Next military shuffle "a litmus test": ACM Sumet
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The next military reshuffle will be a litmus test for the ties between the top brass and the government, Air Chief Marshal Sumet Photimanee said on Wednesday.
“I believe the Defence Ministry Administration Act will have to be amended, paving way for political supervision of military appointments,” Sumet said.
Sumet, Airports of Thailand board chairman and a close ally of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was commenting on the new Cabinet line-up under which Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat is poised to become the defence minister.
Sukumpol is also a Thaksin ally from among the Pre-Cadet Class 10 graduates.
Sumet said Sukumpol will try to work with the top military leaders, particularly Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, before deciding whether any changes in the military line-up would be deemed necessary.
“There is no problem if the defence minister and top military leaders can cooperate, work and consult one another to reach a solution without any conflict,” he said.
Many of Thaksin's military allies and those in the Pheu Thai Party see outgoing Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha, who is tipped to become deputy prime minister, as a “soft” leader for allowing the top brass to gain an upper hand over the government.
