Trio appointed to Cabinet as PM prepares for next election
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has added three new members to his Cabinet, including former government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, according to an announcement in the Royal Gazette on Wednesday.
Thanakorn was appointed as a PM’s Office minister, while Sunthorn Parnsaengthong was appointed deputy agriculture minister and Narit Khamnurak was appointed deputy interior minister.
Filling the three vacant Cabinet seats was seen as a crucial move for the coalition parties to begin preparing for the next general election, which is scheduled tentatively for May 7.
As government spokesman, Thanakorn served as one of Prayut’s most loyal supporters and ardent defenders. He has degrees in mass communications, political science and public administration, the last of which is a doctorate from Western University.
Thanakorn won a party-list House seat under the ruling Palang Pracharth Party’s banner in August. He had been on the waiting list since the March 2019 election. He joined the ruling party in November 2018.
Narit will fill the seat left vacant by the Democrat Party’s deputy interior minister Niphon Bunyamanee since September when he resigned. Niphon resigned to defend himself against court charges of malfeasance from the time he was president of the Songkhla provincial administration organization.
Like Thanakorn, Narit has three degrees: a bachelor’s in agriculture, a master’s in social development and a doctorate in public administration. He received his doctorate from Southwestern University. Narit was elected as a Democrat MP for Phatthalung for the first time in 2001 and was re-elected in 2005, 2007 and 2011.
Sunthorn received his Cabinet seat under the quota allotted to the Samut Prakan group of MPs in the ruling coalition. Previously, he served as vice president of the Samut Prakan provincial administration organisation.
