Cabinet fails to deliberate on new BOT governor’s appointment
Pichai fails to raise the issue of the new Bank of Thailand governor during the weekly Cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet did not deliberate on the appointment of the new Bank of Thailand (BOT) governor during its weekly meeting on Tuesday, despite Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira's earlier statement that it would.
On Monday and Tuesday morning, Pichai, also the deputy prime minister, informed reporters that he would ask the Cabinet to approve his choice for the new BOT governor during the meeting.
Pichai declined to reveal his selection to replace Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput, whose term ends on September 30.
However, after the Cabinet meeting concluded before noon, the subject of the new BOT governor was not included on the meeting agenda at all.
Earlier in the morning, Cabinet Secretary-General Natjaree Anuntasilpa explained that she had not yet seen any documents from the Finance Ministry regarding the nomination of the new BOT governor and, therefore, could not include it on the agenda.
She added that if necessary, the finance minister could ask the Cabinet to consider the issue as an urgent agenda item, provided that all related documents were complete and the nominee met the required qualifications.
A selection panel had previously shortlisted two candidates from an initial pool of six for Pichai to make his final decision:
- Vitai Ratanakorn, President and CEO of the Government Savings Bank (GSB)
- Dr. Roong Mallikamas, Deputy Governor, Bank of Thailand.
Observers widely expect Pichai to select Vitai, citing his record during his tenure at GSB.
