Five new ministers appointed in major Cabinet reshuffle
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has appointed 12 Cabinet members in a major reshuffle, seven of whom are current government ministers who effectively swapped seats between them.
The appointments were made under command of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn. The royal command, undersigned by the prime minister, was made on Thursday and announced in the Royal Gazette on Friday, with immediate effect.
Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, formerly a PM’s Office minister, has become the new justice minister. He is filling the seat left vacant after the previous office holder, Paiboon Koomchaya, was appointed a privy councillor for the new King.
Thirakiat Charoensethasilp, who was serving as deputy education minister before the latest Cabinet shake-up, has been appointed as the new education minister. The education minister’s seat had been left vacant after the previous office holder, Dapong Ratanasuwan, was appointed a privy councillor for the new King.
Both Paiboon and Dapong are among the new members of the Privy Council.
Uttama Savanayana, formerly the information and communications technology minister in Prayut’s government, has been appointed to become the new industry minister. He is replacing Atchaka Sibunruang, who has been appointed as the new science and technology minister.
The outgoing science and technology minister, Pichet Durongkaveroj, has in turn been appointed to become the new digital economy and society minister.
Uttama had resigned as the ICT minister when his agency was renamed the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society.
ML Panadda Diskul, formerly the other PM’s Office minister, has been appointed to become deputy education minister, replacing Thirakiat.
Outgoing transport minister Omsin Chivapruek and former deputy commerce minister Suvit Maesincee have been appointed as new PM’s Office ministers.
Chutima Boonyaprapat, who just retired as the permanent secretary of the Commerce Ministry at the end of September, has been appointed as the new deputy agriculture minister.
Sonthirat Sonthijirawong, a business executive who is formerly an adviser to the industry minister, has been appointed as deputy commerce minister.
Veerasak Futrakul, a former permanent secretary of the Foreign Affairs Ministry who just resigned as a member of the National Legislative Assembly, has been appointed deputy foreign minister.
Pichit Akrathit, chief executive of Asia Wealth Securities, has been appointed as new deputy transport minister. Earlier this year he was appointed as chairman of the State Railway of Thailand’s executive board.
