The government on Sunday brushed aside speculation that a new mobile cabinet meeting set to be held on July 23-24 in the northeastern provinces of Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen comes with a hidden political agenda.
PM's Office Minister Kobsak Pootrakool said the venue of the next mobile cabinet meeting had been moved from Chiang Rai and Phayao because the cabinet decided that it didn't want to add more work for the local civil servants taking part in the cave rescue operation in Chiang Rai.
He was responding to rumours that former MPs in Ubon Ratchathani are the new targets for the Phalang Pracharat, a new political party supporting Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's return as premier in elections expected early of next year.
Next week's mobile cabinet meetings will be in Ubon Ratchathani (red) and Amnat Charoen (orange) provinces.
Normally, each mobile cabinet meeting requires a full month of preparation, but the government only has two weeks for this one following its decision to avoid Chiang Rai, which was made at the time when the 12 boys and their coach were still trapped inside the Tham Luang cave in Mae Sai district of Chaing Rai, he said.
Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen emerged as the readiest alternative, said Mr Kobsak who supervises Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon, Amnat Charoen and Si Sa Ket. He suggested that Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen be picked as the venue for the new mobile cabinet meeting.
Pirom Polwiset, a former MP for Nakhon Ratchasima for the now-dissolved People Power Party, which has since been reincarnated as Pheu Thai, who is now with the Sam Mitr Group or "Three Allies", declined to comment on Pheu Thai Party's latest claim that the new mobile cabinet in Ubon Ratchathani was aimed at poaching seven former Pheu Thai MPs from Ubon Ratchathani into the group.
The group is viewed as the regime's recruiting arm, established to court former MPs, particularly from the Pheu Thai Party, to Phalang Pracharat in order to support Gen Prayut's potential return as premier.
Previously, Issara Somchai, deputy leader of the Democrat Party, who is a former MP for Ubon Ratchathani claimed Supol Fongngam, a former Pheu Thai MP for Ubon Ratchathani confirmed he is defecting to Phalang Pracharat.