Is Prayuth the best choice amid signs of Army rivalry?
Is Prayuth the best choice amid signs of Army rivalry?
BURNING ISSUE
Is Prayuth the best choice amid signs of Army rivalry?
By Avudh Panananda
The Nation
Published on June 8, 2010
The appointment of the next Army chief will be a key factor in efforts to achieve political reconciliation and thwarting any bids to transform the red-shirt opposition into an underground movement.
Under prevailing circumstances, the military has a pivotal role in the political landscape. So it is imperative politicians and soldiers work together if democratic rule is to advance.A mere month ago General Prayuth Chan-ocha would have been a shoo-in candidate to succeed Army chief General Anupong Paochinda following the latter's mandatory retirement in September.
After Anupong became Army chief in October 2006 he brought Prayuth as his protege. The Anupong-Prayuth team was seen as an antidote needed for a military split by animosity following the coup led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin.
The coup happened amid political polarisation permeating all sectors of society. Sonthi ousted the then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from power but failed to end the polarisation in society as well as in the military.
Many top generals and battalion commanders saw their careers wrecked. Graduates from Pre-Cadet Class 10, which boasted leaders like Thaksin and Anupong, were mired by irreconcilable differences.
The bomb attacks in Bangkok on New Year's eve in 2006 remain unsolved but military leaders tacitly conceded there was discontent within the rank and file.
Faced with an Army falling apart at the seams, Anupong had no choice but to consolidate his power. Based on his partnership with Prayuth, he built a band of leaders known as the "Eastern Tigers".
Under Anupong's power consolidation, Prayuth was anointed as an heir apparent for the position of Army commander-in-chief.
Top generals, such as First Army Region commander Lt General Kanit Sapitak, deputy Army chief-of-staff Lt General Daopong Rattanasuwan and First Infantry Division commander Kampanat Ruddit, were lined up to dominate the Army top ranks for years to come.
The "Eastern Tigers" proved the right medicine for post-coup discontent. But they also blocked the career path of a large number of professional soldiers not in the same clique.
Should the "Eastern Tigers" get their way on succession plans, a military dynasty may emerge because an incumbent leader could pass his torch to a long line of designated successors.
While the bombs in December 2006 may have sounded an alarm about post-coup discontent, the "men in black" involved in the recent unrest in Bangkok served as a reminder of possible side-effects of the dominating influence of the "Eastern Tigers".
Out of spite or undying loyalty to Thaksin, some top generals may have helped prepare for the urban guerrilla clash as carried out by the men in black on April 10 and later days. But their common motive to get involved in plotting the unrest was probably the rise of the "Eastern Tigers".
It should not have gone unnoticed that Prayuth was the commander in charge during the April 10 violence, in which Colonel Romklao Thuwatham of the Second Infantry Division was killed. Romklao was from the "Eastern Tigers" clique.
None of the field commanders from Kanchanaburi, Bangkok and Lop Buri were harmed or targeted when they led security operations to end the Rajprasong rally on May 19.
In lining up the top brass in the coming annual reshuffle, Anupong is obligated to dispel any doubts about domination by the "Eastern Tigers". Prayuth, certainly well-qualified for promotion, might not be the most suitable candidate to lead the Army at this delicate juncture if reconciliation really is the top goal.
