Top officials reshuffled
Four Finance Ministry positions see changes
The cabinet yesterday approved sweeping changes to the Finance Ministry’s highlevel ranks, reshuffling some of the ministry’s top officials.
Under the shake-up, Customs Department director-general Kulit Sombatsiri will replace Thammayot Srichuai as energy permanent secretary when the latter retires at the end of September, said Finance Minister Apisak Tantivorawong.
Krisada Chinavicharana, directorgeneral of the Excise Department, will succeed Mr Kulit, while Patchara Anuntasilpa, director-general of the Treasury Department, will take Mr Krisada’s place.
The finance minister said Mr Kulit is considered suitable for the position of energy permanent secretary, given his management skills at the Customs Department over the past three years and his initiative to adopt an IT system at the taxcollecting agency to facilitate service users and reduce corruption.
Before heading the Customs Department, Mr Kulit was director-general of the State Enterprise Policy Office (Sepo), where he played a large role in overhauling state enterprises, especially loss-making ones.
Under his reign, Sepo drafted a bill on good management practices in a bid to remove political influence from state enterprises, prevent abrupt changes in the ranks of state enterprise boards and
high-ranking executives after political transitions and to ensure any changes are made based on merit.
He earned two master degrees: in public administration from San Diego State University and in business administration from the University of Southern California.
The new energy permanent secretary will handle this year’s auction of the Erawan and Bongkot gas blocks in the Gulf of Thailand and find ways to supply electricity to serve increasing demand amid strong opposition against construction of new power plants, particularly in the South.
In a related development, deputy permanent secretary for finance Amnuay Preemonwong will head the Treasury Department.
As Mr Amnuay, who has one year left before retirement, has experience in working at the Treasury Department before, he is expected to be able to undertake the job imminently.
Patricia Mongkhonvanit, principal adviser on strategic tax administration at the Revenue Department, will replace Mr Amnuay.
The cabinet last week approved the nomination of Lavaron Sangsnit, inspector-general, as the new director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office to replace Suwit Rojanavanich, who will retire at the end of September.
Earlier, Prasong Poontaneat was appointed as permanent secretary of the Finance Ministry, replacing Somchai Sujjapongse, who resigned; Ekniti Nitithanprapas succeeded Mr Prasong as directorgeneral of the Revenue Department, while Prapas Kong-Ied, who was director-general of the Public Debt Management Office at that time, was moved to head Sepo in place of Mr Ekniti.
‘ The new energy permanent secretary will handle this year’s auction of the Erawan and Bongkot gas blocks.