Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has invoked Section 44 of the interim constitution to remove Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra from office and appoint his deputy Aswin Kwannmuang in his place.
Order 64/2016, issued by Gen Prayut in his capacity as chief of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), was published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday. The appointment is effective immediately.
Gen Prayut, using his power under Section 44 of the interim charter, removed MR Sukhubhand from his post. The deputy governors were also removed.
The NCPO chief appointed Pol Gen Aswin the new Bangkok governor until a gubernatorial election is held. Pol Gen Assawin was authorised to appoint up to four people to serve as his deputy governors.
Gen Prayut suspended MR Sukhumbhand from work without pay on Aug 25 amidst multiple allegations of misspending of funds.
The action following an investigation by the Office of the Attorney-General into the expenditure of 39.5 million baht on a light show erected at Lan Khon Muang in front of City Hall from Dec 31 last year to Jan 31 as a holiday-period tourist attraction.
Gen Prayut said later it was necessary to appoint a governor to run the city administration and manage the budget. This was not the time to find fault with anyone, he said in response to questions from reporters.
Pol Gen Aswin said he learned about his appointment about 9am on Tuesday, and Gen Prayut personally notified him over the phone around noon.
“Earlier, a senior figure mentioned it around Oct 11 or 12, but it was not clear to me at the time,’’ the new city governor said.
He said there would be four new deputy governors, Matichon Online reported. He would pick people who were acceptable to society to join his team.
He had an eye on Jakkrapan Piew-ngam, a deputy city clerk, as one of them. The list would be finalised and submitted to the government in 2-3 days, the governor said.