THANIDA TANSUBHAPOL
The recent removal of a senior officer from the Foreign Ministry might not be so glaring if the person removed was not widely-respected Virachai Plasai, chief of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department and a chief negotiator in the dispute involving Preah Vihear temple, which Cambodia wants to register as a World Heritage site. Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said the ministry was handling many issues, and he wanted to put the right the man in the right job to ensure good ''coordination with the minister''.
That explanation has raised questions because Mr Virachai is highly respected in the ministry for his academic background and French language proficiency. In the government's talks with Cambodia over the temple, those skills have proven essential, as most of the documents are in French.
He also earned his degrees, from bachelor's to a doctorate in law from France.
Ministry officials were shocked to learn about the transfer. Many said they were baffled by the minister's remark that he wanted to put the right man in the right job, because they already had him _ Mr Virachai.
''Although Mr Virachai is strict with staff in preparing documents for any negotiations, he has taught his staff a good deal,'' said one official who asked not to be named.
In an unprecedented personal letter, permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul wrote to staff at the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department on Wednesday, one day after Mr Virachai's lightning transfer.
The letter was copied and distributed around the ministry.
The permanent secretary said he was proud to have worked with Mr Virachai, especially in the negotiations over borderlines with Laos and Cambodia.
Mr Virachai had performed well in the talks.
The Thai delegation comprising staff from the ministry and other agencies were proud that Thailand had such a good ambassador, who worked hard to protect Thai sovereignty and the national interest.
''I believe in his discretion and integrity. I'm confident that Mr Virachai will also succeed in his new job [as a legal adviser to the permanent secretary and over the ministry's human resources],'' said Mr Virasakdi.
With all that praise, the formal reason for transferring Mr Virachai to become ambassador attached to the ministry looks odd.
Ministry sources say Mr Virachai's lightning transfer was probably due to his refusal to share a classified document from the CTX bomb-detector case with certain politicians, who wanted to see the document to help former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the alleged corruption scandal.
A source from the army believed the transfer was related instead to Mr Virachai's resistance to political pressure applied in the Preah Vihear negotiations.
According to the source, Mr Virachai was pressured to compromise Thailand's interests in the Preah Vihear temple dispute in exchange for a deal where Thailand would take a larger area in the Thai-Cambodian Joint Development Area _ a deal which would benefit certain politicians. But he refused to yield.
If these rumours are true, these politicians have betrayed the people, the nation, and gone against the oath they took in front of the King. The explanation for Mr Virachai's sudden transfer looks highly suspect _ so what is going on?
That explanation has raised questions because Mr Virachai is highly respected in the ministry for his academic background and French language proficiency. In the government's talks with Cambodia over the temple, those skills have proven essential, as most of the documents are in French.
He also earned his degrees, from bachelor's to a doctorate in law from France.
Ministry officials were shocked to learn about the transfer. Many said they were baffled by the minister's remark that he wanted to put the right man in the right job, because they already had him _ Mr Virachai.
''Although Mr Virachai is strict with staff in preparing documents for any negotiations, he has taught his staff a good deal,'' said one official who asked not to be named.
In an unprecedented personal letter, permanent secretary Virasakdi Futrakul wrote to staff at the Treaties and Legal Affairs Department on Wednesday, one day after Mr Virachai's lightning transfer.
The letter was copied and distributed around the ministry.
The permanent secretary said he was proud to have worked with Mr Virachai, especially in the negotiations over borderlines with Laos and Cambodia.
Mr Virachai had performed well in the talks.
The Thai delegation comprising staff from the ministry and other agencies were proud that Thailand had such a good ambassador, who worked hard to protect Thai sovereignty and the national interest.
''I believe in his discretion and integrity. I'm confident that Mr Virachai will also succeed in his new job [as a legal adviser to the permanent secretary and over the ministry's human resources],'' said Mr Virasakdi.
With all that praise, the formal reason for transferring Mr Virachai to become ambassador attached to the ministry looks odd.
Ministry sources say Mr Virachai's lightning transfer was probably due to his refusal to share a classified document from the CTX bomb-detector case with certain politicians, who wanted to see the document to help former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the alleged corruption scandal.
A source from the army believed the transfer was related instead to Mr Virachai's resistance to political pressure applied in the Preah Vihear negotiations.
According to the source, Mr Virachai was pressured to compromise Thailand's interests in the Preah Vihear temple dispute in exchange for a deal where Thailand would take a larger area in the Thai-Cambodian Joint Development Area _ a deal which would benefit certain politicians. But he refused to yield.
If these rumours are true, these politicians have betrayed the people, the nation, and gone against the oath they took in front of the King. The explanation for Mr Virachai's sudden transfer looks highly suspect _ so what is going on?
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