Thamarak reprimands Bannawit over political interference remarks
Gen Thamarak
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Adm Bannawit
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Caretaker Defence Minister Thamarak Isarangura read Monday the riot act to a subordinate who criticised him for condoning political interference in dispensing military assignments.
"A soldier convicted of maliciously offending the commanding officer is to be punished by a jail term of up to three years," he said, responding to critical remarks by Admiral Bannawit Kengrien, deputy permanent secretary for Defence.For two days in a row, Bannawit made a series of public accusations, saying Thamarak had succumbed to political pressure when drawing up the list of military rotations. He also raised the legal question of whether the military lineup could be submitted for royal approval without the vetting of the Election Commission during the leadup to the new election. In his defence, Thamarak said Bannawit should have checked his facts before attacking him. "If Bannawit has any contacts among the military leaders, he would have known that I did not have any say on whether to reward him with a promotion," he said. Thamarak said he went along with the recommendations from respective commanders of the three armed forces, hinting that Bannawit's behaviour was a case of sour grapes after failing to secure the position of permanent secretary for Defence. He said Bannawit should be aware of possible legal consequences for breaking ranks. As reminder, he chose to cite the original version of the 1933 military criminal code, which, viewed by today's language usage, was filled with derogatory terms against the offenders. The Nation
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