At least seven of nine members on the regime-appointed panel tasked with whittling down a list of 400 Senate candidates will come from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), an informed source said.
The source said the panel would include three deputy heads of the NCPO in the form of: Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, who will chair the panel; Gen Thanasak Patimapagorn; and ACM Pajin Jantong.
They will by joined, the source claimed, by Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda; Pol Gen Adul Sangsingkeo, the labour minister; Gen Nat Intaracharoen; and Meecha Ruchupan, a former charter writer.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, who oversees legal affairs, was also tipped to be on the panel. The name of the ninth member was unknown.
Mr Wissanu said the panel is expected to hand its list of Senate candidates to the NCPO for further selection on March 9.
He said those shortlisted would be drawn from reform-focused bodies like the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the now-defunct National Reform Council (NRC), and the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA).
No government officials or state workers would make the cut, he added.
Without providing names, Gen Prawit said yesterday the panel would be made up exclusively of NCPO members, with no active military officers among its ranks.
After receiving the list of 400 names, the NCPO will pick 194 to join the 50 who have already been shortlisted, in a process supervised by the Election Commission. The other six places will be occupied by leaders of the armed forces, including the supreme commander, defence permanent secretary, and the national police chief.
