After about six months in the office, the cabinet was given a major shakeup. In the far South civilians continue to be murdered, but for elephants in the wild there appears to be some good news, after two were found slaughtered in Khaeng Krachan national park.
The biggest news of the week was undoubtedly the cabinet reshuffle which saw 10 ministers of the Pheu Thai Party axed, 10 new faces brought in and six incumbents swapped positions.
The 10 newcomers are Energy Minister Arak Chonlatanon, Education Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvech, Industry Minister MR Pongsvas Svasti, Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan, PM’s Office Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan, PM’s Office Minister Nalinee Taveesin, Deputy Agriculture Minister Natthawut Saikua, Deputy Education Minister Sakda Kongpetch, Deputy Finance Minister Tanusak Lek-uthai and Deputy Transport Minister Chadchart Sittiphan.
Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra
Both Mr Arak and Mr Niwattharong are former top executives of Shin Corp which was owned by ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra before it was sold to Singapore’s Temasek under very controversial circumstances.
The 10 ministers who lost their jobs are deputy prime minister Kowit Wattana, energy minister Pichai Naripthaphan, finance minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala, industry minister Wannarat Channukul, deputy agriculture minister Pornsak Charoenprasert, deputy education ministers Boonruen Srithares and Surapong Ung-ampornwilai, deputy public health minister Torpong Chaiyasarn, deputy transport minister Kittisak Hatthasonkroh and PM’s office minister Krissana Seehalak
Six who swapped positions are transport minister ACM Sukhumpol Suwannathat, who is now defence minister; defence minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa, who becomes deputy prime minister; education minister Worawat Ua-apinyakul, now a PM’s office minister; deputy finance minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, who becomes commerce minister; PM’s office minister Surawit Khonsomboon who is now deputy public heath minister; while deputy prime minister and commerce minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong is reborn as deputy prime minister and finance minister.
The new cabinet lineup was endorsed by His Majesty the King on Wednesday.
Prime Minister’s Office Minister Nalinee Taveesin
A controversial figure in the new cabinet lineup appears to be PM’s Office Minister Nalinee Taveesin, a former Thai trade representive and now a list MP of the Pheu Thai Party. She was blacklisted by the US government for alleged business dealings with the family of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
She however explained the report of her blacklisting as a misunderstanding, and Noppadon Pattama, Thaksin’s private lawyer and former foreign minister, insisted that a US blacklisting was not an issue in deciding cabinet appointments.
As for red-shirt co-leader Natthawut Saikua, his appointment to as deputy agriculture minster - his first in the cabinet - was viewed as a payback favour for his active role in the red-shirt protest against the Democrat-led government in 2010.
As for the 10 axed ministers, their under-performance or total failure to produce results was believed to be the reason for their dismissal. Some commentators were, however, surprised by the removal of energy minister Pichai Naripthaphan, who was very close to Thaksin and who appeared to have some achievements, including his daring decision to increase the prices of LPG and CNG, which led to the protests by truckers and taxi-drivers that forced the government to back down on substantial price increases.
On the security side, the hunt for more terrorist suspects linked to the Hezbollah movement continued after the recent arrest of Lebanese terrorist suspect Hussein Artris.
Pol Gen Pansiri Prapawat, a deputy police chief in charge of the investigation, said that Artris had entered Thailand 11 times in the past two years. Atris was initially charged with possessing a banned bomb-making material, ammonium nitrate, along with a large cache of urea based fertiliser that, while not illegal, is also a common component in making explosives. He had implicated three other Hezbollah members whose whereabouts were not known.
The last time the three suspects were seen was about six months ago, said the deputy police chief, adding that it was not known whether they were still in Thailand.
Meanwhile, representatives of tourism businesses visited tourists in the Khao San area of Bangkok in attempts to ally fears of a terrorist threat after the US embassy in Bangkok issued a travel warning to its citzens, and was quickly followed by at least 15 other foreign embassies.
The tourism operators also planned to put pressure on the US embassy to lift the advisory complaining that it could impacted on their business. The plan may include bombarding the embassy’s website with emails to shut it down.
Officials come to inspect the site where a decaying wild elephant was found in the forest of Kaeng Krachan district.
The killing of two wild elephants in Kaeng Krachan national park in Phetchaburi last month drew the attention of Their Majesties the King and Queen. National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Department chief Damrong Pidech said this week that he would soon call a meeting of all national park chiefs to discuss measures to protect wild elephants in national parks, in accordance with Their Majesties’ advice.
Also, he said that all the people who live in Kaeng Krachan national park would be properly registered and identified to ensure that they do not get involved in poaching.
The Kaeng Krachan park chief has been moved to an inactive post in the department for alleged involvement in the slaughter of the two wild elephants and in the burning of their carcasses. Three other park officials were also implicated in the illegal killing and susbequent removal of sexual organs and tusks.
In the restive far South, there were at least two shootings which claimed four lives.
On Tuesday morning, in Saiburi district of Pattani, a father and his 14-year old son were shot dead as they were waiting for a school bus by gunmen believed to be insurgents.
The victims were identified as 51-year old Sathaporn Kongput, a policeman, and his son, Patcharapol.
The assailants, riding on the back of a pickup truck, opened fire with an M16 assault rifle and a handgun. They also took away the dead policeman’s pistol and motorcycle.
In the second shooting, about 2am on Wednesday in Yaring district of Pattani, a Muslim father and his daughter were shot dead in their home by unknown assailants. The victims were identified as 60-year old Mama Luemae and 27-year old Rohaning.
Witnesses told police that a man visited Rohaning and chatted with her for a while and then shot her dead, and when her father rushed in to investigate he was also killed.