Thai PM-elect names veterans to cabinet, hoping to bring 'confidence'

Thailand's prime minister-elect on Saturday named the former Treasury Department head, the top oil and gas executive and a respected diplomat to run the finance, energy, and foreign ministries, saying his first cabinet picks would “bring confidence” to a country shaken by political and economic upheaval.

Anutin Charnvirakul, a shrewd dealmaker and mainstay of Thai politics throughout years of turmoil, was elected prime minister on Friday, capping off days of drama and a scramble for power during which he outmaneuvered the most successful political party in Thailand's history.

He said diplomat Sihasak Phuangketkeow, economist Ekniti Nitithanprapas and energy giant PTT executive Auttapol Rerkpiboon were "top executives in the organisations they will be responsible for".

Ekniti is a finance ministry official who was once seen as a candidate for central bank governor while Auttapol helmed the country's largest company, the state-owned energy firm, PTT Group.

Thailand's foreign service will see former permanent secretary Sihasak return as minister as a fragile truce with neighbouring Cambodia holds after a border clash flared into a five-day conflict that left at least 43 dead in July.

The appointments, which become official after receiving royal approval, come at a crucial time for Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, where growth has been lagging regional peers amid months of political instability.

'NO SEEKING REVENGE'

Anutin's rout of rival contender Chaikasem Nitisiri on Friday was a humiliation for the ruling Pheu Thai party, the populist juggernaut of influential billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra, who left Thailand late on Thursday.

The political crisis was triggered in June by Anutin's withdrawal from Pheu Thai's alliance, followed by last week's dismissal by a Thai court of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin's daughter and protege.

Anutin, a conservative with a pull across party lines, won power after forging a pact with the progressive opposition People's Party, the largest force in parliament, obtaining its support with promises to hold a referendum on amending the constitution and call an election within four months.

He urged unity late on Friday, saying all sides had to work together to "move our country forward in the speed that could compensate the opportunities that were lost" and that the government would "strictly enforce the law".

"There will be no helping hands to anyone, it will not be used to abuse anyone, and there will be no seeking of revenge on anyone."