Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has threatened stern punishment of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials who remain complacent about their responsibility to put the capital in order.
In his weekly Returning Happiness to the Thai People programme on Friday evening, the prime minister showed little satisfaction with the performance of City Hall.
Since the military regime took power in May last year, soldiers and police under the direction of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) have joined City Hall officials to take back public areas that had been overrun by street vendors and worked to improve public transport.
But Gen Prayut said he had not seen any serious follow-up action from City Hall officials to maintain the new order. "[I even] heard that they told offenders that the NCPO had caused them difficulty," he said.
The prime minister demanded that the BMA conduct regular inspections of all areas to prevent offenders from returning, and warned that city officials would face action for failing to perform.
"The BMA should inspect all areas regularly. There will be action taken against officials who refuse to perform their duties," he said.
Gen Prayut even hinted at more severe punishments. "For instance, we might consider that if the responsible units cannot perform their duties in their area, then they might need to be disbanded while a special organisation is set up to oversee this matter," he warned.