Yongyuth resigns from cabinet
Yongyuth Wichaidit announced his resignation from the cabinet on Friday, resigning from the positions of deputy prime minister and interior minister in the face of mounting pressure over the controversial Alpine land case.
- Published: 28/09/2012 at 04:28 PM
- Writer: Online Reporters
His resignation is effective on Oct 1, 2012. He remains Pheu Thai Party leader and party list MP.
"I made the decision some time back to quit the cabinet," Mr Yongyuth said at a press briefing
He refused to say who would be succeed him in the two positions.
"The succession issue will be discussed after Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra returns from New York, " Mr Yongyuth said. The prime minister is attending the UN General Assembly.
A party source said PM's Office Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan is tipped to be acting deputy prime minister and interior minister until there is a cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Yongyuth sent a signal that he might resign when he did not attend the cabinet meeting on Tuesday. His move came after the opposition threatened to censure him.
Noppadon Pattama, legal adviser of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said before Mr Yongyuth made the announcement that the Pheu Thai leader had decided to step down from the cabinet.
Thaksin did not pressure Mr Yongyuth to resign, Mr Noppadon added.
The Pheu Thai source said Thaksin told Mr Yongyuth that he did not mind if he wanted to stay on and Ms Yingluck also wanted him to remain in the cabinet.
Pressure has mounted on Mr Yongyuth since the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) found him guilty of malfeasance in office in ten years ago.
According to the NACC, he acted unlawfully in his handling of the Alpine land case, approving the illegal sale of monastic land, while deputy permanent secretary for the interior and acting permanent secretary in 2002.
The ministry's committee decided to expel him, with the expulsion order retroactively taking effect from Sept 30, 2002.
However, the committee has reportedly claimed that the expulsion is also retroactively overruled by the 2007 Exoneration Act, even though Mr Yongyuth has served no punishment.
Share your thoughts
- Discussion 1 : 29/09/2012 at 01:00 AM
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"Mr Yongyuth sent a signal that he might resign when he did not attend the cabinet meeting on Tuesday".
So we can look forward to the puppet PM's and most of PTP MP's resignations soon too as most of them rarely attends cabinet meetings unless they recieve a direct order from Dubai?
- Discussion 2 : 28/09/2012 at 10:41 PM
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Mr Yongyuth sent a signal that he might resign when he did not attend the cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
I didn’t know that anyone actually bothered turning up to these events. Apparently, they do...
- Discussion 3 : 28/09/2012 at 10:36 PM
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genii # 1, "dignity, The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect." Don't use words you do not comprehend. (sent 22.35hrs)
- Discussion 4 : 28/09/2012 at 10:24 PM
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Sorry, but is Noppadon the only person on this planet who knows how to use a microphone or has the power of speech? Why is he always the quotable-quote on any and every issue? Does he get paid by the word?
- Discussion 5 : 28/09/2012 at 10:18 PM
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Disc11 - All Peua Thai have to do to stay in power is stop employing criminals and stay within the law... (It might be nice if they formulated a successful policy too - 14 months and still waiting)
Sadly that looks like a stretch for them.
- Discussion 6 : 28/09/2012 at 09:55 PM
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Yongyuth has to leave in an attempt to keep the fugitive out of yet another corruption scandal. However he will be paid off well by his dear leader, maybe a cut from the corrupt rice pledging scheme?
- Discussion 7 : 28/09/2012 at 09:50 PM
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genii # 1, "dignity, The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect." Don't use words you do not comprehend.
- Discussion 8 : 28/09/2012 at 09:46 PM
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How could Thaksin say anything or even pressure Yongyuth as the fugitive isn't involved in Thai politics any more.
I don't think Yongyuth has found his dignity (D#1). He just wants to avoid more trouble, wants to avoid details of other little deals surfacing, that's all.
- Discussion 9 : 28/09/2012 at 09:39 PM
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Genii: Your post seems incomplete. Let me complete it - "a man with dignity" would have immediately resigned or at least stood down upon being investigated (let alone found guilty) so as not to bring himself, his office, the parliament, and his party into disrepute.
- Discussion 10 : 28/09/2012 at 09:31 PM
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Now that it has been confirmed that he is a criminal,like most other PTP MP's,and that he has illegally occupied both seats as IM and DPM,make sure that he pays back his salary and delete him from the Government Pension list.
D1 : Do you condone malfeasance,corruption and general crime by the elected leaders and officials?
