It's not common these days to hear People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban, now a monk by the name of Phra Suthep Prapakaro, offer political comments.
Phra Suthep, who is based at Wat Suan Moke in Surat Thani, spends most of his time practising dhamma in the secluded temple, visited by many PDRC supporters since he was ordained as a monk three months ago.
Phra Suthep: Words of advice
Until very recently, it had remained anyone’s guess as to how long he intended to remain in the monkhood. A question on many visitors’ lips was whether the study of Buddhism and the attraction of the simple life as a cleric would keep Phra Suthep in the temple for the long haul.
Phra Suthep has made it clear to his disciples and PDRC supporters that he has not set a date for leaving the monkhood. He said the PDRC protests had gone on for more than six months last year. The street protests against the Yingluck Shinawatra administration stretched on for exactly 204 days before protesters dispersed when the coup was staged on May 22.
Phra Suthep emphasised that the protests had not been for nothing. If the gatherings he led lasted for 204 days with him literally living on the streets among the demonstrators throughout, then it is not beyond reason to expect him to live as a monk for longer than that.
His supporters have been playing a guessing game and they entertain the possibility of Phra Suthep remaining in saffron robes for six months — or even longer.
Many PDRC supporters and politicians from the Democrat Party, including leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, have popped by to see the monk at the temple and made merit at the same time.
Phra Suthep, the principle magnet of the PDRC protest, engages in lengthy conversations with his visitors. The monk’s inner circle discuss various issues with Phra Suthep — and some are not far from the field of politics.
On the subject of the recently-formed Prayut Chan-o-cha government, Phra Suthep appealed for patience from the general public, indicating that the administration deserved a honeymoon period where it must be allowed to find its feet.
The government needs time and an opportunity to work. "It is a government which came along at the right time," he was heard confiding to close relatives at the temple.
He added the government is here to sort out the myriad of national problems which have persisted for a long time.
However, Phra Suthep has warned Gen Prayut not to throw caution to the wind.
He said Gen Prayut should be wary of what he says as sometimes silence is golden. It might be more productive on some occasions to speak less and act more to show the people the government means business when it comes to beating the odds and getting problems out of the way.
Phra Suthep also has advice for Mr Abhisit: Don't be too critical of the military. Give them time to work.
None-too-wise military decree
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) might have played into the hands of anti-coup activists when it recently pulled the plug on three academic gatherings.
Sugree Charoensuk: Boxing clever
On Sept 18, a team of soldiers and police stormed a forum at the Rangsit campus of Thammasat University while Nidhi Eoseewong was giving participants a lecture on "The Decline of Dictatorships in Foreign Countries", organised by a student group called the League of Liberal Thammasat for Democracy. A number of people including Mr Nidhi were briefly detained.
A few days later, some 60 scholars from various universities signed a petition slamming the NCPO for undermining academic freedom. They also refused to seek permission from the NCPO to avoid similar disruptions.
Following the Rangsit raid, Chiang Mai University agreed to postpone indefinitely a planned academic discussion, “Happiness and Reconciliation Under the 2014 Interim Constitution”, on Thursday after the military expressed concern that the forum could touch on politics and spoil the atmosphere of reconciliation and unity.
Coming hot on its heels, the law research and development centre at Chiang Mai University’s faculty of law was also asked to scrap a seminar titled “Have You Put a Metal Box on Your Head Today?”.
Somchai Preechasilpakul, a law lecturer at the university and the head of the centre, explained the seminar was intended to stress the importance of freedom of expression not only for academics, but among the general public too. Mr Somchai did not succeed; likewise the two seminars failed.
The “metal box forum” was inspired by Sugree Charoensuk, dean of Mahidol’s College of Music, who demanded university rector Rajata Rajatanavin be sacked for accepting the post of public health minister.
In his protest against Dr Rajata, Mr Sugree wore a metal box on his head as he walked to the president’s office for a meeting of university deans. In Thai culture, wearing a tin bucket on your head relates to the saying ao peep klum hua, which refers to a person who must hide their face because they have done something shameful.
The protest spread to Thammasat University when Viroj Alee, a political scientist, wore similar headgear as he demanded that university rector Somkid Lertpaitoon choose one job — between being rector or a member of the National Legislative Assembly.
In its defence, the NCPO had spokesman Winthai Suwaree explain that the ban was to avoid any political activities being held that could reignite political conflict. Academic seminars are not taboo, but political activities are, he insisted.
According to political observers, the NCPO’s blatant acts of banning meetings may have put a stop to academic forums, but a can of worms might well have been opened.
There is a chance of anti-coup activists playing cat and mouse with the military council — by holding seminars at various campuses and waiting for the NCPO to intervene so they can claim the political climate is unfavourable to academic development. This can easily catch on with critics of the coup.
If this proves the case, the NCPO will lose in the long run, some observers say. And if the military decides to take action such as arresting people who violate its order, it will end up looking like the bad guy.
Job for one of the boys
As the new government moves in, state officials affiliated to the old power clique are shifting out.
Somchai: Influence waning
It is true many ministries were previously dominated by people close to the Shinawatra family and the Pheu Thai Party.
But there is a changing of the guard taking place and it is having a direct impact on the functions and management of the ministries, particularly the Justice Ministry.
Justice used to be rated a B-grade ministry with few political post holders showing any interest in its affairs. However, when the defunct Thai Rak Thai Party took over national administration, it was elevated to A-list status as several important departments were placed under its wing.
The addition of the departments brought with it a substantial increase in national budget allocation, which attracted politicians with endless appetites to start projects of all shapes and sizes.
Somchai Wongsawat, the husband of Thaksin’s younger sister, Yaowapa, was once justice permanent secretary and his influence at the ministry rose considerably when he became prime minister for a brief period in 2008.
He had many close aides and officials on his side at the ministry. At times, he was a figure to be reckoned with.
His strong hold over the ministry remained even after he ceased being prime minister and permanent secretary.
But all that changed after the May 22 coup engineered by the National Council for Peace and Order.
The military now runs the show and many top brass, both incumbent and retired, have been included in the cabinet line-up. One of them is former defence minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, the "big brother" of the Burapha Payak elite military clique, which counts Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha as a revered member.
A military source said a number of people have contacted Gen Prawit, who has now returned as defence minister, amid intense speculation of "bid fixing" where certain persons may have been marked for some key posts, such as justice permanent secretary and chief of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).
The source said the dust surrounding the reshuffle of Justice Ministry officials has yet to settle. Seniority and capability were ideal criteria for promotions although a person who might make the cut for a top post at an agency may not necessarily possess both.
All eyes are fixed on who will be named the new justice permanent secretary.
Some current deputy permanent secretaries may hold seniority but they may fall short on achievements. A few are also believed to be staunchly allied to Mr Somchai.
The name of a potential justice permanent secretary has cropped up in reports in some newspapers in the past week. The reports identified Pol Gen Chatchawal Suksomjit, the DSI director-general, as a promising candidate for the top job.
The permanent secretary for justice needs specific qualifications, such as a profound knowledge of the law and a strong determination to succeed in his or her work.
The permanent secretary also has to be well-rounded in issues of national security with the military now at the country’s helm.