US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK2347

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 002347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, TH, Thai Political Updates, Thailand's Week in Politics 
SUBJECT: THAILAND:  THE WEEK IN POLITICS: MARCH 27 - APRIL 
1, 2005 
 
REF: BANGKOK 2257 
 
THAI RAK THAI'S DISSATISFIED FACTIONS SET UP "WAR ROOM" 
 
1.  (SBU)  Tensions within the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party 
ratcheted up when members of Wang Nam Yen, Wang Nam Yom and 
Mod Dum Faction met for the first time at disgruntled Wang 
Nam Yen faction leader Sanoh Thiengthong,s residence on 
March 29.  The group announced that it will set up a 
"Creative Group for Politics," or "War Room," from which 
their members will monitor the performance of TRT ministers 
from other factions in the cabinet.  The group plans to meet 
every Tuesday to prepare their positions before the weekly 
TRT party meeting.  (Note: The "war room" is reportedly the 
brainchild of Mr. Pramuan Ruhanaseree, TRT Party-List MP and 
former Deputy Interior Minister, who is close to Sanoh.  He 
recently released a book strongly criticizing Prime Minister 
Thaksin's exercise of "absolute power" inside the party, 
which he believes could lead the party to an early breakup. 
End Note)  This grouping of factions apparently has coalesced 
in an effort to counter what the members view as too much 
personal control over TRT by Thaksin and by his favoritism to 
other factions inside TRT in the awarding of cabinet posts 
and other jobs.  These favored factions include the Wang Bua 
Ban, headed by Thaksin's sister Yaowapha Wongsawasdi and the 
Bangkok faction headed by Agriculture Minister Sudarat 
Keyuraphun. 
 
INTERFACTIONAL SQUABBLES STRAIN THE TRT 
 
2.  (SBU)  These recent developments reflect simmering 
resentments held by Sanoh and some other faction leaders over 
what they consider increasingly Thaksin's shabby treatment of 
them.  The last straw was the recent cabinet makeup.  Three 
major factions are involved in this TRT intramural 
discontent.  They are Sanoh's Wang Nam Yen, the Wang Nam Yom 
(a powerful group of about 100 MPs led by Somsak Thepsuthin 
-- present Sports Minister and former Agriculture Minister 
who was replaced by Sudarat and is still smarting), and the 
Suchart faction (headed by Suchart Tancharoen -- who was 
supported for the Parliament House Speaker job by Sanoh and 
Somsak, but had to settle for a Deputy Speaker slot,  below 
Thaksin's choice, Bhokin Polakul).  These factions were 
"awarded" a only relatively small number of cabinet posts 
compared to Sudarat,s Bangkok faction and Yaowapha's Wang 
Bua Ban.  Observers believe that the "Creative Group for 
Politics" could make things difficult for the Sudarat and 
Wang Bua Ban members and ministers over coming months by 
being as eager to expose scandals and corruption as the 
opposition. 
 
THAKSIN FAVORITE FIRES BACK 
 
3.  (SBU)  In what looks like a response to the establishment 
of the "War Room," Agriculture Minister Sudarat has thrown 
some mud at Somsak, publicly alleging that when Somsak was 
Minister of Agriculture, that Ministry initiated a rural 
agricultural pond/well digging project that was marked by 
fraudulent work orders, bribery and kickbacks.  Somsak has 
hotly denied the allegations, but the sight of two cabinet 
ministers fighting over corruption allegations does not bode 
well for TRT party unity.  Members of the two factions have 
subsequently come out to join the public slanging match, and 
the open conflict could drag on for some time.  Thaksin might 
move quickly to defuse this potentially damaging rift in the 
TRT.  He could seek to put an end to the imbroglio by 
redistributing the cabinet pie, so the factional fighting 
could mean a cabinet reshuffle sooner that Thaksin had 
planned. 
 
MEANWHILE...MORE POSITIONS ARE HANDED OUT ELSEWHERE 
 
4.  (U)  On March 22, the Cabinet announced the appointment 
of a number of MPs and others to political posts. Some of 
these include: 
 
-- General Phanlop Pinmani (TRT List 2) Deputy Director of 
the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) has been 
appointed Advisor to Defense Minister Gen. Thammarak 
Isarangkun Na Ayutthaya.  (Note:  General Phanlop order the 
assault on the Krue Se Mosque in April 2004.  End note.) 
 
-- Group Captain Anudit Nakhonthap (TRT List 3) has been 
appointed Secretary to Defense Minister Gen. Thammarak. 
 
-- General Rattana Chaloemsaenyakon (TRT List 2) has been 
appointed Advisor to Deputy Foreign Minister Preecha 
Laohapongchana 
 
-- Thong-lo Phonkhot (Mahasarakham TRT MP) has been appointed 
Advisor to Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Interior Minister 
Pol. Gen. Chidchai Vanasatidya 
-- Pakon Buranapakon (Chiang Mai TRT MP) has been appointed 
Secretary to DPM and Interior Minister Pol. Gen. Chidchai 
 
SIPDIS 
Vanasatidya 
 
-- Sucharit Patchimnan, Director General of the Provincial 
Administration Department, has been appointed as Permanent 
Secretary of the Interior Ministry. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ARVIZU