Jatuporn says Phuket transfers reflect need for tougher action on entrenched local interests

Jatuporn Prompan said the transfer of Phuket's governor and two deputy governors was a political-administration decision driven by a failure to work together to solve local problems.

Speaking on the program Prathet Thai Tong Ma Korn on June 17, Jatuporn said the reshuffle of Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthavorn and two deputy governors should not be seen as diminishing the dignity of senior civil servants at levels 9 and 10.

He said Phuket carries enormous benefits tied to land and tourism, making it a difficult province for senior officials. According to Jatuporn, anyone appointed governor in Phuket faces pressure from influential groups, including Thai and foreign mafia-linked capital interests connected to land issues.

He said officials transferred to Phuket often encounter challenges involving land disputes and local power brokers, and warned that those who are not mentally strong can be compromised. He described the province as full of competing interests and said many officials had already been led astray there.

Jatuporn said the transfer of the two deputy governors to Songkhla and Nakhon Si Thammarat, both larger provinces, would not harm their standing. He also said the governor's move to the post of deputy permanent secretary at the Interior Ministry was not damaging and did not reduce his status.

He argued that governance problems, in Phuket and elsewhere, cannot be solved by officials who are either too self-righteous or entirely lacking in virtue, saying cooperation for the benefit of local people is essential.

Jatuporn added that the Interior Ministry already understood Phuket's problems and that incoming officials would have to manage the province in line with government policy. He said a compromise approach would not work, warning that unresolved issues in Phuket also involve security, national resources and other major interests.