- Discussion 11 : 28/09/2012 at 09:22 PM
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Sorry, genii, this isn't a man with dignity. It's a man that finally resigned because his feet were over the fire. I hope the truth will be found out about his involvement in the Alpine case as well as allowing rampant illegal clear cutting in his home province. And suffer the consequences as needed.
- Discussion 12 : 28/09/2012 at 08:32 PM
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@Genii,
You are a little mixed up with "honourable", which means that the person resigns because he or she acknowledges that he or she did the wrong thing, or this case where the man had to be kicked in the stomach multiple times before he finally caved in.
- Discussion 13 : 28/09/2012 at 08:23 PM
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Forget the resigning and a man with dignity what about the comment Thaksin did not pressure him.Come on this is getting beyond a joke.Why do I feel we are being prepared by these remarks now being used openly for a pardon and return of Mr T.
By the way how can it be with dignity the man has been caught out.
- Discussion 14 : 28/09/2012 at 08:02 PM
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Alpine land scandal.... Ups, this land also ended up in the hands Mr & Mrs (former) T.
- Discussion 15 : 28/09/2012 at 07:36 PM
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A surprising but welcome move.
- Discussion 16 : 28/09/2012 at 07:28 PM
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He will not be sorely missed.
- Discussion 17 : 28/09/2012 at 07:19 PM
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All I can say to Yongyuth is you were there longer than you should have ever been allowed. Sayonara and turn the lights off on the way out
- Discussion 18 : 28/09/2012 at 07:08 PM
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Mark and his ilk must be having a grand party over this resignation. They tried very hard to bring down YL, Kittirat, and recently Bangkok police chief without any success. Now go ahead and bring down some more people so you can become government again.
- Discussion 19 : 28/09/2012 at 06:55 PM
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Right decision - although a long time coming. Must have been really tough because of the loss of face issues etc. I do not expect him to the party leader for long, as he has fulfilled his usefulness. In his position I would perhaps have expected a little more from Khun Thaksin than - do not mind if he stays on - as it implies an unspoken - but do not care if he goes. One suspects just another addition to the long list of the used
- Discussion 20 : 28/09/2012 at 06:37 PM
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Long overdue, perhaps the PM should follow and then arrest the man in Dubai, as he was involved in the Alpine case too
- Discussion 21 : 28/09/2012 at 06:34 PM
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"The fugitive did not pressure Yongyuth to resign, Noppadon added." Yet another little white lie by the regime.
- Discussion 22 : 28/09/2012 at 06:23 PM
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"A man with dignity." If dignity means kicking and screaming until finally being forced to resign. So he is guilty of corruption, but he remains Pheu Thai Party leader and party list MP. Amazing Thailand.
- Discussion 23 : 28/09/2012 at 06:23 PM
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"Thaksin told Mr Yongyuth that he did not mind if he wanted to stay on"
How wrong is this statement.
1) It's quite open that Thaksin controls all aspects of government
2) He was quite happy for the man to stay in the position even though it goes against all decent standards and ethics of a democratic government.
Mind you, Kittiratt has done it so why not ?.
- Discussion 24 : 28/09/2012 at 06:17 PM
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Disc1 Genii - "A man with dignity."
You DID read the story, right?
"guilty of malfeasance"... You DID read that part, didn't you? Or did you skip over that in order to find a way to spin it so that Peua Thai can feel proud of yet another criminal in their ranks?
- Discussion 25 : 28/09/2012 at 06:06 PM
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Disc 1. dignity? He's a rich man who clearly felt he wasn't bound by the law while in office and whitens his hair to give an appearance of dignity and wisdom. No wonder young Thais feel honesty and true leadership don't pay and that nice guys run last.
- Discussion 26 : 28/09/2012 at 06:04 PM
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Despite what has been stated, He is a liability so he was told to go. Unfortunately he will remain a dangerous liability because of his corrupt actions with the Alpine saga.
- Discussion 27 : 28/09/2012 at 05:51 PM
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this man shoukd never been given a high profile job as deputy PM in the first place his background and ethics are questionable,obviously he was selected by the fugitive who himself is on the run from the law and is awaiting a prison sentence for his abuse of power,he is a businessman no one can deny but he isnt a politixan he hasnt the intergrity or morale standing, and lacks ethics
- Discussion 28 : 28/09/2012 at 05:44 PM
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A man with dignity.
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