GOVERNOR RESHUFFLE -- SOME REWARDS FOR TRT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 005964

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV TH TRT
SUBJECT: GOVERNOR RESHUFFLE -- SOME REWARDS FOR TRT
SUPPORTERS



1. (SBU) Summary: Earlier this month, the Cabinet of Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra approved changes for 47 of
Thailand,s 75 Governor positions, which is among the highest
number of Governor posting changes on record for a single
year. The reshuffle is an annual event. Though the Governors
are in essence bureaucrats, political considerations, not
surprisingly, appear to play an important role in
appointments and transfers to these powerful positions. End
Summary.

SYSTEM ALLOWS WITHIN-TERM CHANGES


2. (SBU) Thailand's 75 Governors are appointed to their
positions by the Minister of the Interior. A Governor's term
is nominally 4 years for all but the three southern-most
provinces, where terms are limited to just one year.
Governors can, and often are, replaced before their full term
is up - this is especially true in provinces of economic
significance such as Chiang Mai and Phuket. The Ministry of
the Interior normally recommends changes once a year, and
will normally reshuffle about 20-25 Governors during each
reshuffle. The 47 appointments and transfers announced this
latest round represent a significant increase. The changes
have to be approved by the Prime Minister's Cabinet before
they become effective.

CHIEF FEDERAL POWER FAR FROM BANGKOK


3. (SBU) The Governorship is a powerful position. The
Governor has been invested with more extensive powers under
the "CEO Governors" initiative. Under this policy, governors
set budget levels for their provinces and oversee their
implementation. Governors are also empowered to determine
the direction and priorities of provincial development
programs and to transfer officers of any ministry working in
their provinces at Director rank or below (except for police
and military personnel). The government wants governors who
oversee implement its programs to be willing supporters of
TRT policies -- this means that those considered "reliable"
are being switched to higher profile provinces while those
with suspect loyalties may be shunted to less visible posts.

OFFICIAL QUALIFICATIONS


4. (SBU) It's not all political connections however. All
candidates for Governor need to meet certain public service
requirements before they can be nominated as a Governor. The
main requirement under the Civil Service Commission's
regulation is to hold the civil service rank of C-10 (the
highest rank possible is C-11). For educational requirements
governor candidates must hold at minimum a Bachelors degree.
Officials rising through the Ministry of the Interior must
complete the district chief course and an administration
course for senior level officials. A candidate for Governor
must also have work experience as a district chief and a
deputy governor, and must have completed all the courses
required for these two positions.

POLITICAL CONSIDERATIONS


5. (SBU) Most appointees are also graduates of Thailand's
two most prestigious universities, Chulalonghorn University
and Thammasat University. These schools have long been
producers of Thailand's political and administrative elite.
Chulalonghorn,s graduates, known as the "Singha Dam," and
Thammasat,s graduates, known as the "Singha Daeng," have
long been rivals for dominance within the Ministry of the
Interior. The MOI is currently dominated by the Singha
Daeng, whose members include Deputy Minister of the Interior
Sermsak Phongphanit, and Interior Permanent Secretary
Sucharit Patchimmanan. Embassy sources tell us that many of
the governors promoted to their new position are believed to
be members of the Singha Daeng.


6. (SBU) Some of the transfers appeared to be rewards for
TRT supporters -- Anuwat Methiwiboonwut, for example,
was transferred from Phang-na to the larger province of Samut
Songkhram. Another TRT supporter, Anand Phromnart, was
reassigned from Krabi province to the larger Chachoengsao
province. Both had been in their previous posts for about a
year before being moved up. Other transfers could have been
demotions for suspect loyalties. For example, Kamon
Jitrawang, former governor of Ang-Thong, was moved to a
position of much lower prestige because of his close
relationship with an opposition party leader, Mr. Banharn
Silpa-Archa of the Chart Thai party. In another case, former
Governor of Nakhon Ratchasima, Phongphayom Wasphuti, is
believed by some observers here to have been transferred to
an inactive post because he directed critical comments in the
past at TRT government.


7. (SBU) Comment. The unusual twist to this year's
reshuffle of Governors is the rate of turnover. While
Thaksin supporters will claim that there is nothing abnormal
in promoting career public servants who are motivated to
implement government policies, Thaksin opponents will chide
this year's reshuffle as further evidence of Thaksin's drive
to dominate the governmental landscape. End Comment.
ARVIZU