An inquiry is being urged against a group of six Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MPs who defied the party's stance and voted against Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda and Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin in the censure vote on Saturday.
Before the vote took place, PPRP leader and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon told the party MPs to give equal votes to the prime minister and 10 cabinet ministers targeted in the no-confidence debate during July 19-22.
Although he survived the censure motion, Gen Anupong received the most no-confidence votes at 212 while Mr Suchart got 208 votes of no-confidence.
It turned out that six PPRP MPs -- Krungsriwilai Sutinphuak, Thapakorn Kulcharoen, Prim Pooncharoen, Yongyuth Suwanbutr and Akarawat Asavahame, all Samut Prakan MPs under the Pak Nam Group, along with list-MP Torsak Asvahame -- refused to toe the party line.
Their vote upset several party MPs who aired frustration in a Line group chat that was leaked to media outlets. Describing the move as defiance, several called on the party to launch an investigation and take action against the group.
Sompong Sopon, an MP for Rayong, wrote that the group's action showed that the party resolution and Gen Prawit meant nothing to them.
"There is someone bigger than the party leader, isn't there? I need to know how to behave," wrote Chaiwat Paopiamsap, an MP for Chachoengsao.
In an interview, Mr Krungsriwilai said on Sunday he did not discuss voting with the five others.
"I think they feel hurt," he said when asked why the Pak Nam group voted against Gen Anupong and Mr Suchart.
Political observers say the group's activity will be closely watched today. The PPRP MPs in the province are expected to line up to greet Gen Prawit when he arrives to chair a meeting on water resource management in Samut Prakan's Muang district.
Ahead of the censure, reports emerged that a group of PPRP MPs called on Gen Prawit to take over the interior minister's post because they were not happy with Gen Anupong, who is a non-MP outsider and known to keep his distance from the MPs.
As for Mr Suchart, some believe the vote outcome relates to a previous conflict over the selection of election candidates in Samut Prakan's Constituency 7 in the March 2019 general election.
