Surapong to oversee security and foreign affairs
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New deputy prime minister Surapong Towichukchaikul is expected to be given the job of overseeing security and foreign affairs, a Government House source said yesterday.
The source explained that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra needed to reassign jobs to three new deputies. Apart form Surapong, who is also foreign minister, the other two are Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana and Plodprasob Surassawadee.
Phongthep is likely to be given the job of overseeing education, social and legal affairs as part of his duties, while Plodprasob will be put in charge of water management.
Before the latest reshuffle, the previous deputy PM Yuthasak Sasiprapha oversaw security. The PM has allegedly asked Yuthasak to become her adviser on security affairs and he has accepted.
Yuthasak’s replacement will be expected to oversee both security and foreign affairs, as in the US.
Deputy prime ministers who have not been moved were likely to keep their previous duties. Kittiratt Na-Ranong would continue oversee economic affairs, while Chalerm Yoobamrung would stay in charge of the Royal Thai Police.
The source said Deputy Prime Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa, who leads the Tourism Industry, will also supervise the Agriculture Ministry.
Cabinet secretary-general Ampon Kitti-ampon said the prime minister had put the weekly Cabinet meeting on hold pending the swearing-in of the new ministers. Yingluck said yesterday that Cabinet would not meet today because the new ministers had yet to take their oath of allegiance to the King. She said they would pick up where their predecessors had left off in terms of projects. Those who had lost posts in Cabinet, would be asked to help in other positions, she said.
In response red-shirts’ anger that Jatuporn Promphan had been left out, the premier said the red-shirt leader could take care of his people. “He has worked hard for his people and follows an ideology, so I believe Jatuporn can continue with his mission to take care of his people no matter where he is.”
In a separate development, a souce, who asked not to be named, said Tossaporn Serirak, government spokesman The threetime MP was formerly an executive of the nowdefunct Thai Rak Thai Party.
