"Phumtham" reiterates that he has no intention of expanding the power of the military, indicating that he wants to see the Ministry of Defense help promote democracy and create unity in society, insisting that there is no interference in the appointment and transfer of officials after there was an audio clip of the political sector interfering in the appointment of permanent civil servants. Mr. Phumtham Vejjayachai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, talked about his preparation to take up his duties at the Ministry of Defense on September 16th and will discuss with the commanders of the armed forces to discuss which issues to raise. He said that he will go and listen first and understands that on the first day, there will be a summary of the details for him to know. After listening, he will give a policy because this issue is important to have the Ministry of Defense driven by the various armed forces. However, most of them want to listen to the armed forces because he does not want to expand h is power but to cooperate with the armed forces that already have administrative power. It is to help work for the Ministry of Defense and all military units to support the people even more. As for what he would like to see the Ministry of Defense do in Mr. Phumtham's era, Mr. Phumtham said that it is a military unit that performs its role strongly and goes in to solve and alleviate the problems and suffering of the people to the fullest extent. It also has a role in promoting the democratic regime with the King as the head of state, doing everything it can to the fullest extent. He wants to eliminate the limitations that are within the power and duties of the Ministry of Defense so that the country can move forward, create unity, democracy, and solve the economic crisis for the people. When asked if he thought there were any problems within the army that needed to be addressed, Mr. Phumtham said he would go and meet them first. Regarding the leaked audio clip of the appointment of permanent civil servants , in which political officials interfered, the audio clip occurred during the previous government and is now approaching the transfer and appointment season. As for how this government will prevent this, Mr. Phumtham said that he did not know. The audio clip is something that we should listen to and consider. Nowadays, technology has advanced, so many things can be done. However, in order to create confidence, we should listen to it and investigate it. However, we also have to see if it is related to our relevant authority or not. Today, I think that I am starting from the truth today and I believe that the armed forces will understand me. As for the Ministry of Defense, we did not interfere. I intend to do everything according to the process, consult and discuss within the scope of the law, and solve the problem as best as possible. During the transfer and appointment period, no matter which department or ministry, you will know that it will be like that. There are some true stories, some untrue stories, som e half-true stories, and some slanderous stories, which have a card of contempt. The duty of those in power is to listen to all parties, filter them to find the core of the problem that is really happening, and solve the problem. Source: Thai News Agency