Thailand’s king endorses new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s king endorsed on Friday a new Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after a court order removed his predecessor due to ethics violations and public outrage over a deadly border dispute between the Southeast Asian country and its neighbor, Cambodia.

The Cabinet, which includes several non-politicians, is expected to take office next week after taking an oath in front of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Anutin, head of the Bhumjaithai Party, was elected premier by Parliament last month. He succeeded Pheu Thai Party’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was dismissed after being found guilty of ethics violations over a politically compromising phone call with neighboring Cambodia’s Senate President Hun Sen. The call was followed by a border clash between Thailand and Cambodia in July, which killed dozens.

Most of Anutin’s Cabinet positions went to members from his party and two other parties, Klatham and the military-backed Phalang Pracharath, which make up the main part of his minority coalition government. Many of the newly appointed ministers, including Anutin himself, had served in the Pheu Thai-led Cabinet after the 2023 general elections.

The Pheu Thai Party holds no position in the current Cabinet. It had previously said it would become an opposition party.

Anutin will serve as both prime minister and interior minister. He held the latter position under Paetongtarn’s government.

Six members of the Cabinet hold the deputy prime minister jobs. One of them is Thammanat Prompao of the Klatham Party, an influential politician who was convicted and jailed in Australia in 1994 in connection with heroin smuggling. He will also serve as the agriculture minister.

Several non-politicians nabbed ministerial positions, including Ekniti Nitithanprapas, a former Director-General of the Revenue Department, who has economics degree from the U.S., was appointed to both deputy prime minister and finance minister positions. Suphajee Suthumpun, a former CEO of major Thai hotel business Dusit Thani, will serve as commerce minister.

Veteran diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow was appointed as foreign minister. He had served in many posts in the foreign ministry, including as its permanent secretary, vice minister and spokesperson. He was also a former Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations Office in Geneva, and was chosen as President of the UN Human Rights Council in 2010.

Anutin was able to secure the prime minister position after appealing to the People’s Party, the country’s main opposition party, by promising to dissolve Parliament within four months and organize a referendum to draft a new constitution by an elected constituent assembly.

The People’s Party runs on progressive platforms and has long sought changes to the constitution, imposed during a military government, saying they want to make it more democratic.