People’s Party MP says Phuket governor transfers are no solution, urges crackdown on mafia-linked corruption

People’s Party list MP Pakamon Noon-anan said the transfer of Phuket’s governor and deputy governor after a leaked chat scandal does not solve the underlying problem and may amount to political theater rather than accountability.

Speaking on June 16 at the Future Forward building, Pakamon, who also chairs the House committee on political development, criticized the culture of transferring officials when problems emerge. She said moving the deputy governor to Nakhon Si Thammarat, described as his home province, should not be considered punishment.

Pakamon questioned whether the reshuffle was part of an internal power struggle and only meant to deceive the public. She said there was information that the official involved had been linked to benefit-taking since 2023, and asked why the interior minister had only recently learned of the matter.

She also referred to the earlier leaked Line chat controversy involving the phrase “help blue.” Pakamon said the committee had invited the director-general of the Department of Provincial Administration to explain the issue, but a deputy director-general attended instead and insisted that no disciplinary investigation committee had yet been set up, despite earlier reports.

According to Pakamon, that situation has hurt the morale of honest civil servants. She called on the Interior Ministry to clearly explain what offenses were committed, who was involved and who was behind them, instead of simply rotating officials from province to province.

She said the response should go beyond transfers and extend to rooting out what she described as mafia networks and benefit-sharing systems tied to Phuket.

Pakamon added that the political development committee would continue fact-finding this week into the “help blue” chat. She said the panel had invited the permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry, the interior minister and the Election Commission to give explanations, including over possible interference with state officials during an election.