Thailand says Phuket governor transfer aimed at fixing province's problems, denies vested interests
Thai officials said the transfer of Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn was meant to speed up efforts to solve longstanding provincial problems, while rejecting criticism that the reshuffle was tied to vested interests or was merely for show.
Thailand's Interior Ministry said the transfer of Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn was intended to help resolve persistent problems in the province, rejecting suggestions that the reshuffle was linked to personal interests.
Speaking at Government House, Interior Ministry permanent secretary Arsit Sampantharat said the cabinet had approved moving Nirat from Phuket governor to deputy permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, while appointing deputy permanent secretary Chotinrin Kerdsom as Phuket's new governor.
Arsit said the change was made because issues in Phuket had not been fully resolved and the ministry wanted local administration to move forward more smoothly. He said the incoming governor would help tackle problems in line with government policy, including efforts to suppress local influence networks and address other disorder in the province.
Deputy government spokeswoman Ploythalee Laksameechan also defended the reshuffle, saying the transfers of Phuket's governor and deputy governor were for the benefit of the service and aimed at speeding up solutions to problems in the province under the prime minister's instructions and government policy.
Responding to criticism from People's Party list MP Pakamon Nunanant, Ploythalee said the move was not a staged performance and was not connected to benefits or vested interests. She said Phuket had long faced accumulated problems and that a new official was needed in the province to bring a fresh perspective and achieve more concrete results more quickly.
Arsit likewise denied that the move was connected to benefits or vested interests. He said the key objective was to ensure the administration of Phuket could continue and that existing problems would be resolved as quickly as possible.
He also said the governor's transfer was not the same matter as the earlier transfer of Phuket's provincial clerk. Referring to recent tensions in the province, Arsit said some issues had become obstacles to effective administration and compared the situation to removing sand from a shoe before putting it back on.
According to Arsit, Nirat was a senior governor who understood the province's problems, but those problems had still not been fully addressed. He added that some deputy governors may not have been working well as a team, making it necessary to replace the team and bring in new officials to push solutions forward.
Arsit said a committee had already been set up to examine the situation and report to the Interior Ministry, though he said there was nothing new at present. He also said the ministry was waiting for a written clarification from Phuket deputy governor Theerapong Chuaychu, after Theerapong said at a meeting that he would submit one.
Even after officials are moved, the fact-finding process can continue, Arsit said. He said the ministry would review Theerapong's report and then consider the facts in order to determine how to proceed.
