NEW THAI CABINET RECEIVES ROYAL ENDORSEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 BANGKOK 002927

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM TH
SUBJECT: NEW THAI CABINET RECEIVES ROYAL ENDORSEMENT

REF: A. BANGKOK 2899 (NEW APPOINTMENTS)

B. BANGKOK 2357 (RESHUFFLED CABINET)

C. BANGKOK 409 (NEW CABINET)

D. 07 BANGKOK 55 (REACTION TO BOMBS)

BANGKOK 00002927 001.2 OF 003


Classified By: DCM James F. Entwistle, reason: 1.4 (b, d)

SUMMARY AND COMMENT
--------------


1. (C) Prime Minister-elect Somchai Wongsawat's cabinet
lineup -- scheduled to be sworn in late in the day on
September 25 by King Bhumibol -- consists primarily of
partisan political figures associated with the administration
of Samak Sundaravej. Following Samak's example, Somchai will
concurrently hold the position of Defense Minister. Former
Police Chief Kowit Watana remains Interior Minister; a water
engineer who served under Samak as Minister of Culture has
been made Justice Minister. As reported in ref A, former
Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh received a Deputy Prime
Minister position, and veteran politician Sompong Amornwiwat
became Foreign Minister. Septel will report on the economic
team.


2. (C) Comment: Somchai appears to be reshuffling Samak's
cabinet rather than building a team likely to chart a new
course. There is a widespread expectation that Somchai's
administration will be preoccupied with legal proceedings
that threaten the continued existence of Somchai's People's
Power Party (PPP) and two of its partners, as well as with
ongoing protests and preparation for a possible early
election in the not-too-distant future. These issues,
combined with the continuity in cabinet personnel, make it
unlikely that this administration will suggest new policy
initiatives beyond what is necessary to improve the odds of
its own survival or reelection. End Summary and Comment.

MAINTAINING A BALANCE
--------------


3. (C) King Bhumibol endorsed Somchai's cabinet list on
September 24. A solid majority of the members of Somchai's
cabinet are holdovers or returnees from his predecessor's.
Of the 36 members serving under Somchai, only 12 did not hold
positions under PM Samak. Somchai's cabinet also maintains
essentially the same balance among the People's Power Party
(PPP) coalition partners. Chart Thai, the third largest
party in the House, holds five cabinet seats; Somchai's ties
to Chart Thai Party Leader Banharn Silapa-Archa may be
strengthened by the entry into the cabinet of Banharn's son,
Varawut, who was appointed Deputy Transportation Minister.
The Motherland Party holds four seats; Motherland Party
Leader Suwit Khunkitti, who resigned angrily from the Samak
cabinet when it became clear he would lose out in a cabinet
reshuffle, was not brought back into the fold. Smaller
partners Ruam Chai Thai Chart Pattana and Matchima Thippathai
hold two seats each. Uraiwan Thienthong, wife of veteran
politician Sanoh Thienthong, remains in her position as Labor
Minister, and is the sole cabinet member from the Pracharaj
Party.

PUBLIC REACTION
--------------


4. (C) Predictably, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD)
publicly criticized the cabinet as a creation of former Prime
Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and offered no indication that
the PAD would end its protests in the near term. Abhisit
Vejjajiva, the leader of the opposition Democrat Party,
criticized the cabinet lineup, saying it did not represent an
improvement on Samak's administration. Journalists and
pundits have predicted that Somchai's administration will not
last until the year's end.


5. (C) On September 24, we asked incoming Deputy
Transportation Minister Varawut Silapa-Archa whether the
current environment appeared conducive to military
intervention (and, specifically, to a coup). Varawut, who

BANGKOK 00002927 002.2 OF 003


has often been candid with us in the past, said former PM
Samak had proven very generous and deferential to the
military; Varawut believed the military was not inclined to
rebel against the PPP leadership. Varawut suggested that
Somchai would refrain from dissolving the House of
Representatives unless absolutely necessary, and that the
longevity of the cabinet depended primarily on the
dissolution cases proceeding against PPP, Chart Thai, and
Matchima Thippathai.

COMPLETE LINE-UP
--------------


6. (U) The complete line-up of the Somchai Wongsawat cabinet
is as follows:

Prime Minster:
- Somchai Wongsawat (concurrently Defense Minister)

Deputy Prime Ministers:
- Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
- Olarn Chaipravat
- Sanan Kachornprasart
- Sompong Amornwiwat (concurrently Foreign Minister)
- Chavarat Chanveerakul

