Updated: Changing chairs

Amid rumors that Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha has had some potential military challengers transferred out of Bangkok bases, the promotions list has little in it that is a surprise.

The new commanders were as predicted. Gen Apirat Kongsompong, a close ally of The Dictator and having “graduated” from the king’s “training,” is the new army chief. He remains “secretary to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and commander of its peace-keeping forces.”

The Defense Ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, Gen Nat Intaracharoen, was promoted to permanent secretary and Gen Pornpipat Benyasri moved up a notch to become commander at Armed Forces Headquarters. Royal Thai Navy deputy commander Adm Luechai Rudditalso moves up a level to be commander and at the Royal Thai Air Force, assistant commander ACM Chaiyapruk Ditsayasarin became commander.

They all take over their positions on 1 October and, if all goes to plan, Gen Apirat will be in place until 2020.

The Bangkok Post’s composite picture, clipped below, shows all of them with the king’s required haircut.

Update: The Bangkok Post’s story has been expanded, stressing loyalty as the key to promotions. We can’t recall when this wasn’t the case, but loyalty to who is usually the question. Gen Prem Tinsulanonda spent a lot of effort on getting his “loyalists” in place from at least the 1980s. It was Thaksin Shinawatra who unsettled that. Loyalty today seems to be to Prayuth, the junta and the king. Interestingly, the Post’s new story has a photo of Apirat prior to his “palace training” and his loyalist haircut.