United Thai Nation (UTN) leader Pirapan Salirathavibhaga is under fire for his party’s decision to stay with Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government despite the border dispute scandal engulfing the prime minister.
The decision has dismayed many UTN supporters, who expected the party to withdraw support for PM Paetongtarn after she was caught deferring to Cambodia’s Hun Sen while criticising a Thai military commander in a leaked phone call.
The phone conversation, released in mid-June via Hun Sen's social media account, records Paetongtarn demeaning Second Army Region commander Lt-General Boonsin Padklang while using a submissive tone with the Cambodian strongman and current Senate president.
Having dismissed her Army commander as “belonging to the opposite camp”, the Thai PM invites Hun Sen to “say what he wants, and we will arrange it for him”.
Paetongtarn, who also leads the ruling Pheu Thai Party, is facing mounting pressure to step down as fallout from the leaked call threatens her government with collapse.
However, she has opted to stay in power, rallying support from remaining coalition parties after the second largest partner, Bhumjaithai, withdrew from the government on June 18.
Pheu Thai can use the eight Cabinet seats left vacant by Bhumjaithai’s pullout as incentives to persuade reluctant coalition parties to stay.
United Thai Nation has replaced Bhumjaithai as the coalition’s second largest partner. However, UTN’s 36 MPs have split into two rival factions, exchanging attacks while negotiating for Cabinet posts.
Sharing ministerial seats
Party chief Pirapan has reportedly managed to retain UTN’s current quota of Cabinet seats, including his own post as energy minister. However, analysts reckon he will have to make concessions in return.
Pirapan was reportedly directed by his party’s executive board to demand that Paetongtarn resign and make way for a new prime minister.
However, the PM dismissed the reports as “incorrect”, insisting Pirapan had instead joined other coalition leaders in pledging to support her.
Pirapan and his coalition peers met with Paetongtarn last Sunday (June 22) for talks in Bangkok on the imminent government shake-up.
However, his cooperation with a prime minister branded “unpatriotic” infuriated supporters of the conservative party, whose strong performance in the 2023 general election was credited to its prime ministerial candidate, ex-PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Responding to the anger, Pirapan and his followers claimed that, as energy minister, he was simply seeking cheaper electricity and fuel for consumers, pushing for a bill to cut red tape and make it easier for homeowners to install rooftop solar panels.
Pirapan was “burning himself to bring light for others”, ignoring widespread criticism to focus on completing his mission, his supporters said.
From law to politics
Born in Bangkok on February 21, 1959, Pirapan studied law at Thammasat University before obtaining his licence to practice from the Thai Bar Association. He went on to earn a master’s in comparative law from Tulane University in the United States.
Pirapan returned home and launched his law career in 1986, working as an assistant judge under the Justice Ministry before becoming a full-fledged judge and serving in various provincial courts.
He switched to politics in 1992, contesting the general election as a Democrat Party candidate but failed to win a seat. However, he succeeded four years later, making his parliamentary debut as a Democrat MP for Bangkok. He was re-elected six more times, most recently with the UTN in May 2023.
Pirapan’s career as a Democrat MP peaked in December 2008 when he was appointed justice minister in the Abhisit Vejjajiva government, serving until August 2011.
In May 2019, he joined the race to become Democrat leader after Abhisit stepped down following the party’s dismal performance in the election two months earlier. However, Jurin Laksanavisit was elected leader thanks to support from Democrat heavyweights.
Pirapan quit the country’s oldest party in December 2019 after almost three decades as a member. He was appointed as adviser to then-PM Prayut just days later.
UTN selected Pirapan as its first leader in August 2022 after being set up to help Prayut return to power at the 2023 election. He was also appointed PM Prayut’s secretary-general in December of that year.
Pirapan was recently accused in a petition of breaching the Constitution’s rules for political officeholders by retaining shares in four companies.
Meanwhile, his wife’s reported failure to relinquish control of her family business – a legal requirement for government ministers and their spouses – may further complicate Pirapan’s situation.
