New Thai PM General Prayuth Chan-ocha names military-heavy cabinet
Thailand's new prime minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha arrives at the old Parliament building in Bangkok last month.Thailand's military leader and Prime Minister General Prayuth
Chan-ocha has unveiled a new interim cabinet in which key ministries
will be run by senior military figures.
Twelve members of the
32-strong cabinet are active or retired officers of the security forces,
including one police general, occupying many of the most powerful roles
in the new administration.
Most of the rest of the cabinet are former senior civil servants.
Military figures will
hold responsibility for the defense, commerce, transport and interior
ministries, while civilians will take the economics and finance
portfolios.
Prayuth was selected by Thailand's National Legislative Assembly to lead the government in a vote last month. He was the sole candidate for the post.
Members of the assembly had been hand-picked by Prayuth. More than half are also in the military.
Prayuth seized control of
the country on May 22, 2014 after months of unrest destabilized the
elected government, led by former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
Close associates
Prayuth has named General
Prawit Wongsuwan, a former defense minister and former head of the
army, as defense minister, and one of his five deputy prime ministers.
Retired general -- and Prayuth's predecessor as military chief -- Anupong Paochinda has been named Interior Minister.
Both are powerful military figures with close ties to Prayuth, and who played a role in the 2006 Thai coup.
General Udomdej
Sitabutr, Prayuth's current deputy as army chief, has been named by
Prayuth to lead the army when he steps down from his army position at
the end of the month. Sitabutr will serve as deputy defense minister and
is also a member of the cabinet.
Air Chief Marshal Prajin
Juntong, the head of Thailand's air force who has overseen the new
regime's economic direction, will become transport minister.
The new cabinet will be required to take an oath before King Bhumibol Adulyadej before it officially begins its duties.
The administration is
intended as an interim cabinet to allow the new leadership time to
implement political reforms before elections are held.
Critics accused Yingluck
of acting as a mouthpiece for her brother, former Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed in the last coup in 2006 and is now
living in exile.
After taking power,
military authorities summoned leading political officials and other
prominent figures. It imposed travel bans and delivered the firm message
that dissent would not be tolerated.
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