The Cabinet today (June 16) approved a Ministry of Interior proposal transferring Mr Nirat from his position as Phuket Governor to become Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior in Bangkok.
Mr Nirat arrived in Phuket on Nov 18 last year to take up the position of Governor of Phuket. His tenure lasted just 210 days.
Replacing him as Phuket Governor will be Chotinrin Kerdsom, a former Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior and former governor of several southern provinces.
The move came just one day after Phuket Vice Governors Adul Chuthong and Teeraphong Chuaychoo were abruptly transferred out of Phuket following a dramatic intervention by PM Anutin over allegations of corruption, influence and internal conflict among senior provincial officials.
The transfer of Mr Nirat is likely to intensify scrutiny of the ongoing political turmoil engulfing Phuket’s provincial administration.
Only a day earlier, PM Anutin publicly addressed allegations circulating on social media that an influential figure in Phuket had boasted of having enough influence to secure the governor’s transfer.
At the time, PM Anutin dismissed the suggestion. "How could that be possible?" he said during a Ministry of Interior meeting in Bangkok only yesterday (June 15).
However, by this afternoon the governor’s transfer had been formally approved by Cabinet.
Government officials insist the move was made for administrative reasons and to resolve long-running conflicts within Phuket’s provincial administration.
Announcing the Cabinet decision, the Phuket Public Relations Office confirmed that Mr Nirat had been relieved of his position as governor and appointed Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, while Mr Chotinrin would assume the governorship once the appointment receives royal endorsement.
Speaking at Government House today, PM Anutin confirmed the transfer had already been approved following a recommendation from Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Arsit Sampantharat.
"The transfer has been completed. The Permanent Secretary proposed it," Anutin said.
"We prioritised efficiency in work performance. This is a promotion to Deputy Permanent Secretary because the Phuket governor is senior and has a good profile."
Asked whether the transfer was linked to growing conflict within Phuket’s administration, Anutin acknowledged that serious problems remained unresolved despite repeated intervention from the ministry.
"Whenever something happens, there are revelations and accusations. You can’t work like that," he said.
"We need people who do not have conflicts and who can work together."
PM Anutin added that Phuket remained a crucial economic province and that the government would not tolerate land encroachment, intimidation of residents or the influence of powerful figures operating in the province.
"I don’t want to wait nine months for investigations and fact-finding committees," he said.
"I have instructed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior to solve the problems as quickly as possible."
Permanent Secretary Arsit Sampantharat later defended the wholesale reshuffle, saying it was necessary to defuse tensions and restore effective administration in Phuket.
He said the ministry wanted to "resolve all problems in the area" amid persistent reports concerning influential figures, alleged benefit-seeking and internal disputes among provincial officials.
Using a metaphor to explain the decision, Mr Arsit compared the situation to having sand inside a shoe.
"Sometimes when there is sand in your shoe, it becomes difficult to walk," he said. "You have to take the shoe off, empty the sand out and put it back on."
Mr Arsit said that Mr Nirat was an experienced and senior official who understood Phuket’s problems well, but said progress in resolving those issues had been insufficient.
He also cited ongoing conflict among Phuket’s deputy governors, saying reports of disagreements between senior officials had become a near-daily feature on social media.
"As a team, they were not working together," he said. "Therefore it was necessary to change the whole group to solve the problem."
Mr Arsit stressed that investigations already underway into allegations involving provincial officials would continue despite the transfers.
The governor’s removal marks the latest development in a rapidly escalating political saga that began last month with the transfer of Phuket Provincial Chief Administrative Officer Siwat Rawangkul and several other senior officials following complaints concerning entertainment venue licensing, alleged bribe-taking and disputes over public land.
With today’s reshuffle, at least eight senior Phuket officials have now been removed or transferred since May 20.
The appointment of Mr Chotinrin is expected to bring a fresh face to Phuket’s administration. A native of Nakhon Si Thammarat, he previously served in Phuket as head of the Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office before rising through a series of senior provincial and ministry positions, including governor of Chumphon and Songkhla provinces and Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.
The sudden replacement of Phuket’s governor, coming less than 24 hours after the removal of both vice governors, signals the strongest intervention yet by Bangkok in Phuket’s administration as the government seeks to contain a widening controversy over allegations of corruption, influence and internal conflict at the highest levels of provincial government.