BANGKOK — The highlight of the political events on Friday, August 16, should have been solely about Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, age 37, receiving an overwhelming 319 votes of approval from the MPs to become the 31st Prime Minister. However, the spotlight also turned to Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, aka “Big Pom,” leader of the Palang Pracharath Party.
It wasn’t because he was one of the two people, along with Chalerm Yubamrung, an old politician with internal issues with the Pheu Thai Party, who didn’t participate in the vote. Rather, it was because he displayed what appeared to be an angry reaction and used his hand to hit the head of a Thai PBS television reporter twice and loudly said, “What are you asking!” when asked, “How have you been following the Prime Minister election voting?”
As he was limping to get into his car, he lowered the window and asked the reporter what they wanted to ask. The reporter inquired about his view on Ms. Paetongtarn being elected as the Prime Minister. He responded, ‘Oh! I don’t know what you’re asking about,’ before the car drove away.
That evening, Thai PBS, the media organization of this female reporter, and the Thai Journalists Association (TJA) issued statements defending the professional ethics of journalism and calling for Gen. Prawit to take responsibility for his intimidating actions towards the reporter.
Subsequently, a team from the Palang Pracharath Party leader’s office came out to explain that Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan had called a female TV reporter whom he had hit on the head earlier in the day to explain that he didn’t mean to do it and had no ill intentions. He said that he usually jokes around and teases reporters he’s familiar with.
On August 17, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand and the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association issued a follow-up statement. They stated that after careful consideration, it was clear from the video clip that this was an angry and threatening gesture towards the reporter asking interview questions at that time, which goes beyond normal playful interaction as claimed, and they are trying to put an end to this incident.
If society lets such incidents pass, as has happened before with cases of disparaging remarks about journalists’ educational backgrounds, it will result in devaluing the role of the media.
“Therefore, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission of Thailand and the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association will file for an ethical investigation, as such actions may be a serious violation of ethical standards according to at least two clauses of the Code of Ethics for Members of the House of Representatives and Committees B.E. 2563 (2020):
Clause 12: Must respect the rights and personal freedoms of others, not display inappropriate gestures or use impolite language. Clause 13: Must not show threatening behavior, harbor grudges, or use physical force against others.
This is to uphold the dignity of the duties of members of the House of Representatives of the Thai people and to continue protecting the duties of the media,” the statement said.
Gen. Prawit, age 79, the former commander-in-chief of the Royal Thai Army during 2004-2005, was a deputy junta leader who helped Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha oust the Yingluck Shinawatra government in 2014. “The Big Brother Pom” then held the position of Deputy Prime Minister.
He became widely noticed for wearing luxury watches while posing for cabinet photos, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, which allowed people to clearly see the watch brand. This led to questions about whether he had declared this asset to the National Anti-Corruption Commission. At that time, his explanation, which was widely mocked, was that this watch was ‘borrowed from a friend.’
The NACC gave Gen. Prawit until 8 January 2018 to clarify why some Prawit assets, such as the 18 luxury watches that had been identified at the time, were not listed on his mandatory asset declarations when he took office after the 2014 coup d’état. However, no investigation results were disclosed after that.
In 2022, he briefly became Acting Prime Minister of Thailand for 37 days after Prayut was briefly suspended from carrying out his duties as Prime Minister of Thailand by the Constitutional Court of Thailand.
It is believed that from his position as acting Prime Minister, he separated his political party from Gen. Prayut’s in the 2023 election, with his name as a Prime Minister candidate for the Palang Pracharath Party. However, this resulted in the support for the two parties being divided, leading to fewer MP seats (Palang Pracharath Party with 40 seats and United Thai Nation Party with 36 seats), and they became coalition parties in the Pheu Thai Party’s government.
This defeat led him to not appear or participate in any way with the new government, instead letting his younger brother, Pol. Gen. Patcharawat Wongsuwan, deputy party leader, and Col. Thammanat Prompao, party secretary-general, lead the party in joining the government.
Since Srettha Thavisin became Prime Minister on August 22, 2023, Gen. Prawit has never attended a meeting to vote in support of the government in parliament or attended any party with the Pheu Thai Party even once.
In the case where Srettha was petitioned by 40 senators to the Constitutional Court for disqualification from his position, he was accused by many, including Thaksin Shinawatra, of being behind this movement, as he was still a Prime Minister candidate in the coalition party.
However, when the coalition parties voted to approve Ms. Paetongtarn Shinawatra as the youngest Prime Minister in Thai history on August 16, Gen. Prawit instead hosted a celebration party for athletes who had participated in the Paris Olympics 2024, in his capacity as the President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand.
After the party, when reporters asked about the results of the vote supporting Ms. Paetongtarn, he showed displeasure, raised his hand, and struck and harmed the female reporter.
Plodprasop Suraswadi, former Deputy Prime Minister during the Yingluck Shinawatra government, posted on Facebook on August 17 saying, “Mr. Pom, please consider resigning as an MP.”
He said that he is the same age as Gen. Prawit, just a month older, so he understands Gen. Prawit’s emotions well. When people are very old, they become easily irritated, quick to anger, sensitive, and don’t like to be pestered. When the reporter asked a question that hit a sore spot, he exploded emotionally, which, judging from the image, was excessively aggressive.
“As a friend and with good intentions, along with requests from some friends from your old high school, they asked me, who was also a former Deputy Prime Minister like you, to suggest that you step away from politics. Resign as an MP. Just overseeing the Five Provinces Forest Charity is honorable enough. If you want someone to help, I’ll volunteer because you know that I’m very knowledgeable about this work,” Plodprasop said.
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