In the “tradition” of dullards and political allies, the new boss of the Army is Gen Apirat Kongsompong, son of the corrupt 1991 coup leader Gen Sunthorn Kongsompong. For more on the 1991 coup, see PDFs here and here.
As a political ally of The Dictator and Deputy Dictator, Gen Apirat has vowed to “strengthen the army…”. We hadn’t noticed it had weakened. In fact, it is the most significant and best armed political “party” in the country.
Gen Apirat was speaking at one of those dopey loyalty ceremonies that the brass love so much and where he made sure to express “his great gratitude to His Majesty the King for appointing him…”. And that seems a real rather than mechanical genuflection. Being a military man himself, the king matters in deciding who leads the military.
Gen Apirat gladly accepted the expanded role of the army that the junta has provided it.
He praised “the empowerment of the army, which has leading roles in solving major problems affecting national security and order and is always ready to be there for people…”. Gen Apirat means that the military will continue to play the leading role in controlling the country and its politics.
Gen Apirat has played a significant role in defeating and demobilizing the red shirts following the 2014 coup. He is described as “one of the movers of the May 22, 2014 coup when he supervised the 1st Division, King’s Guard, which was a key unit in the putsch.”
Political Prisoners in Thailand 