'normal' democracy if MPs want to quit their party they either become 'Independants' or prompt a by election. Are we going to see a mini general election prompted by 21 MPs resigning? Or why not have a full election?

3 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

Sure but that conviction was almost 30 years ago and he served his sentence in Australia.  My guess would be, if he were to help remove the current regime, nobody on here would then really much care.

Would you let a convicted peadophile (who did his time in jail)babysit your kids?

Not comparible? I think it is,leaders of a country should have high morals.

I know every where in the world there are very bad politicians but they should all have a clean

slate in order to serve the public.

1 hour ago, jvs said:

I think it is,leaders of a country should have high morals.

I know every where in the world there are very bad politicians but they should all have a clean

slate in order to serve the public.

Pie in the sky.

2 hours ago, chilly07 said:

In a 'normal' democracy if MPs want to quit their party they either become 'Independants' or prompt a by election. Are we going to see a mini general election prompted by 21 MPs resigning? Or why not have a full election?

Not what happened yesterday in the U.K. 

2 hours ago, jvs said:

Would you let a convicted peadophile (who did his time in jail)babysit your kids?

Not comparible? I think it is,leaders of a country should have high morals.

I know every where in the world there are very bad politicians but they should all have a clean

slate in order to serve the public.

Moot point:

 

Thai ruling thwarts opposition bid to disqualify minister over drugs link

 

May 5, 2021

 

BANGKOK, May 5 (Reuters) - Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled that a prominent politician should keep his cabinet post, thwarting opposition moves to disqualify him over news reports he was jailed in Australia for drug trafficking in the 1990s.

 

"Although Thammanat received judgement, it was from a court in New South Wales, Australia ... but not a judgement from a Thai court and so is not prohibited from holding office based on constitution," it said in its decision.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/thai-ruling-thwarts-opposition-bid-disqualify-minister-over-drugs-link-2021-05-05/

2 hours ago, Jimjim1 said:

Pie in the sky.

Not at all.

7 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

Sure but that conviction was almost 30 years ago and he served his sentence in Australia.  My guess would be, if he were to help remove the current regime, nobody on here would then really much care.

Yes and he has lied about every aspect of his arrest and subsequent conviction. Hardly a person deserving any respect or 'second chance'.

So what if he removed the current regime? His own or one of which he was in partnership with would be just as corrupt, self serving and contemptuous of the Thai population.

3 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

Yes and he has lied about every aspect of his arrest and subsequent conviction. Hardly a person deserving any respect or 'second chance'.

So what if he removed the current regime? His own or one of which he was in partnership with would be just as corrupt, self serving and contemptuous of the Thai population.

Great -- So i guess the Thai people will have to wait for someone sufficiently morally pure and also capable of unseating the current government.

Just now, jerrymahoney said:

Great -- So i guess the Thai people will have to wait for someone sufficiently morally pure and also capable of unseating the current government.

That will be a long time as the current mob have barred any halfway suitable candidates.

5 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

That will be a long time as the current mob have barred any halfway suitable candidates.

So maybe the Thai people will have to settle for someone not so morally pure. At least from the purely legal, the Thai Constitutional Court refused to bar him as a cabinet member.

1 hour ago, jerrymahoney said:

So maybe the Thai people will have to settle for someone not so morally pure. At least from the purely legal, the Thai Constitutional Court refused to bar him as a cabinet member.

Yeah, thoroughly depressing and yet another tragedy for the Thai people.

The sad truth isn they all need to go, every single Thai politician and political family.

I sometimes wonder if they all suddenly went and "normal" Thais could move into politics would it be a great new beginning? Or does the nature of Thai society need these ugly corrupt patriarchs? Are they typical or atypical of Thai culture?

27 minutes ago, Whale said:

The sad truth isn they all need to go, every single Thai politician and political family.

Sometimes we have to realise that this is the way it is here, and this is the country we've chosen to stay in.

 

It's never going to change unfortunately, as much as we wish it would. 

14 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Convicted drug smugglers in a position to demand Govt Ministerial Posts? I don't understand.

Neither does any other law respecting person, that's unless you live in Thailand, are in politics and have the right connections.......