Thai interior minister cites report that Phuket deputy governor claimed he could move governor

Thailand's interior minister said he had been told that a Phuket deputy governor claimed he could have the provincial governor transferred, thrusting a local administrative dispute into a wider controversy over influence and alleged corruption in the island province.

According to the source, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul referred to the matter during a Ministry of Interior policy meeting on Monday morning after Phuket Governor Nirat Pongsitthaworn reported the issue. Anutin said a deputy governor had allegedly said he would remove the Phuket governor, and challenged the claim by asking who was powerful enough to do so.

The report said Anutin referred to the deputy governor in question by a seafood-related nickname. Phuket Deputy Governor Teerapong Chuchuay then identified himself and said he would submit information on the matter to the interior minister in writing.

The article said two Phuket deputy governors have the nickname "Kung," or shrimp: Teerapong Chuchuay and Adul Chuthong. It also said there had been reports the two did not get along.

The dispute emerged amid broader scrutiny of Phuket over alleged bribery networks, influential local figures and conflicts within the provincial administration. The source said Phuket had recently faced renewed allegations shared by some pages online claiming there was a bribery collection network operating in the tourist province.

The report also cited Phuket People's Party MP Chalermpong Saengdee, who said on Sunday that despite Anutin's earlier visit to Phuket to follow up on problems and issue orders, there had been no clear progress. Chalermpong said figures accused of encroaching on Bang Tao beach were still active in the area and had filed lawsuits against local media and members of the public who commented on or disclosed information about the case.

Chalermpong also alleged that one accused figure had family ties through marriage to a current deputy governor in Phuket, while noting that this was information from the interviewee's side and that there had been no response from the person implicated.

The source linked the latest dispute to fallout from an earlier Phuket controversy involving provincial official Rungreung Thimabut, who was transferred from his post as Phuket deputy provincial governor's office permanent official to assist at the College of Local Administration after complaints related to alleged payments in Bangla and encroachment at Freedom Beach. It said Rungreung had challenged the transfer and that an alleged chat attributed to a senior official later surfaced.

The article further reported rumors that responsibilities inside Phuket's administration had been shifted from one deputy governor to another, causing resentment because of lost interests. It said there were also claims that competing officials portrayed themselves as having direct links to powerful figures in the "blue" political camp.

The source said that by the end of the dispute, both Teerapong Chuchuay and Adul Chuthong were reported to have been removed from their positions as Phuket deputy governors. The article did not provide further official documentation in the text provided.

Many of the claims in the dispute remain allegations or reported remarks from political figures and have not been independently verified in the source text.