BANGKOK: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin (pic left) said on Monday (July 8) that he will meet his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim (pic right) in a southern border province on Aug 3, but does not know exactly which one yet.
One of the three provinces in the deep South – Yala, Pattani or Narathiwat – would serve as a meeting venue.
“My team is making arrangements,” he added.
Though Srettha did not say exactly what is on the meeting’s agenda, he said it is expected that both sides will discuss the option of negotiating peace with the insurgency groups that Malaysia has been mediating with.
As for stepped-up crackdowns on drug trafficking, Srettha said he will visit Udon Thani soon to observe the operation of blocking the movement of narcotics across the border. National Police chief Pol General Torsak Sukvimol will accompany Srettha on this visit.
The PM said Torsak met him at Government House on Monday (July 8) morning to discuss several issues, ranging from the suppression of the smuggling of narcotics and contraband items to online gambling.
Separately, the PM said the police chief did not confirm media speculation that he will resign before his mandatory retirement on Sept 30. Srettha reinstated Torsak to the post of police commissioner-general last month after suspending him and his deputy, Pol General Surachate Hakparn, from duty early this year.
While Torsak was reinstated, Surachate was dismissed from police service in April over alleged links to an online gambling network.
After Surachate’s dismissal, former national police chief, Pol General Seripisut Temiyavej filed a lawsuit against Srettha for allegedly unlawfully appointing Torsak as National Police chief.
However, Seripisut quickly withdrew this lawsuit and it is rumoured that former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister Yingluck had told him to do so.
When asked to comment on this rumour, Srettha said he did not know about this because he had never discussed Seripisut’s lawsuit with either Thaksin or Yingluck. He said he did not know Seripisut personally either.
Meanwhile, the PM dismissed concerns that the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) would not have enough in its coffers to allocate 170 billion baht to help the government finance its 500-billion baht digital wallet scheme.
He said the government committee in charge of the project was in close contact with the BAAC on the allocation, adding that once the funding has been finalised, it is normal for the government to seek the Council of State’s opinion.
“We seek the Council of State’s opinion on every issue anyway,” Srettha said. - The Nation/ANN
