After challenging the party to sack him, veteran Pheu Thai MP Chalerm Yubamrung has been dropped from the party MPs’ Line group.
Pheu Thai party leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra admitted today that it was her decision to remove Chalerm from the MPs’ Line group, because she feels that, if she had sought consultation with MPs on how to deal with him, they would feel uneasy and would not be able to decide among themselves.
She told the media today that the first thing that came to her mind, when she learned about outspoken Chalerm’s outburst during his press conference yesterday, was that she does not want the party’s MPs to become demoralised or worried.
She added, however, that she is ready to talk with Chalerm, adding that they have no intention to dismiss him from the party.
In his press conference yesterday, Chalerm warned that, if he is sacked, his role in parliament will definitely change, because he would become independent and free from the party’s control.
“Please do not describe me as an independent opposition MP, just an independent Chalerm. I am a straightforward person. If I am sick, I will say that I am sick, and if I am not sick, I will not pretend to be sick,” he told reporters during a press conference held at his residence in Bangkok’s Bang Bon district.
Chalerm appears to be upset by the treatment of his son, Wan, by some heavyweights in the party, over his visit to Pol Lt-Gen Kamronwit Toopkrachang, a rival to the Pheu Thai’s candidate in the recent Pathum Thani Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) election.
Wan was reprimanded for lacking discipline over the visit during his meeting with Paetongtarn. He later quit the Pheu Thai party to join Palang Pracharath.
Chalerm said he and Wan went to visit Kamronwit and, since Kamronwit was defeated in the election, the issue should be over, but several Pheu Thai party members were disappointed by their visit and heavily criticised them for lacking discipline.
Asked whether he will take part in the debate against the government next week, Chalerm said he has to remain calm and discreet. “If I start to debate, I must have a knockout punch, unlike the debates in parliament these days,” he said.
Asked about his relationship with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Chalerm said their relationship has not broken yet, but he does not want to hear about him.
He claimed that he had been in regular by phone while Thaksin was living in exile abroad “but now I do not want to resume the relationship.”
He added, however, that he is ready to debate Thaksin, asking “who will know Thaksin better than me.” He further claimed that he was the person who helped Thaksin get the concession to operate IBC cable television.
He also claimed that he had helped Thaksin in settling seven court cases.
In a swift response to Chalerm’s defiance, the Pheu Thai party has removed his name from the party’s Line group of MPs.
