Tourism minister name under wraps

Thailand’s Chat Thai Pattana Party confirmed, Sunday, that it has forwarded its candidate to fill the vacant post of Tourism and Sports Minister to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The party has to find a replacement for Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism and Sports Minister, Chumpol Silpa-archa, who died after a prolonged illness 21 January.

The party spokesperson, Watchara Kannikar, said the party sent the tourism minister’s nomination to the Prime Minister already and is awaiting her decision.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra confirmed to the local press that she has received the nomination, but declined to give a hint or identify the party’s candidate.

However, according to daily newspaper political desks, Somsak Phurisrisak a former Suphan Buri governor is the hot favourite. There are two other possible candidates — Sombat Khuruphan, a former permanent secretary for the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and Suwat Sidthilaw, the current permanent secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Mr Somsak was the Suphan Buri governor until he retired, 30 September 2012.

However, local press media speculated that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had rejected Chat Thai Pattana Party’s nomination of former Suphan Buri governor, Somsak Phurisrisak for unstated reasons.

A source in Chat Thai Pattana said the party’s nomination of Mr Somsak was rejected by the chief advisory chairman, Banharn Silpa-archa rather than by Mr Thaksin, but it is understood the former prime minister feared the appointment of Mr Somsak to the Cabinet could lead to problems due to a so-called lack of experience in working with the Pheu Thai party.

Overall the private sector in the tourism industry is ambivalent to these political wrangling. It gets on with the business of travel firmly believing that the appointment of a minister is irrelevant. With or without a minister, Thailand’s tourism will reach its targets in 2013 based on global economic considerations and whether the Thai government can maintain peace and security.

Sourced: ttrweekly