Government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd, who became a television celebrity during the political violence of 2010, has been appointed acting director-general of the Public Relations Department (PRD).
The temporary appointment, invoked by the National Council for Peace and Order's chief under Section 44 of the interim constitution, was announced in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday, and took effect on the same day.
It cited “the benefits in mobilising the public relations works of state agencies, of the NCPO and of the government, especially the administration of national public relations plans during the transition period for reform” as a reason for the appointment.
Maj Gen Sansern will start his new job on Oct 1, replacing current department director-general Apinan Jantarangsri who retires on Sept 30.
Sansern Kaewkamnerd, then colonel and spokesman for the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situations (CRES), shows off a tear gas launcher at a press briefing in 2010. (file photo)
Maj Gen Sansern, or Seh Kai Ou, was the key spokesman for the army during the clashes between troops and the red shirts during April and May street protests in 2010.
The 53-year-old army expert became a familiar face to every household when he served as the spokesman for the Centre of Restoration of Emergency Situations (CRES) set up in response to the rallies by the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) in Bangkok to oust the Abhisit Vejjajiva-led government.
Government supporters praised then Col Sansern for doing an impressive job during the intense online propaganda and psychological warfare of the time. He was also admired for his charisma and sense of humour.
Maj Gen Sansern was regarded as the most colourful political spokesperson at that time. Appearing on TV screens several times a day, during the day and late at night, when the nation was torn by the political deadlock, he became an unlikely teen heart-throb among government supporters while being hated by the UDD followers.
Supporters created a Facebook page to render him support, with many jokingly offering to buy him eye cream after he showed signs of sleep deprivation several times during his screen appearances. The Prachuap Khiri Khan native appeared on covers of several magazines at the height of his fame.
He faded from public attention after the 2010 unrest. However, in 2012 during the Yingluck Shinawatra government, he was promoted to deputy commander of the army's civil affairs school. The promotion was seen as a reward for his contribution towards the army's handling of the 2010 street violence.
Maj Gen Sansern was back in the media limelight as head of NCPO spokesman team after it toppled the caretaker civilian government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. He was promoted from colonel to major general early that year. The government and NCPO spokesman has been promoted to lieutenant general in this year’s military reshuffle list.
In the same appointment order, Gen Prayut transferred 65 government officials to inactive posts and suspend seven others from their positions without pay, pending investigations into their alleged abuse of power for personal gains.
The 72 officials were on the eight list of allegedly corrupt officials submitted to Gen Prayut. Almost all of the transferred and suspended officials were administrators and members of tambon administrative organisations in the northeastern province of Nong Khai. Two of them were police officers.