Any cabinet reshuffle will have to wait until after key debates in the House during the August session, a Pheu Thai Party source said yesterday.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra does not want a reshuffle before the House deliberations in case certain groups within the coalition government try to exploit the situation to secure cabinet portfolios, the source said.
The bills expected to be passed in August include the second and third readings of the 2014 budget bill, the charter amendment bill, the 2-trillion-baht borrowing bill and the amnesty bill, the source said.
The decision not to make any cabinet changes came despite ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra suggesting the government does so between this month and next, the source said.
Thaksin recently discussed with MPs his wish to see a cabinet reshuffle, as he believes the changes would help improve the current political situation in which the government is facing tough challenges from its opponents.
Thaksin also believes that the upsurge in activity by the anti-government movement is another good reason for staging a cabinet reshuffle, the source said.
He thinks that a reshuffle would help the government to deal both with the political situation and boost the resolve of its supporters, the source said.
The exact number of cabinet changes to be made has yet to be discussed but certain ministries have been identified as being subject to change, the source said.
These include the Interior, Commerce, Finance, and Natural Resources and Environment ministries.
Pheu Thai Party deputy spokesman Krumanit Sungpoom said that August would be a good time for a reshuffle.
He said August marks the government's two years in office.
A reshuffle will involve both sackings and transfers, Mr Krumanit said.
For example, Deputy Education Minister Sermsak Pongpanit would likely work better in the Interior Ministry, Mr Krumanit said.
Some more members of the House No.111 group will also be given cabinet positions, he said.