General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS), yesterday brushed off criticism of the CNS for having senior military officials sitting on the boards of state enterprises and drawing salaries for doing so, saying they would ensure a checks-and-balances mechanism.

"The CNS must be firm and confident in its decisions for the interests of the country,'' he said.

Sonthi said that having a group of professionals sitting on the boards would fail to create a proper check system and prevent corruption. With the military on the board of state enterprises they can keep their eye on the problem.

"Every board that includes members of the military has to do with the security and stability of the country,'' he said.

He stressed that although military officials might not have much knowledge of business and technology, they could keep up by learning.

Meanwhile, former prime minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh expressed concern over the issue, saying the council would not last long if it did not listen to the voice of the people.

"The CNS has to correct what is not right and what is in the best interests of the public. I heard they filled the boards of state enterprises with military men. If this is the case, it is not good. Sometimes they look at the picture from one side and there may be concerns about some issues. [But in most cases] we can forgive them,'' he said.