Udomdej defends top military brass selection process
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Deputy Defence Minister and outgoing Army chief General Udomdej Sitabutr insisted on Monday that the proposed promotion of top military brass - including the new Army chief - had been carefully vetted before being sent to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Udomdej said the promoted officers were proven performers.
He said senior military officials usually followed directives given to them by their bosses.
“I think any one appointed can feel proud to take a top military post in their last working years before reaching retirement,’ said Udomdej. “But more than being proud is the prestigious duty ahead – to take care of the people and maintain peace and order.”
Udomdej said the vetting committee submitted the promotion list to the Defence Ministry, which passed it on to the prime minister.
He denied last week’s deadly Bangkok bomb attack played play a role in the decision-making process.
“The incident did happen when we struggling [with the reshuffle] but we had been working on the list for a period of time,” he said.
He played down the notion the prime minister could change a name on the list, saying the PM would only propose the names for royal endorsement because the committee’s authority was jointly shared with the defence minister, the deputy ministers, and military chiefs.
“It followed our procedures. Every committee member has to certify the list. That’s a common process,” he said.
“There’s actually no fun taking top posts as they come with responsibilities and people highly expect you to excel.”
