The association of tambon and village heads of Thailand on Monday submitted a letter to the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) opposing its proposal to limit the term of a kamnan, or tambon chief, to five years instead of until the retirement age of 60.
The letter was submitted by Yongyos Kaewkhiew, the association's chairman, to NRSA president Thinnaphan Nakata.
Mr Yongyos said the NRSA's proposed amendments to the Local Administration Act -- particularly to limit the term of kamnans to five years from the mandatory retirement age of 60 and to require performance evaluations on village heads every three years -- is not acceptable.
He said that throughout the 127-year history of the association, none of the past governments had proposed a piece of legislation deemed damaging to it.
The NRSA's proposed amendments to the Local Administration Act had caused divisiveness and undermined the performances of tambon and village chiefs.
If a kamnan's term is limited to only five years, his or her work would lack continuity. People would be divided and would no longer respect him, he said.
Mr Yongyos denied as totally untrue a suggestion that if a kamnan was allowed to be in the position until 60 he or she would build influence and become a support base for a political party.
On the proposed work evaluation on village chiefs once every three years, Mr Yongyos said that in fact all village chiefs are already evaluated by the Provincial Administration Department every four years. Moreover, Section 14 of the Local Administration Act allows for a village chief to be removed very easily if he or she underperforms.
Mr Yongyos said the tambon and village heads would insist on opposing the NRSA's proposal. However, they would not resort to holding a major rally because doing so would be a lack of discipline.
In Nakhon Ratchasima, about 300 tambon and village chiefs gathered in front of the provincial hall on Monday morning to show opposition to the NRSA's proposed amendments.
They submitted a letter to the Interior Ministry through the provincial governor.
In Phayao province, the chairman of the provincial association of tambon and village chiefs also voiced support to the move taken by Mr Yongyos.