Paiboon praises PM for distancing himself from military
Former junta-appointed reformer Paiboon Nititawan on Thursday praised PM General Prayut Chan-o-cha for coming out as a politician, a move he saw as alleviating hatred against military people in the political arena.
“Prayut’s remarks should open and clarify his position more as he is always targeted by politicians as a military representative,” Paiboon said.
Paiboon now heads the so-called People’s Reform Network, a group that observers expect will register as a political party prior to the next election. The network’s agenda is clearly to support Prayut to continue in the premier’s post after the next election, praising him as “a capable, honest administrator”.
Paiboon said that Prayut should clarify his future political path after June, when all four organic laws related to election should be in place.
While Prayut is unable to become an MP candidate as he did not resign from premiership by 90 days after the new charter’s promulgation, he could be nominated by political parties or by a majority vote of the combined Upper and Lower Houses as stipulated in the charter, he added. Members of the Senate will be appointed after the next election.