Nåværende statsminister Prayuth sin fraksjon mister posisjoner og makt da kongen har satt inn offiserer som kongen selv stoler på i toppstillinger. Dette er et tegn på at kongen ønsker være mer tydelig med tanke på egen makt fremover. De offiserer som er satt inn i relevante posisjoner kommer alle fra den delen av forsvaret kongen selv hadde sin militære bakgrunn og som antas å være lojale mot kongen.
Det uttales også at forskyvningen i den militære balansen er et klart signal om at den delen av militæret som sto bak kuppet sist ikke har noen plass i det militær-politiske landskapet og vil minske deres innflytelse fremover.
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All the king's men: Thai military power shifts away from Prayuth
Monarch's faith in rival faction sends clear message to coup leaders
BANGKOK -- When diplomats in Bangkok meet Thailand's military top brass, they look for clues on where officers stand in the context of royal protocol. One sign is easy to spot: the image of Prince Dipangkorn, the king's 14-year-old son. It is pinned on the left breasts of a select few military leaders' deep-green uniforms, alongside their service ribbons.
Among those who currently sport the pin is the hawkish army commander in chief, Gen. Apirat Kongsompong. "Only a small network of people is allowed to wear it," said one Western diplomat after a meeting with Apirat, who is described by many foreign envoys as "fiercely loyal to the king."
The pins and the list of those who wear them reveal not only allegiances but also a major change in the relationship between two of Thailand's most powerful institutions -- the monarchy and the military -- early in the reign of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. Understanding this shift is vital for gauging where the country might be headed after its seemingly endless cycle of coups.
Seasoned observers and political insiders say the new king has placed his faith in the senior generals of the King's Guard, a Bangkok-based faction that boasts a rich army pedigree. This, notably, is not the faction of Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the military takeover in 2014 that installed a junta, and who just secured a second term as prime minister after the first general election in eight years.
Another official who wears the princely badge of loyalty is Gen. Narongphan Jitkaewthae, commander of the First Army region and the man considered Apirat's likely successor in the annual military reshuffle in 2020. Both men hail from the King's Guard, as does the current leader of the Bangkok-based 1st Infantry Division, Gen. Songwit Noongpakdee, who is expected to follow Narongphan.
Put simply, the King's Guard looks set to hold sway over the military for the coming decade.
Defense analysts say the monarch's choice of trusted lieutenants stems from his own military record. As crown prince, he entered the King's Guard in the 1970s, going on to serve in counterinsurgency operations. He subsequently ventured into the air force, another source of loyalists, headed by former Air Chief Marshall Sathitpong Sukwimol -- now the king's private secretary.
All this has broader implications as the country transitions from five years of military rule to a quasi-civilian government. It affirms a new military pecking order, more than a decade after the competing Queen's Guard eclipsed the King's Guard's influence over the troops.
The architect of the Queen's Guard's dominance was Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, who was promoted to army chief in 2004. Using his extensive connections within the military and the political class, he laid the groundwork for promoting generals from his faction.
The Queen's Guard soldiers are elite troops of the 21st Infantry Regiment, within the 2nd Infantry Division, also dubbed the Eastern Tigers. They are based in the province of Prachin Buri, east of Bangkok. Prayuth is one of the standard-bearers of the Queen's Guard, as were four of the six army chiefs over the last 12 years.
The message to the military clique that has overshadowed Thai politics since 2004 -- carrying out one coup in 2014 and supporting another in 2006 -- is obvious. "This marks a further effort to dismantle the influence of the Queen's Guard's Eastern Tigers as having no place in the military-political landscape," Sunai said.