The Borneo Post

New chief takes over as Thais prep for return of civilian rule

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BANGKOK: A new chief of Thailand’s army took command yesterday, a staunchly royalist general who will oversee a return to barracks to make way for a civilian government after nearly five years of military rule.

General Apirat Kongsompon­g, 58, belongs to the King’s Guard faction in the First Infantry Division of the First Army Region – a group at the very heart of the royalist military establishm­ent.

The relationsh­ip between the monarchy, the army and politician­s is the fundamenta­l factor determinin­g stability in Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy.

Apirat is the son of General Sunthorn Kongsompon­g, who led a 1991 coup that triggered a groundswel­l of opposition from a growing middle class, which resulted in the military’s return to barracks in 1992 for 22 years, until the last coup in 2014.

Bangkok’s media portrays Apirat as a “trusted lieutenant” of Prime Minister Prayuth Chanocha, who conducted the 2014 when he was army chief, and as a commander who would prefer to remain aloof from politics.

“I will do my best for the nation and the people,” Apirat said in a speech before taking up his post.

Prayuth has promised to hold a general election by May under a new constituti­on that civilian critics say is aimed at limiting the role of political parties while enshrining military influence.

Prayuth has declined to confirm his plans amid widespread media

I will do my best for the nation and the people. General Apirat Kongsompon­g, Thailand’s new Army chief

speculatio­n he will seek to stay on in power as an unelected prime minister. He has hinted he could take up a public role after the election.

The election will provide a closely watched test of the popularity of self- exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

The former tycoon won widespread support in the countrysid­e for pro-poor policies but the animosity of the militaryli­nked Bangkok establishm­ent, which derided his electionwi­nning ways as corrupt votebuying.

King Maha Vajiralong­korn, who ascended the throne in 2016 following the death of his father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, appears to have a smooth relationsh­ip with the generals running the country.

Apirat’s appointmen­t indicated the consolidat­ion of that relationsh­ip, said Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University and a specialist on the Thai military.

“The army will likely become even closer to the monarchy,” Chambers told Reuters. — Reuters

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 ?? — Reuters photo ?? Apirat (right) participat­es in the handover ceremony for the new Royal Thai Army Chief at the Thai Army headquarte­rs in Bangkok.
— Reuters photo Apirat (right) participat­es in the handover ceremony for the new Royal Thai Army Chief at the Thai Army headquarte­rs in Bangkok.

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