Phumtham dismisses coup fears, boasts of close ties with top brass

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said he was confident that the Pheu Thai-led coalition will complete its four-year term, adding that he had strong ties with top military leaders. 

In a New Year interview, Phumtham, who oversees security affairs, stated that he saw no reason for the political situation to deteriorate to a point of turmoil or for anything to warrant a coup. 
He said that as defence minister, he had no conflicts with the military leaders. 

“Our ties are very good,” he said. “In a few days, I’ll be dining at the Army chief’s residence, and all other commanders-in-chief will be invited. I heard that one of the military leaders is a good cook, so I’ve asked him to cook us a meal.” 

Phumtham was responding to questions about the potential for political tension in the coming year, with reporters highlighting the possible return of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra from self-imposed exile. They also raised the possibility of nationalist groups staging protests demanding the government annul the memorandum of understanding Thailand signed with Cambodia on overlapping claims in the Gulf of Thailand. 

The reporters asked if these developments could lead to a coup, as had occurred with the Thai Rak Thai Party in 2006 and the dissolution of its successor People Power Party in 2008. 

“I don’t think the situation will deteriorate to that level. Many of these issues are hypothetical and haven’t happened yet,” Phumtham said. 

He added that while it was natural for Yingluck, the sister of Pheu Thai patriarch and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to want to return to Thailand, she would need to undergo the judicial process. 

“I see no issue with her returning if she does so under the law. She must first enter the justice system,” Phumtham explained. 

Yingluck has been in self-imposed exile since August 2017 after failing to appear before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions. She was sentenced in absentia to five years in jail for dereliction of duty in a rice-pledging scheme, which resulted in losses of at least 500 billion baht. 

Phumtham also shared Thaksin’s belief that the House of Representatives will not be dissolved before it completes its four-year term. 

Thaksin had said this recently while helping campaign for Pheu Thai’s candidates for the provincial administrative organisations’ presidential post. 

“All political issues will be dealt with according to the system, so there is no justification for a House dissolution,” he said.