Army needs to promote its ‘good deeds’ more, says new premier
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has called on top military brass to do more to publicise the work troops do, so people can notice their “good deeds”.
One day after His Majesty the King endorsed the new Cabinet, Srettha and his newly-appointed Defence Minister Sutin Klungsang met top military brass at Bangkok’s Rosewood Hotel on Sunday for lunch.
Present at the luncheon were General Songwit Noonpakdee, the next chief of the Royal Thai Armed Forces; General Charoenchai Hinthao, the next Royal Thai Army chief; and Admiral Adung Phan-iam, the next Navy chief.
The soon-to-be Air Force chief Panpak Pattanakul was, however, absent as he was tending to duties outside Thailand.
The new premier told reporters Monday that the meeting had been held to learn about the challenges faced by military officers as well as to find ways of bridging the gap between the military and the public.
Srettha said the Army has accomplished a lot of good work, but because it is not well advertised, people do not know about it.
“[We need to] admit that the military has done many good deeds that have not been widely publicised,” he said.
When asked about the military leaders’ position on cancelling mandatory conscription, he said he would let them discuss this matter among themselves.
He also said he has not yet discussed the possibility of employing soldiers to assist him in his work, adding that the purpose of the Sunday meeting was primarily to hear about people’s problems.
After declaring his government’s policies in Parliament, Srettha is set to fly to New York to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 18. Accompanying him will be General Songwit.
