Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has defended his deputy, Prawit Wongsuwon, claiming the media created a fuss over the deputy premier's luxury accessories to cause division between them.
Gen Prawit, who also serves as the minister of defence, has been in the spotlight after a picture of him wearing a diamond ring and a luxury watch spread across news media and the internet last week. This caught the attention of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). It emerged that he had failed to report them in his declaration of assets and liabilities as required by the anti-graft agency.
Last week, Gen Prawit was asked to provide a written explanation to the NACC, clarifying how he came to be in possession of the watch and ring. The letter was expected to be submitted to the NACC yesterday.
However, Gen Prawit has so far failed to comply. Apparently, his letter remains with the Office of the Minister of Defence due to the three-day holiday weekend.
At Government House yesterday, Gen Prayut said Gen Prawit did not need his moral support and could handle the issue himself.
"He is a soldier and a grown man so he can take care of himself. We are not children," he said.
The premier warned the media over attacking Gen Prawit, saying the matter must be dealt in compliance with the judicial process.
"Many people target him and want him to be divided from me," he said.
"If nobody is beside me, I will tell you, I will be fiercer. I will fully exercise my power."
The focus on Gen Prawit comes at an inopportune time for the government. The PM claims that his administration has made significant steps to deal with corruption and is hopeful that Thailand's position on the corruption perception index (CPI) will improve this year. The kingdom is currently ranked 101 out of 176 countries.
Prime Minister Prayut said he has always instructed his subordinates and relevant authorities to work with transparency. He added that people can report any individuals or agencies found to be abusing their position in return for financial benefits.
As for corruption at the provincial level, Gen Prayut said probes will be launched against officials as long as the accusers have solid evidence.
Veera Somkwamkid, secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Network, wrote on Facebook yesterday that he had evidence that Gen Prawit had many luxury watches and rings which were not included in the asset declaration submitted to the NACC.
The NACC's job was to investigate how Gen Prawit came into possession of such expensive items, whether they were obtained after the coup in 2014 or could be traced back to his role in the Abhisit Vejjajiva government in 2009, he stated.
