Ex-defence minister promises Sutin ‘full-scale assistance’ in his new job
Sutin Klungsang, the newly appointed defence minister, visited his predecessor General Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhaya at his residence on Saturday to seek advice.
The visit came shortly after Sutin’s appointment was made official.
The royal command endorsing the appointment of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s government ministers was announced in the Royal Gazette on Saturday.
The new defence minister, the sixth civilian to hold the post, asked for Thammarak’s advice regarding security matters, to which the retired general promised “full-scale assistance”, a source familiar with the matter said.
Thammarak also offered his good wishes for Sutin to work smoothly in his new position.
The pair have been close since they were MPs in the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, which was founded and led by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is now regarded as the patriarch of the governing Pheu Thai Party.
Thammarak and Sutin played a key role in election campaigning in the Northeast, which is the stronghold of both Thai Rak Thai and Pheu Thai.
Sutin is a key figure in Pheu Thai, having served as the opposition chief whip when the party was on the opposition bench previously.
Thammarak, 85, served as defence minister between March 2005 and September 2006 in Thaksin’s government.
Sutin is the sixth civilian to serve as Thailand’s defence minister but the first to hold the post without serving as prime minister.
The five previous civilian defence ministers also doubled as the head of government – MR Seni Pramoj, Chuan Leekpai, Somchai Wongsawat, Samak Sundaravej, and Yingluck Shinawatra.
Since the country became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, there have been 42 defence ministers. However, all but five of them were from the military and most of them held the rank of Army general, including Sutin’s immediate predecessor General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
