Bangkok Post REPORTERS
The lightning transfer of Virachai Plasai, chief of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department and a chief negotiator in the Preah Vihear row with Cambodia, is related to his role in the CTX bomb scanners investigation, not his handling of the temple dispute, sources at the ministry said. Mr Virachai was said to have refused a demand by certain politicians who wanted to see classified documents in the CTX case, unless they provided a written request since the documents would be used in court.
As head of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, he supervised the translation for some CTX documents at the request of the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC).
The ASC is to conclude the case, which implicated former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit and 20 other officials in alleged graft, on Monday.
The sources said the reaction of Mr Virachai to the politicians' demands was in line with state regulations on the handling of classified documents, which requires transparency.
The transfer of Mr Virachai to an inactive post, which took immediate effect, is believed to have dealt a blow to the negotiations on Preah Vihear with Cambodia, they said.
The transfer also caused a stir at the ministry. Mr Virachai had gained the respect of officials who regarded him as knowledgeable on the Preah Vihear issue.
Mr Virachai is a legal official who has expertise in both French language and law. He earned a doctorate in law from France.
His proficiency in French gave him an advantage as a negotiator with Cambodia since many documents are written in French. He was on his way to Cambodia with permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul on Tuesday to discuss the Preah Vihear issue with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.
The abrupt transfer contradicted a statement by Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama who had dismissed speculation that he would carry out a mid-term reshuffle at the ministry, saying that he planned to do it in October when more than 10 ambassadors were due to retire. Mr Noppadon was unavailable for comment yesterday.
As head of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department, he supervised the translation for some CTX documents at the request of the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC).
The ASC is to conclude the case, which implicated former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit and 20 other officials in alleged graft, on Monday.
The sources said the reaction of Mr Virachai to the politicians' demands was in line with state regulations on the handling of classified documents, which requires transparency.
The transfer of Mr Virachai to an inactive post, which took immediate effect, is believed to have dealt a blow to the negotiations on Preah Vihear with Cambodia, they said.
The transfer also caused a stir at the ministry. Mr Virachai had gained the respect of officials who regarded him as knowledgeable on the Preah Vihear issue.
Mr Virachai is a legal official who has expertise in both French language and law. He earned a doctorate in law from France.
His proficiency in French gave him an advantage as a negotiator with Cambodia since many documents are written in French. He was on his way to Cambodia with permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul on Tuesday to discuss the Preah Vihear issue with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An.
The abrupt transfer contradicted a statement by Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama who had dismissed speculation that he would carry out a mid-term reshuffle at the ministry, saying that he planned to do it in October when more than 10 ambassadors were due to retire. Mr Noppadon was unavailable for comment yesterday.
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