Cannabis, curriculum, and crisis: New Cabinet deputies ride into trouble

The June 30 Cabinet reshuffle, aimed at propping up the teetering coalition government, has thrust four first-time deputy ministers into some of the hottest seats in Thai politics.

The quartet of newcomers – diverse in age, background, and political experiences – is united by the size of the tasks facing them on Thailand’s turbulent political stage.

Veteran politicians Anucha Sasomsub and Chaichana Dechdecho step in as deputies at the Public Health Ministry, steering the US$1-billion cannabis industry’s shift from recreational to medical use.

Linthiporn Varinwatchararoj becomes deputy education minister just in time to oversee the controversial switch to a new literacy-based school curriculum.

And Chantawit Tantasith assumes the role of deputy commerce minister as Thai exports – a main engine of economic growth – are hit by 36% tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

The Pheu Thai-led government is fighting for survival after a border dispute with Cambodia led to the court-ordered suspension of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and the withdrawal of its main coalition partner, Bhumjaithai.

Anucha – the oldest of the quartet at 71 – is a deputy leader of the Chart Thai Pattana Party, MP for Nakhon Pathom, and former senator for the province.

Chaichana, 39, serves as a Democrat Party deputy leader and MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Linthiporn, 47, is a list MP for the ruling Pheu Thai Party. She quit her job as an assistant professor at a provincial university to enter politics in 2018.

Chantawit, the youngest at 35, worked as a senior economist at the Bank of Thailand until April 2025, then served as a deputy director at the state-owned Krungthai Bank before joining the Cabinet.

He is the son of Takorn Tantasith, former secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) and currently the only list MP of the opposition Thai Sang Thai Party.

Youngest Cabinet member

Chantawit entered the Cabinet with no political experience, becoming its youngest member. He only turned 35 – the minimum legal age for ministers – last November.

Analysts credit Chantawit’s rise to the influence of his father, Takorn, who angered Thai Sang Thai by helping his son join the government despite being an opposition MP.

A spokesman for the six-MP opposition party last week called on Takorn, who serves as its secretary-general, to quit and join a coalition party, accusing him of “misleading the public into believing that Thai Sang Thai is connected to the current government”.

Thai Sang Thai leader Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan recently expressed dismay over her MPs repeatedly defying the party whip to vote alongside coalition lawmakers. Earlier, Sudarat voluntarily stepped down as the party’s sole list MP so that Takorn could replace her.

Chantawit was born in Bangkok on November 19, 1989. His impressive academic credentials include a degree in maths and economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a master's in economics from Columbia University, and another master's in public policy from Harvard University.

A former academic

Linthiporn was born on January 31, 1978, in Phitsanulok province. She earned bachelor's and master’s degrees in political science from Chiang Mai University and a doctorate in the same field from Ramkhamhaeng University.

She served as assistant professor at Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University and a visiting lecturer at Naresuan University, both in her home province, before entering politics with the Thai Raksa Chart Party in 2018. After the party was dissolved a year later, she became a political analyst for Voice TV.

She later joined Pheu Thai and was elected as a list MP in the 2023 general election – marking her first entry into Parliament. She was appointed party spokesperson and later deputy secretary-general.

Despite her academic background and role as new deputy education minister, she was recently criticised for the quality of her written Thai, with critics highlighting spelling mistakes in her Facebook posts.

Linthiporn acknowledged making typos but blamed them on her failure to check posts hastily composed using the “voice typing” feature on her phone. She vowed to avoid the mistake in future.

Accused of assault

Chaichana was born on June 14, 1986, in Nakhon Si Thammarat and has bachelor's and master’s degrees in political science from Ramkhamhaeng University.

He entered politics at the tender age of 27, winning an election to the provincial administrative organisation in his hometown. He served in the post from 2013 to 2018.

Chaichana stepped up to national politics in 2019 when he was elected as a Democrat Party MP for his home province. He was reelected in 2023 and in December of that year became deputy leader of the party – a coalition partner in the Pheu Thai-led government.

Critics questioned Chaichana’s appointment as a deputy minister, noting his alleged involvement in a recent criminal case.

In late May, Chaichana and his brother Pichitchai were accused of physical assault in a police complaint filed by a businessman in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Pichitchai surrendered in early June, but police have not issued a summons for Chaichana.

A former senator

Anucha was born on March 2, 1954, in Nakhon Pathom. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Suan Dusit Rajabhat University and a master’s from Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University.

He was elected as a senator for his home province in April 2006, but served only briefly before a military coup dissolved the government and Senate in September.

Anucha first entered Parliament in 2007 as an MP for the People Power Party. Four years later, he was reelected in his home province under the banner of People Power’s successor, Pheu Thai.

He later switched to Chart Thai Pattana for the 2019 general election but failed to win a seat. However, he returned to Parliament in 2023 after again being elected as a Nakhon Pathom MP.