Solving FTI feud up to Industry Ministry

The Industry Ministry has to decide who is right and who is wrong in the continuing conflict between two factions in the Federation of Thai Industries, according to senior vice presidents of the FTI's board.

The senior vice presidents are Thavee Piyawattana, Bodin Asawanich, Suvida Buranasiri and Sompong Nakornsri, who work with the federation's president, Payungsak Chartsutipol.

The feuding factions, led by Payungsak and the secretary-general of the FTI, Tanit Sorat, held separate general meetings yesterday at the Queen Sirikij National Convention Centre and Windsor Sukhumvit Hotel, respectively.

Some 733 members out of the FTI's 4,200 membership attended the Payungsak-led meeting, while Tanit's gathering attracted 986.

Both faction leaders said the participating numbers in their meetings were sufficient to make a quorum, following the FTI's rule that for a general meeting to be effective, at least one in eight members, or 525, have to be in attendance.

Payungsak's vice-president team said as the internal dispute had now been running for more than six months, the industry minister had to decide which side was in the right and how to solve the problem, because the FTI was established by an Act of Parliament and fell under the Industry Ministry's remit.

If the minister cannot decide, they propose that he ask the Council of State to analyse the Act and decide which side is acting in accordance with the law, they said.

However, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra assigned Transport Minister Chatchat Visuthipol to be the keynote speaker at both of yesterday's meetings, talking about the government plan to spend Bt2.2 trillion to develop the country's infrastructure projects.

"This means the government has also accepted our group as a valid holder of an official annual general meeting, like the one led by Payungsak," Tanit said.

Payungsak's meeting approved the annual report for last year, while not acknowledging the results of the report approved by Tanit Sorat for the same period.

Meanwhile, Tanit approved the resolution of the meeting held last Friday to sack Payungsak from his presidential post.

"Throughout the conflict, we have believed they cannot work together again. If don't have any decision about this problem, we believe the FTI will have two parties operating the organisation till their terms expire," said Suthin Pornchaisuree, president of the Federation of Southern Industries, who supports the Tanit group.