Minister Sukampol Defends Move Of Senior Officials: Thailand

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Sukampol defends move of senior officials

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Defence Minister ACM Sukampol Suwannathat yesterday told the House that he had acted within his authority in seconding the Defence Ministry's permanent secretary and two other senior officials to inactive posts.

Answering a motion by Democrat MP Witthaya Kaewparadai, Sukampol said the three officials were seconded to the Defence Minister's Office because they leaked confidential information about ministerial job assignments before the ministry's vetting panel had made a final decision.

On Monday, Sukampol ordered the abrupt secondments of Defence permanent secretary Sathien Permthong-in, deputy permanent secretary Chatree Tatti and General Pinphat Siriwat, director of the Defence Secretariat.

In the motion, Witthaya asked Sukampol to cite the law he had invoked to make the moves. Witthaya also asked how many more military officers would be seconded to the Defence Minister's Office.

Sukampol replied that he was empowered by the Defence Minister Administration Act of 2008 to second senior military officials to his office. He insisted that the secondments of the three were not transfers and they remained in their positions.

Sukampol said he could not tell how many more officials would be seconded but that such moves would have to be well justified or else he would not be able to explain them to the public.

Witthaya further asked Sukampol whether he seconded Chatree to the inactive post because he was the most senior officer in line for being promoted to permanent secretary when Sathien retires. Witthaya asked whether Sukampol seconded Chatree so that he could promote assistant Army chief General Thanongsak Apirakyothin to the position of permanent secretary.

Sukampol replied that the secondments were not motivated by the reasons stated by Witthaya. The three were seconded to the inactive positions because they leaked the confidential information of the job assignments of the Defence Ministry, he said.

The defence minister told the House that it was not true as alleged by Sathien that he ordered the permanent secretary to nominate Thanongsak as his replacement. Sukampol said the decision to nominate Thanongsak was made by the job-assignments panel and he had only one vote in the panel.

Witthaya asked Sukampol whether he consulted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra before ordering the secondments. Sukampol replied that he did not consult the PM but informed |her after the secondments |were done. He denied that he seconded the three officials at the order of an influential woman.

"You can ask the armed forces' commanders as to whether I have done the right thing. The Defence Secretariat director also apologised to me and said I have done the right thing," Sukampol said.

Sukam-pol said he had forgiven Pinphat after the Defence Secre-tariat chief apologised. He said he had not heard from Sathien and Chatree yet. He also said he would attend the funeral of Chatree's son, who was killed in a road accident.

-- The Nation 2012-08-31

[GentlemanJim]

Like a worm trying to wriggle off the hook. It will all come out in the wash one day. Pi**ing off senior army commanders is not the best idea in many countries, especially when your reasons are born out of pure nepotism. To do it here is downright stupid.