Paradon’s appointment and government’s southern policy
The cabinet’s appointment on June 26 of Lt-Gen Paradon Patthanathabut as the deputy secretary-general of National Security Council replacing Somkiat Boonchu has raised a big question mark about the direction of the government’s policy to resolve unrest problem in the Deep South.
Lt-Gen Paradon used to serve as the NSC deputy chief during the government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej four years ago. However, he was transferred to an advisory post in the Prime Minister’s Office during the government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva because he was seen as close to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Paradon is a nephew of former Prime Minister’s Office Minister Preeda Patthanabut for whom Thaksin once served as his aide.
Paradon’s return to the NSC was therefore interpreted as a political move by the Pheu Thai-led government to have a trusted man at the NSC. It was also speculated that Paradon had been groomed to succeed Pol Gen Wichien Potephosri, the incumbent NSC secretary-general, who is due to retire next year.
A former police chief, Pol Gen Wichien was seen as close to the Democrats by the Pheu Thai government which removed him out of the police force and instead gave him the top job at the NSC as a face-saving arrangement in place of Mr Thawil Pliensri.
Besides the question about the government’s policy direction about the Deep South, Paradon’s appointment has affected the morale of officials at the NSC. Speaking in defence of Mr Somkiat, Mr Thawil said that the former NSC chief was unfairly transferred despite the fact that he was an efficient official who has served with the NSC for many years.
Commenting on Paradon’s transfer,Mr Poomarat Taksadipong, former director of the National Intelligence Agency, said jokingly that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra might feel that Thawil was lonely and therefore sent Somkiat to be with him so they could make a company in the Government House.
Poomarat said it was a waste of valuable human resource for capable people like Thawil and Somkiat to be moved to inactive posts without any job to do but still eligible to high salaries. He disclosed that there was an attempt earlier to have Paradon returned to the NSC but then Deputy Prime Minister Kowit Wattana who oversaw the security agency rejected claiming that he had just sacked Thawil as the NSC chief.
Kowit’s rejection prompted “the man in Dubai” to be very infuriated that the latter called Kowit to express his dissatisfaction.
Paradon was seen as a supporter of the proposed new blueprint for the Deep South of the Internal Security Operations Command or Isoc which sought to empower the commander of the fourth army region as the supreme commander with full authority in the region with the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre being relegated and answerable to the commander of the fourth army region.
However, the prime minister in her capacity as ex-officio director of Isoc is yet to approve Isoc’s blueprint to resolve the unrest problem in the restive region. Instead, the prime minister has pursued the Democrat government’s blueprint which places the SBPAC as the lead agency with Pol Col Thavee Sodsong as the key player in the Deep South.
Hence, Paradon’s appointment has caused confusion about the government’s policy direction in the restive region.
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Caption : The headline of Thaipost newspaper and Lt-Gen Paradon Patthanathabut