From: kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th (Kamol Hengkietisak)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.thai
Subject: Bangkok Post Jan 28: Two-faced politician
Date: 27 Jan 93 17:30:00 GMT
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INDUSTRY Minister Sanan Kachornprasart is to be asked to make a 
final deicison on whether to accept the resignation of Mineral 
Resources Department Director-General Charoen Piencharoen.
 
Acting Permanent Secretary for Industry Visith Noiphan said he had 
received the resignation letter and would forward it on to Maj-Gen 
Sanan.
 
Mr Visith said yesterday Mr Charoen had opted not to take up his 
new position as inspector-general with the minstry from February 1 
and had tendered his resignation with effect from March 10.
 
Earlier yesterday Maj-Gen Sanan said he had instructed Mr Visith 
to stop Mr Charoen's resignation.
 
Maj-Gen Sanan reportedly wanted all along to transfer Mr Charoen, 
who suffers from paralysis from the waist down following a 
helicopter accident, but then Industry Permanent Secretary 
Sivavong Changkasiri had refused to expedite the matter.
 
Mr Sivavong was subsequently transferred to the Prime Minister's 
Office and Mr Visith appointed Acting Permanent Secretary finally 
carrid out Sanan's order for Mr Charoen's transfer.
 
Mr Visith said Mr Charoen had submitted a request to take leave as 
of yesterday until March 9 along with a resignation letter. The 
leave request was approved.
 
He said he personally did not want Mr Charoen to resign as the 
ministry had prepared for him to take charge of the computer 
information system at the ministry.
 
The acting permanent secretary said he had initiated the 
information centre detailing the development of all industries and 
development within each province for dissemination to investors.
 
Mr Visit said he had no ill-intent towards Mr Charoen and the 
position of inspector-general was an honorable one. Mr Charoen's 
transfer was not a demotion.
 
"I believe he is capable enough to handle this new assignment even 
though it is of a different nature from the work at the Mineral 
Resources Department. We still need more people to help process 
the work at the ministry. I don't want him to resign," he said.
 
Deputy Industry Minister Pornthep Techapaibul said the transfer of 
Mr Charoen was a normal event for an official who could not 
respond to the minister's policy.  
 
He said Maj-Gen Sanan's policy was to transfer anyone who could 
not comply with his policy within three months.
 
Maj-Gen Sanan said he had instructed Mr Visith to reject Mr 
Charoen's resignation letter.
 
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the transfer of Mr Charoen to 
inspector-general. He will be succeeded, effectively on February 
1, by Veerawat Bunyaketu who is currently a ministry 
inspector-general.
 
Mr Charoen immediately said he would tender his resignation to 
protest the transfer.
 
He said he did not understand why he had been transferred to a job 
which required travel when he was criticised for being disabled 
and being unable to travel outdoors to carry out his duties.
 
Maj-Gen Sanan said yesterday Mr Charoen did not have to travel 
outside the ministry in the new position as he would be assigned 
to supervise the computer information centre.
 
He could not appoint Mr Charoen to deputy permanent secretary 
because he was less senior to others in the ministry.
 
Mr Charoen insisted that Mr Sivavong, who has been removed to the 
Prime Minister's Office for refusing to transfer him as ordered by 
Maj-Gen Sanan, was a "man of principle". He also denied rumours he 
was associated with the Chart Thai Party.
 
Meanwhile the Council of Disabled Persons of Thailand is mustering 
international support after losing its fight to keep the disabled 
director-general of the Mineral Resources Department in his job.
 
The council last night sent a letter seeking support from the 
Disabled People International headquarters in Canada and its 
Asia-Pacific regional headquarters in Japan. 
 
"We want them to know that discrimination against disabled persons 
is still widespread in Thailand," said council chairman Narong 
Patibatsarakich.
 
"Many countries have successfully provided protection for the 
disabled, but Thailand has pretty much failed in this respect," he 
said.
 
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the transfer of Mineral Resources 
director-general Charoen Phiencharoen to the post of an 
inspector-general as requested by Industry Minister Sanan 
Kachornprasart.
 
The action ended months of controversy which started when Mr Sanan 
ordered permanent secretary Sivavong Changkasiri to transfer Mr 
Charoen. Mr Charoen became a paraplegic in a plane crash on one of 
his inspection trips several years ago. Mr Sivavong refused and 
was later transferred to an inactive post.
 
Yesterday, Mr Charoen tendered his resignation following the 
Cabinet's decision.
 
At the start of the controversy, Mr Sanan was widely reported in 
the media as citing Mr Charoen's disability as the reason for his 
request for the transfer. On Monday, he denied that Mr Charoen's 
disability had anything to do with the order.
 
"Maj-Gen Sanan is a person who forgets his own words," Mr Narong 
retorted. "I wonder if he still remembers his statement to the 
press that were Mr Charoen in the military, he would have been 
relieved of his duty because of his disability."
 
Politicians have the right to ensure that government policies are 
carried out, Mr Narong said.
 
"But the Government has not announced any policy on mineral 
resources, and there was no evidence that the director-general had 
done anything against it. [Disabled] legs can't be negligent of 
government policies," he said.
 
"The minister charged that Mr Charoen's disability prevented him 
from carrying out his work in a timely fashion. We challenge him 
to prove that that was the case."
 
The minister's action has caused the loss of qualified personnel, 
Mr Narong said. 
 
"He has the power by his position, but lacks the power of 
righteousness."
 
He said the UN's Decade for Disabled Persons proclaiming 
"equalisation of opportunities" ended last year. But it appears 
that the efforts were insufficient in changing public attitudes 
toward the disabled. As a result, the Bangkok-based Economic and 
Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific has mobilised about 30 
countries in Asia to jointly proclaim the second Decade for 
Disabled Persons to continue promoting the rights of the disabled.
 
Thailand lacks a law to protect the disabled against 
discrimination, Mr Narong said. Advocacy groups for disabled 
persons in Thailand had recommended a provision against 
discrimination in the law for the rehabilitation of disabled 
persons which was passed last year. But it was dropped in the 
legislative process, he said.