Cabinet to consider BOT chairman nomination next week or later: Pichai
The Cabinet will not consider this week the nomination of the new Bank of Thailand (BOT) chairman, Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira said on Friday.
The central bank’s selection committee had chosen former finance minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong as the successor to Poramethi Vimolsiri, whose term expired at the end of September.
Pichai confirmed to the press before the mobile Cabinet meeting in Chiang Mai that he had received the documents from the selection committee, but he would have to first review Kittiratt’s qualifications.
He said qualifications of the proposed new BOT board members – former Finance Ministry deputy permanent secretary Chunhajit Sangmai and secretary-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission Pornanong Budsaratragoon – would also be reviewed.
When asked if the Cabinet would consider the appointment of the new central bank chairman and board members next week, Pichai said it could be done next week or the week after.
The minister said he was not worried about activists opposing political intervention in the central bank, saying that there would be no reason to worry if the BOT chairman-elect can perform the duties well.
Pichai affirmed that the second phase of the 10,000 baht handouts to senior citizens aged 60 years and above would be disbursed as planned, adding that the government had prepared a lot of New Year gifts for the people.
