Phumtham Appointed Acting Thai PM after Cabinet Sworn In

By Kenny Teng Khoon Hock

BANGKOK, July 3 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has been appointed as acting Prime Minister following the swearing-in of a new Cabinet on Thursday.

Phumtham was also sworn in earlier on Thursday as the new Interior Minister.

In a statement after the first Cabinet meeting, government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsap said Phumtham, as the acting Prime Minister, will have full authority equivalent to that of the Prime Minister.

This includes the power to chair committees and organisations, he said.  

Earlier, a total of 14 newly appointed and reassigned ministers were sworn in and received royal endorsement from King Maha Vajiralongkorn at the Dusit Palace.

The ministers included suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who will take on a new Cabinet role as Minister of Culture.

On Tuesday, Thailand’s Constitutional Court suspended Paetongtarn from her duties pending deliberation of a petition filed by 36 senators, accusing her of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution following a leaked phone conversation with Cambodia’s influential former leader, Hun Sen.

Also on Tuesday, the Royal Gazette published the official announcement of the Cabinet reshuffle following the departure of a key coalition partner and the resulting vacancies in several ministerial portfolios.

-- BERNAMA