Under Section 44, which grants absolute powers to the military junta, General Prayuth Chan Ocha suspended Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra from office on Aug 25. The former governor had been plagued by accusations of corruption and had drawn the ire of flooded Bangkokians for his perceived lack of empathy. He famously suggested they should go live in the mountains if they can’t live with the occasional flood.

 

Today, the PM named Sukhumbhand’s successor by promoting one of the governor’s four deputies, Pol Gen Asawin Kwanmuang, who was in charge of the city’s law enforcement and disaster response. Back in Mar 2013, Pol Gen Aswin objected to his appointment as deputy governor when Sukhumbhand approached him, saying his only competence is police work. "MR Sukhumbhand told him 'the new job is nothing but police affairs,'" wrote the Bangkok Post.

 

As the boss of the city's tessakit force (the municipal officers who police our sidewalks), Pol Gen Aswin evicted the Pak Klong Talad vendors. It was but one of the many evictions to take place in Bangkok since the military junta took over: the Mahakan Fort Community, the sidewalks of Silom, Soi 38 and Siam Square. The communities along the river who will be affected by the BMA’s controversial river promenade could be next.

 

The appointment of Pol Gen Aswin raises concerns as to what the BMA’s priorities are: urban planning or law enforcement? 

 

"I believe there are high expectations of me,” Pol Gen Aswin, who is a father of three, said in his Mar 2013 interview with the Bangkok Post. "I've already achieved much in my police career and family life, so now I will devote myself to serving society."

 

---

See also: Bangkok's disappearing communities in the face of rapid urban development