By Thai Newsroom Reporters
PRIME MINISTER PAETONGTARN Shinawatra today (June 30) pledged to manage to “export” Thailand’s soft power worldwide with herself taking the culture portfolio in a new cabinet lineup whilst being likely suspended by court from running the country as head of government.
Paetongtarn, daughter of de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, who is largely speculated to be ordered by the Constitutional Court to stop performing as prime minister as of tomorrow (July 1) pending a court ruling on her alleged breach of political ethics and lack of evident honesty whilst handling Thai-Cambodian border conflict confirmed without elaborating that she will definitely push for the planned upgrading and promotion of Thailand’s soft power to the extent that it be “exported” to the world.
An estimated 5.1 billion baht in government budget had been allocated by a previous Pheu Thai-led government to finance Paetongtarn’s soft-power development scheme which has not yet shown substantial progress since.
The woman prime minister confirmed that the Ministry of Culture of which she is being in charge will definitely carry out soft power development alongside the country’s tourism and sports promotion projects.
In case that Thaksin’s daughter was ordered by court to stop running the country as head of government from tomorrow, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, viewed as Thaksin’s right-hand man, would almost certainly become a caretaker prime minister pending the court verdict anticipated in about a couple of months on an impeachment case filed against her by senators. Phumtham is largely expected to take the interior portfolio in concurrent fashion.
That Thaksin’s daughter has assumed the culture portfolio in the latest ministerial reshuffle was an obvious ploy to keep herself in the Pheu Thai-led cabinet, Thammasat University law lecturer Prinya Thaewanarumitkul remarked.
Nevertheless, Pheu Thai MP Chaikasem Nitisiri would probably be named prime minister in place of Paetongtarn if the latter was finally deprived of her prime-ministerial status at the order of the Constitutional Court, Prinya forecast.
Paetongtarn could probably be found guilty of violating the ethical code and doing without evident honesty after she had been viewed as being overly naive and submissive to Cambodian leader Hun Sen during their private telephone conversation which has been eventually exposed to the public, thus deemed detrimental to Thailand’s territorial integrity, interests and national prestige.
Given the fact that the neo-conservative Pheu Thai remains core of the current coalition, Thaksin would almost certainly keep the elected premiership to his camp instead of leaving it to any coalition partners including the disintegrating, ultra-conservative Ruam Thai Sang Chart, according to the Thammasat academic.
Chaikasem is one of a trio of Pheu Thai contestants for prime minister during 2023’s general election in addition to former prime minister Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn.
CAPTIONS:
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Top photo: Amarin TV, Front Page photo: Thai Rath
Insert: Phue Thai MP Chaikasem Nitisiri playing golf last Thursday, June 26, 2025. Photo: Thai Rath
Also read: Paetongtarn fears court suspension as PM, plans to take culture portfolio
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