The knives in the back

The mass transfer of civil servants is almost a tradition after a military coup. For the latest coup, this is no exception.

Among the seats being reshuffled are several in the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Some diplomats posted far from the centre of the political turmoil that culminated in the coup led by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) have not been spared.

Among the more high-profile ones, Vijavat Isarabhakdi, the ambassador to Washington DC, is swapping posts with Pisan Manawapat, the ambassador to Ottawa.

The post swap stems from a classic nepotism accusation, that Mr Vijavat was believed to be aligned with ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and the red-shirt movement loyal to the previous government, according to a source in the ministry.

An anonymous party had petitioned the NCPO claiming Mr Vijavat was a close aide to Thaksin and that he had failed to persuade Washington to tone down its position toward the coup. It was also claimed Mr Vijavat had come up short in his job as ambassador of adequately explaining the human trafficking situation in Thailand, subsequently resulting in the country being downgraded to Tier 3 in the US human trafficking report.

Mr Vijavat was accused of having sat on his hands in the face of growing resistance in the US to the NCPO and the monarchy.

A source in the NCPO said Prime Minister and NCPO leader Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha may be reacting to allegations against certain individuals with questionable affiliations.

The Foreign Ministry source said it may not be entirely fair to allege Mr Vijavat has ties to the previous government or that he has proven inadequate in his role as ambassador.

In fact, the source said it had been an uphill task to convince the US to change its stand about the coup in Thailand. Washington did not appear inclined to reconsider its position regardless of the power of persuasion.

The source said Mr Vijavat had attempted on many occasions to explain the NCPO’s approaches and policies to Washington. He distributed messages, announcements and policies of the junta government to the embassy staff and military attaches so they would have mutual understanding.

Mr Vijavat also spoke to international broadcasters such as CNN and the BBC to convey the military government’s messages to the world.

The source insisted Mr Vijavat was not among Thaksin’s inner circle. In fact, he has close connections to former Asean secretarygeneral Surin Pitsuwan.

The Foreign Ministry source said the perceived closeness to Thaksin was an allegation potent enough to unseat someone no matter how senior they might be.

Mr Pisan, on the other hand, was viewed as bending toward the other end of the political spectrum. However, the source observed, he had also worked well with other governments, including that led by the Pheu Thai Party.

The source said the NCPO should take every precaution to ensure that every reshuffle order has merit and to give fairness where fairness is due.