Minister Chatumongol 'has quit his party, not Cabinet'
Labour Minister MR Chatumongol Sonakul has quit the Action Coalition for Thailand Party but has not resigned as minister yet, party spokesman Khetrat Laothammathas said on Tuesday (June 16).
“The minister did not reveal the reason for resigning from the party,” he added. “Party executives insisted that there was no dispute or conflict within the party even during the Covid-19 crisis, and all members were doing their duties diligently.”
Khetrat added that the party will hold a meeting to elect a new board of directors on July 5. “We will also notify Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha of the change within the party, as the minister's place in the Cabinet is still under the party’s quota,” he said.
Chatumongol started his career in the civil service through the Finance Ministry, initially serving as director-general of the Tax Department. Later he rose to become the ministry's deputy permanent secretary from 1995-1997. Chatumongkol was appointed governor of the Bank of Thailand (BOT) in 1998 but he was dismissed in 2001 by the newly elected Thai Rak Thai-led government. When the Democrat Party formed the government in 2008, it appointed Chatumongkol as chairman of the board of the BOT. He joined the former People's Democratic Reform Committee leader Suthep Thaugsuban in forming the Action Coalition for Thailand Party in 2018 and had served as the leader since then.