“Anutin” explains the suggestions to the Chiang Rai governor, admitting that he will not be in the flood relief area in August, doing it for a reason, asking society not to bully him because he is focused on his work, emphasizing personal duties, no need to come to welcome him, revealing that there is no problem with the retirement period at the end of September, the deputy governor can work.
Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul spoke about the work of Chiang Rai Governor Putthipong Sirimat during his inspection of flooding in Chiang Rai last month, which led to criticism that he had never had a conflict with the Chiang Rai Governor. He said that he was just doing his job. This is the reason why the Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry is in Chiang Rai to solve the flooding problem at this time, to ensure that there are no problems or interruptions in the various orders.
When asked whether Putthipong had accepted the observation that he was not in Chiang Rai province on A
ugust 24 as proposed by Anutin through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Anutin said that if everything is done with reason, it will be over. This is a work matter, not a personal matter, because it is a matter of the people. As for personal matters, we will discuss them later. There is no problem.
When asked whether this case will no longer have problems, Mr. Anutin said that Mr. Putthipong will retire on September 30th and that the various observations he has made are reasonable and are principles that he uses to manage his work. He does not use emotions.
‘I can assure you that when I go somewhere, if it’s not a work mission, I don’t want anyone to welcome me because I have a high level of privacy. If they don’t inform me or invite me, it takes away my privacy and I don’t have fun. Please be assured that if you come, come because of your official duties, which are to work together. In the past, some people said that when the Interior Minister goes down, do the governors have to come to
welcome me too? There’s no such word as welcoming me, but the governors have to come to work with the Interior Minister. I was born in Bangkok, not in Nong Bua Lamphu or Satun. If I take you to work, the governor must take you to work. But if you want to go to Koh Lipe, you don’t have to come. So I want to create understanding. Don’t bully me. No matter how big it is, these days, there are no big ones. They are civil servants at level 10-11 who are considered important figures. Ministers must respect them and honor each other. I definitely have this,’ said Mr. Anutin.
When asked what Mr Putthipong would do if the situation did not improve, Mr Anutin said the new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and the Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) would have to be at the work site, and there would be deputy governors acting as caretakers.
As for the cabinet meeting on September 17, will there be a proposal to appoint a civil servant at the governor level of L
oei Province? Mr. Anutin said that there are still many things to consider, but there are no problems in terms of work because even in the incident that happened on August 24, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior confirmed that the Deputy Governor of Chiang Rai performed his duties well and was an expert in the area. He believes that every province will have a Deputy Governor 1 or 2, and it is not a new thing during the transition period. While waiting for the appointment, there will be someone acting. He confirmed that the work will definitely not be damaged.
Source: Thai News Agency