Phuket governor says he warned officials not to seek benefits from anyone amid transfer

Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthavorn said on June 16 that he had already warned officials not to do anything illegal or seek benefits from anyone, as he responded to a cabinet decision transferring him to the post of deputy permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry.

Speaking at Wing 6 military airport, Nirat said he had been informed of the transfer and would first speak with Anutin Charnvirakul, whom he identified as prime minister and interior minister in his remarks. He said he respected the prime minister’s decision and was not discouraged by the move.

Nirat denied having personal conflicts with anyone in Phuket, saying he had gone to the province to resolve disputes that predated his tenure. He said he had served as governor rather than as part of any faction, and that some people adjusted after listening to him while others did not. He said that when he could no longer control or manage the situation, the Interior Ministry would consider a transfer, and that he respected the decisions of both the ministry’s permanent secretary and the prime minister.

He said he had come to report the situation to the prime minister because there had been progress on several issues. According to Nirat, the problem involving what he described as foreign mafias had now calmed down and ended. However, he said he had not been able to resolve internal conflicts among local figures because those disputes were at ministry level.

Asked whether he felt discouraged, Nirat said he would continue working and do his best in his duties while maintaining what was right. If some matters could not be completed successfully, he said, he had to accept that.

On an investigation committee set up to examine the matter, Nirat said local opinion was that the probe should involve more than a single department because the issue was at deputy governor level and therefore a matter for the Interior Ministry. He said the ministry should send a committee led by a deputy permanent secretary so that all relevant departments and agencies could be called in for talks and checks under their authority.

Nirat said the province’s tensions should be separated into two issues: conflicts over perceived benefits in the area, and personal disputes. He said the issue of benefits was for current office-holders to solve, while personal conflict would disappear if the individuals said to be in conflict were transferred out.

Rejecting any suggestion that he had been subordinated by Phuket’s deputy governors, Nirat said he was a provincial governor and the country’s most senior official at that level, in his ninth year at C10 rank. He said he was not anyone’s junior, viewed others as juniors, and had a duty to help them do the right thing.

He said he had publicly warned in meetings and in public that no one should do anything outside the law, demand anything from anyone, or oppress others. He added that he had also issued warnings when confrontations and shows of force occurred. Asked whether such warnings might have triggered resentment, Nirat replied: “Of course.”