By Thai Newsroom Reporters
A CLIQUE OF 20 RENEGADE MPs headed by former Palang Pracharath secretary-general Thammanat Prompao are joining the Klatham as part of the current Pheu Thai-led coalition government, a partisan source said today (Dec. 18).
The Thammanat-led lawmakers, recently ousted from the opposition Palang Pracharath headed by former deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan, are expected tomorrow (Dec. 19) to formally register themselves for partisan membership of the Klatham where Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Narumon Pinyosinwat concurrently performs as leader.
Narumon who has been invariably viewed as personally close to both Thammanat and Prawit will likely retain the top post of the party whilst MP Thammanat of Payao will likely be named chief adviser to the coalition partner and MP Pai Lick of Kampaengpet will probably be named secretary-general of the brand-new party, the partisan source said.
Thammanat himself and his protege MPs had opted out from Prawit’s camp to lend solid support for the Pheu Thai, the largest coalition partner under alleged guidance of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra.
Last August, a total of 39 Palang Pracharath MPs, then including the 20 renegade MPs, had cast a yea vote in support of Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra for prime minister, replacing a court-impeached Srettha Thavisin but only Thammanat’s clique of lawmakers had been allegedly manipulated by the billionaire power player Thaksin to practically side with the Pheu Thai-led government, leaving the other half to the opposition bloc.
Prawit who had not attended the House meeting as an MP to name Thaksin’s daughter for prime minister had been obviously at odds with the de facto Pheu Thai boss who had accused him, albeit without identifying him by name, of involvement in a successful bid of senators to have the former real estate tycoon-turned-prime minister Srettha, personally associated with Thaksin’s fugitive sister/former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, immediately deposed by the Constitutional Court from power on misconduct charges.
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Top and Front Page: Former Palang Pracharath secretary-general Thammanat Prompao. Photos: Thai Rath
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