For ex-doctor and TV host Yongyuth Mayalarp, being thrust into a new role as government spokesman is an idea he is really starting to relish.

Although he has not been formally appointed, Yongyuth, 48, acted as government spokesman by reporting the flash-flood situation to the media at a press conference last Wednesday.

He said he was excited because he was new to the job.

"I don't know when I should allow journalists for a questioning session or how long we should spend on a press conference," he said, adding that it was a challenging job.

However, he said he had basic knowledge in mass communications, which could help him in the job, especially as his skills allowed him to easily get to the point of any topic when he has to interact with media representatives.

Reporters on the Government House beat also suggested that he summarise the details of each story to be as concise as possible in order to save time, as the government needs to dispense a lot of news each day.

Yongyuth served as a deputy spokesman for the Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) during the coup. The former news anchor told The Nation that he was asked by the military brass to take on the job.

"The CDR wanted someone fluent in English in order to communicate with the international media," he said.

Yongyuth spent 15 years in the United Kingdom, where he went to secondary school before earning a master's degree at the Royal London Hospital Medical College.

After returning in 1988, he started work at Phra Mongkutklao Hospital, but after four years he decided that he was more interested in mass communications, as he listened intently to the English news on Radio Thailand during his morning commute.

"So, I applied to be an English news anchor [with TV Channel 9], and got the job," he said with a broad smile.

Channel 9, which is now known as Modernine TV, had just formed its first English news reporting team called "Good Morning Thailand".

During his time at the station he was news anchor, as well as host for several medical programmes. He then moved to the Army's Channel 5 in 1993.

He also started his own production house focusing on political and medical news.

In 1994 he decided he wanted to try his hand at politics and contested an election under the now-defunct Nam Thai Party in Bangkok, but lost.

When Surakiart Sathirathai was the foreign minister, he approached Yongyuth about helping him run for the post of United Nations secretary-general. Besides assisting Surakiart at the ministry, Yongyuth was also asked to help the Thai Rak Thai Party.

"I didn't get any position in the party.

I just helped Surakiart," he said, adding that he was no longer involved with the party, even though he was once a party member.

Some newspapers criticised Yongyuth for siding with the overthrown government. However, Yonguth insists that he will be neutral, saying that he accepted the post for the sake of the nation.

"The politics is beyond me. In the current situation, we have to create national harmony, not finding fault with each other," he said.

As spokesman for an interim government formed after a coup, Yongyuth said he would only provide facts and emphasise harmony.

He also invited reporters to tell him what they would like to see changed in the office.

"I can accept creative responses to improve my work.

"I believe that tomorrow will be better than today. I have to develop myself. Nobody is born to be anything [in particular]. Nor am I. Everyone needs to learn and collect experience, including me," he said.

Sucheera Pinijparakarn

The Nation