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Thai PM defends appointing airport siege leader as adviser

 

BANGKOK (AFP) â?? Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva has defended his decision to appoint as adviser to the government a member of a protest group that was behind a siege of Bangkok's airports last year.

 

The appointment risks causing further divisions with supporters of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, whose allies were driven from government partly as a result of the crippling week-long blockade in late November.

 

Abhisit, who came to power after the last government fell in mid-December, said Prapanth Koonmee, a member of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), had not committed any crime by giving speeches during the movement's rallies.

 

"Whoever was on stage, if they didn't violate the law then there is no problem. Whoever has broken the law will be prosecuted," Abhisit told reporters. Prapanth was appointed as an adviser to the deputy commerce minister at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Local media reported earlier that two other leading PAD members, Samran Rodpetch and Phichet Pattanachot, would also be given advisory posts but there was no immediate confirmation from the government.

The royalist PAD occupied the airports at the peak of their protest movement against the previous, pro-Thaksin government, stranding hundreds of thousands of foreign travellers and costing the economy billions of dollars.

 

They abandoned the siege after the Constitutional Court disbanded the former ruling People Power Party on December 2. Democrat Party leader Abhisit won a parliamentary vote to become prime minister on December 15.

 

Suthep Thaugsuban, deputy prime minister and Democrat Party secretary general, said earlier that the three PAD members were not "core leaders" of the movement.

The prime minister is already facing calls from Thaksin's supporters -- known as "red shirts" because of their favoured attire -- to sack Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya over his own ties to the PAD.

The government however dismissed their threats to disrupt next month's Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in the Thai beach resort of Hua Hin if Kasit is not removed from the government.

"The red-shirt people allege that Kasit is a terrorist, but Kasit is a diplomat who can benefit our national interests," Suthep said.

 

Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and is living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption imposed in absentia. The PAD accused the previous government of being a corrupt front for him.

His supporters say Abhisit's rise to power is illegitimate and have demanded that he call elections. A "red-shirt" protest forced the premier to move his inaugural policy speech from parliament in late December.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gzKONSUhCcfIO6PL9pFxknzr7FUg

 

the fog starting to clear out. :offline:

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Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006 and is living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption imposed in absentia. The PAD accused the previous government of being a corrupt front for him.

His supporters say Abhisit's rise to power is illegitimate and have demanded that he call elections. A "red-shirt" protest forced the premier to move his inaugural policy speech from parliament in late December.

 

Hope you are correct....

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Low-income earners are now entitled to one-off Bt2,000 allowance from the government, Deputy Government Spokesman Puttipong Punnakan said Tuesday.

 

"The Cabinet has already approved Bt18.9billion budget for the payment," Puttipong said.

 

According to the approved plan, only employees or government officials with monthly income of no more than Bt14,000 will get the special allowance.

 

Labour Minister Phaithoon Kaeothong Tuesday said there were about 8.01 million employees in this income range.

Other eligible income earners are government officials.

Social Security Office secretary general Pan Wannapinij said his office would develop a system to facilitate the payment of Bt2,000 to each eligible person.

"We plan to make the payment by transferring the money to their bank accounts," Pan said.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/30093123/Low-income-earners-to-receive-Bt2,000-gift-from-govt

 

no comment :offline:

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It seems to me that Khun Abisit is going out of his way to build a workable, centrist coalition with people from many sides.

 

With Yellow Shirts on the right and Red Shirts on the left, he just might be the only current political leader who has enough popular support, leadership ability, integrity and political smarts to be able to stabilize the country and help it get through the coming economic tsunami.

 

I really do hope he can pull it off. Things could get really nasty if he fails and some of the well known political Neanderthals such as Chalerm or Chavalit end up back in control.

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Newin group, Phum Jai Thai merge

 

Friends of Newin faction and Phum Jai Thai party announced the merger on Wednesday, making it the second biggest party that has the seats in the current government.

The new party will have at least 30 MPs, Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul, a member of Friends of Newin group, told reporters.

 

It is unknown who will be the leader of the party after the merger.

Phum Jai Thai leader Porntiwa Nakasai said the selection of party leader and execuitve members will be completed within 60 days.

 

One of the 111 banned Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party executives, Newin Chidchob, on Wednesday insisted he has no intention to take the premier's post, following the formation of the Phum Jai Thai party comprising many MPs from his faction.

 

Mr Newin said he personally does not want to be a prime minister and has no plans to enter the political ring. :angel:

 

Veteran politicians such as Deputy Minister of Finance Pradit Phataraprasit and former TRT executives Suchart Tancharoen and Pongpol Adireksarn attended the Phum Jai Thai's opening event at Siam City Hotel.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/135855/newin-group-merge-with-phum-jai-thai

 

 

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