New chief Anupong to keep troops in barracks
WASSANA NANUAM
New army commander-in-chief Gen Anupong Paochinda has promised to return the military to the barracks and stay away from politics. The appointment of Gen Anupong to succeed Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, who toppled the Thaksin Shinawatra government in the Sept 19 coup last year, received royal endorsement yesterday.
Gen Anupong said there would be no political role for the army even though the old power clique may come back to politics.
He affirmed his men would be professional soldiers and not get involved in politics. He would adhere to the idea that political problems must be solved only by political means.
Gen Anupong, a member of the Council for National Security, said he would not stage another coup even though former Thai Rak Thai members may return to dominate the House and the new administration.
''Please be assured that I will take soldiers back to barracks and will not get involved in politics. There may be political problems, but that is the nature of democracy.
''Even if the old political clique returns as a majority in the House and leads the next government, we must accept the public's decision,'' said the 57-year-old general.
He stands firm that soldiers must do their duty and limit their role to national defence.
Cases involving the old power clique would be solved through the judicial system, he said.
Gen Anupong said he would not be lenient towards Mr Thaksin, his former classmate from Class 10 at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School.
''Please be confident that I will never be lenient towards Mr Thaksin. Although we are friends, the national interest must come before personal matters. No one knows what the CNS ordered me to do with Mr Thaksin,'' Gen Anupong said.
The army would engage in politics only through the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), he said. Some Isoc officers would do public relations work to promote public understanding and fight all forms of threats.
He said it was time for the army to handle the southern insurgency seriously. The army would invest more resources to solve problems in the restive region.
However, Gen Anupong admitted he was not familiar with the southern situation, adding that he would study the issue thoroughly.
Gen Anupong was born on Oct 10, 1949. After completing lower secondary school, he entered the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (AFAPS) Class 10 and later enrolled in Class 21 of the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy. He began his career at the 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Royal Guard in Prachin Buri and was appointed to important posts in the First Army, responsible for overseeing the Central Region.
He was positioned in the commander line of the echelon which propelled his rise to the top. He was promoted deputy commander and later commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, which is considered the core part of the First Army as it is able to mobilise soldiers in the event of a coup d'etat.
Gen Anupong was commander of the 1st Infantry Regiment in Bangkok, the most powerful force behind a military coup. Mr Thaksin, prime minister at the time, wanted to install his AFAPS alumni friend in the important post to prevent a coup being staged against him.
Not long after that, Gen Anupong was named deputy commander of the First Army and then served as a full commander with the rank of a lieutenant-general. The post gave him the necessary power to assist in the Sept 19 coup last year.
After the coup, he was promoted to assistant army chief.
His two rival contenders for the army chief position who failed to get the job, Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr and Gen Montri Sangkhasap, will become deputy permanent secretary for defence and deputy supreme commander, respectively. Gen Saprang said yesterday he would have to accept the change. He declined to discuss his future plans.
Gen Sonthi, whose mandatory retirement comes at the end of this month, engineered most of the reshuffle list. He has put his men in control of active forces in the army.
Third Army officers close to Gen Saprang, the former Third Army chief, will lose their units to officers from the First Army who are close to Gen Anupong, the former First Army chief
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Next
Deep link provided by Citebite
