New Caretaker PM Appointed in Thailand as Yingluck Removed

World Today

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

Thailand’s caretaker cabinet on Wednesday appointed Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan as new caretaker prime minister in place of Yingluck Shinawatra who was removed from office by a court verdict.

Niwatthamrong was earlier acting deputy premier and commerce minister in Yingluck’s caretaker cabinet.

He used to work as a top executive of Shin Corporation, a private-owned conglomerate earlier owned by the Shinawatra family.

Yingluck Shinawatra was ordered to be removed from office for being accused of violating Thailand’s constitution by giving the unlawful order, an allegation she denied.

While defending herself on Tuesday in Thailand’s Constitutional Court, Yingluck said she did not violate any law or receive any benefit by ordering the transfer of Thawil Pliensri from the post of Secretary General of the National Security Council (NSC) in 2011.

That transfer was ruled unlawful by Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court on March 7, and Thawil has already been reinstated as NSC chief.