Who are the 3 candidates for Second Army Region chief after Boonsin?

Amid growing calls on social media to “keep the general in place during the war” and extend Boonsin’s service until the Thai-Cambodian border conflict is fully resolved, some have warned of the administrative implications such an extension could cause.

Still, judging from the likely successors, both Boonsin and Royal Thai Army chief Gen Pana Klaewplodthuk are expected to be satisfied with the outcome and lend their support.

The three senior candidates vying for the top post at the Second Army Region

• Maj Gen Weerayut Raksin – Deputy commander of the Second Army Region and deputy director of Internal Security Operations Command Region 2. A member of Class 26 of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School (AFAPS), like Boonsin and Pana, Weerayut has been part of “Team Thailand” in General Border Committee talks in Malaysia. Rising from commander of the 6th Infantry Division to deputy Second Army Region commander in 2023, he is currently the most senior candidate.

• Maj Gen Norathip Poinok – Also deputy commander of the Second Army Region and a Class 26 graduate, but junior to Weerayut in seniority. He moved from commander of the 3rd Infantry Division to deputy Second Army Region commander in 2024, making him the second most senior contender.
   
• Maj Gen Nat Sri-in – Deputy commander of the Second Army Region and a Class 27 graduate. Formerly commander of the 6th Infantry Division, he is a veteran of the Khao Phra Wihan and Ta Muen Thom Temple disputes. A native of Surin and the son of rice farmers, Nat speaks Khmer and previously served as commander of the Pak Thong Chai Ranger Forces Regiment. However, as a junior class member and lower in seniority, he ranks behind Weerayut.

Given the hierarchy, Weerayut — Boonsin and Pana’s classmate — currently holds the strongest position to succeed as Second Army Region chief.