Controversial political heavyweight Thammanat Prompao, the acting agriculture minister, will be dropped from the new Cabinet being formed by newly-appointed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
“They (Pheu Thai) don’t want him,” said Gen Prawit Wongsuwan, leader of Palang Pracharath Party, in an interview with Channel 3.
Prawit confirmed that Palang Pracharath will continue to be in the Pheu Thai-led coalition, dismissing earlier reports that it would be kicked out because of his conflicts with Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto leader of Pheu Thai.
Informed sources said the decision to exclude Thammanat was made after Prawit and Thaksin patched up their differences in a phone call.
There were earlier reports that Prawit’s younger brother Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan, would be dropped from the new cabinet line-up. Patcharawat is acting minister of natural resources and environment.
Thammanat, 59, was jailed for four years in 1994 for his role in a heroin smuggling case in Australia. Opposition politicians in 2021 tried unsuccessfully to have the Constitutional Court declare the minister unfit for office.
The court said it did not recognize Thammanat's conviction because the verdict was delivered in a foreign country.
Thammanat has consistently denied any involvement in the drug smuggling case. He claimed that he was caught with flour, not heroin.
The decision to drop Thammanat was reported to have been prompted by fears that he could pose a legal trouble for Prime Minister Paetongtarn.
Last week, the Constitutional Court ordered Srettha Thavisin dismissed as prime minister after founding him guilty of a serious breach of professional ethics by appointing Phichit Chuenban, who served as lawyer of the Shinawatra family, a Cabinet member in April this year.
Phichit was jailed for six months back in 2008 for contempt of court in connection with a bribery attempt.
Palang Pracharath was one of the political parties that Paetongtarn vowed during the election campaign last year not to work with because of their association with those behind the military coup in 2014.
As prime minister, she is likely to continue to be questioned for going back on her words.
Prawit, who didn’t attend the special House meeting last Friday to vote on the nomination of Paetongtarn for prime minister, reportedly sent a bouquet of flowers to congratulate her today.
Prawit’s absence from the voting reportedly caused resentment among some Pheu Thai party heavyweights, prompting rumours that the Wongsuwan clan would be excluded from the new cabinet.
Palang Pracharath will submit its list of proposed cabinet members to Prime Minister Paetongtarn tomorrow.
It will include Patcharawat as deputy prime minister and natural resources and environment minister, Santi Promphat as agriculture minister, replacing Thammanat, Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn as deputy agriculture minister and Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, as deputy public health minister.