Others:
- Interior Minister Kowit Watana
- Deputy Interior Minister Prasong Kositanon
- Deputy Interior Minister Preecha Rengsomboonsuk
- Finance Minister Suchart Thadathamrongvech
- Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Partaraprasit
- Deputy Finance Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee
- Commerce Minister Chaiya Sasomsap
- Deputy Commerce Minister Banyin Tangpakorn
- Deputy Commerce Minister Songkram Kijlertpairote
- Justice Minister Somsak Kiartsuranont
- Industry Minister Pracha Promnok
- Transportation Minister Santi Prompat
- Deputy Transportation Minister Varawut Silapa-archa
- Deputy Transportation Minister Sophon Saram
- Agriculture Minister Somsak Prissanananthakul
- Deputy Agriculture Minister Sompat Kaewpijit
- Deputy Agriculture Minister Theerachai Saenkaew
- Public Health Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung
- Deputy Public Health Minister Wicharn Minchaiyanant
- Labor Minister Uraiwan Thienthong
- Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul
- Education Minister Srimuang Charoensiri
- Natural Resources and Environment Minister Anongwan
Thepsuthin
- Social Development and Human Security Minister Udomdet
Rattanasathien
- Information and Communications Technology Minister Mun
Patanotai
- Science and Technology Minister Wutthipong Chaiseng
- Culture Minister Worawat Ua-apinyakul
- Tourism and Sports Minister Weerasak Kowsurat
- Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office Sukhumpong
Ngonkham
- Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office Supol
Fong-ngarm

(Note: Deputy PM portfolios are typically defined after the
cabinet begins work, though Chavalit has said he will work on
"security" issues, and Olarn, the former Chair of Siam
Commercial Bank and not a member of a party, is expected to
coordinate economic policy. The portfolios of the Ministers
Attached to the Prime Minister's Office also currently remain
undefined. End Note.)

BIOS
--------------


7. (C) Biographic sketches of selected members of Somchai's
cabinet follow; refs B and C provided further biographic
information on selected members of Samak's cabinets, some of
whom have been reappointed by Somchai. Biographic sketches

BANGKOK 00002927 003.2 OF 003


of members of the economic team will be reported separately.

- Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh: Chavalit
entered politics after retiring in 1990 from a military
career capped by his service as Army Commander, the most
powerful uniformed position in the country. As a civilian,
Chavalit held numerous high-level cabinet positions and
founded the New Aspiration Party (NAP). The NAP won a
plurality in 1996 elections, allowing Chavalit to become
Prime Minister from November 1996 until November 1997, when
he resigned after the Asian Financial Crisis started in
Thailand. After Thaksin Shinawatra became Prime Minister in
2001, the NAP joined Thaksin's coalition before agreeing to
merge with Thai Rak Thai; Chavalit served as Deputy PM and
then as Defense Minister. Chavalit was born on May 15, 1932.
Contemporary political cartoons typically portray him as
incoherent and senile. He is also perceived as a
practitioner of the worst sorts of political machinations;
after December 31, 2006 bombings in Bangkok, Chavalit had to
defend himself publicly against insinuations he might have
orchestrated the bombings for political purposes (ref D).
Ref A provides further background on Chavalit and discusses
some implications of his joining the cabinet.

- Deputy Transportation Minister Varawut Silapa-Archa:
Varawut is the only son and political heir-apparent of Chart
Thai Party Leader Banharn Silapa-Archa. He first ran for
parliament in 2001, as a candidate from Chart Thai's
stronghold of Suphanburi province, and after election he
became Secretary to the Science Minister and then Secretary
to the Minister of Tourism and Sports. After his reelection
in 2005, he became a member of the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs. Born on July 11, 1973, he left home at the age of
12 to attend a boarding school in England. He then graduated
from London University with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical
Engineering. He then received a Master's Degree in Finance
from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Varawut frequently
serves as interpreter for his father's meetings with foreign
dignitaries.

- Deputy Interior Minister Preecha Rengsombooksuk: Preecha,
from the province of Loei in northeastern Thailand, has been
active in politics since 1986, when he was elected to the
House of Representatives. He moved from party to party, as
is common in Thailand. He was elected as a Thai Rak Thai MP
in 2005 and subsequently moved to the PPP after TRT's
dissolution in 2007. He has served as Secretary to
high-ranking officials in the Ministries of Interior,
Agriculture, Public Health, and Science. Prior to joining
Somchai's cabinet, he was Vice Chairman of the House
Committee on Industry. Preecha was born on November 2, 1957;
he received a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering
from a university in the Philippines.

- Minister Attached to the Prime Minister's Office Sukhumpong
Ngonkham: Sukhumpong entered politics in 2001, when he was
elected as a Thai Rak Thai MP from Kalasin province, in
northeastern Thailand. In 2005, he was reelected as a TRT
party list candidate. He served in Thaksin's administration
as Deputy Secretary General to the Prime Minister, and then,
in 2006, became a legal advisor to the Prime Minister. After
TRT's dissolution, Sukhumpong moved to the People's Power
Party and became PPP Deputy Secretary-General. Sukhumpong
was born on January 30, 1953. He received a Bachelor's
degree in law from Thammasat University. Prior to entering
politics, he worked first as a bank manager and later ran a
law firm in Kalasin province.
JOHN