Thailand caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra seems
resigned to fate as the country's political turmoil never seems to
be finished before this year-end.
On Saturday, local media released special reports said Thaksin
is ready to step down as a political leader and "he appears willing
to accept fate".
The report comes from one of Thaksin's recent remarks. On
Friday, while presiding over an event to mark the fourth
anniversary of the assets conversion office, the prime minister
said that "I have more opportunities than you do, but they come and
go. My time as the prime minister must also come to an end."
The speech is widely considered as a hint of his leave. "Mr.
Thaksin hinted that he was up against forces greater than he, and
that it was best to resign himself to whatever might befall him,"
the Bangkok Post said in its Saturday special report.
The report also quoted a source close to Thaksin as saying that
"he [Thaksin] was feeling disheartened by the political ambiguity
surrounding the government and his party."
But another source in the Government House told Xinhua that
Thaksin will never bow to the oppositions easily. Just as, he
himself also stressed during the Friday remark that his departure
from office may occur only under the constitution.
Anyway, the prime minister, who is under heavy pressure, will
continue to face a series of troubles in the coming months until
the new election scheduled in October.
The Election Commission (EC) recently forwarded a report on
alleged electoral fraud by Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party, the ruling
party which is founded and led by Thaksin, to the Office of the
Attorney-General (OAG). It endorsed the findings that the ruling
party violated article 66 of the Political Party Act, which says a
party could be dissolved for any action deemed to be subversion of
the democratic system and constitutional monarchy, or for
acquisition of executive power by unconstitutional means, or for
committing any act deemed a threat to national security, public
order, or ethics and morality.
The OAG has set Tuesday as the date for deciding on the report,
which connects the future of TRT. If the OAG decides to indict TRT
and the Constitution Court rules against the party, TRT will be
disbanded.
Bangkok Post said Thaksin "had assessed the situation and
concluded he was fighting a losing battle."
Cabinet members close to Thaksin said he was becoming tired of
fighting a proxy war. He believed he was pitted against a highly
charismatic individual who was behind campaigns to oust him from
office, the newspaper said.
Vissany Krue-ngarm, one of the six Deputy Prime Ministers,
revealed his plan to resign to the media on Thursday, only a few
weeks after Borwornsak Uwanno stepped down as cabinet secretary-
general.
Thaksin shrugged off Vissanu's resignation, saying there were
several others to fill the vacant seats. He announced Vissanu's
resignation would take effect Saturday, only two days after the
deputy revealed his willing. Many publicists raised their eyebrows
by Thaksin's flash-like announcement, because Vissanu earlier said
he needed more time to clear his work.
During the last three days, rumors were spreading that some key
party members, including Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce
Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, Education Minister Chaturon
Chaisaeng, and Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya, were considering
leaving.
Chaturon and Thanong denied the rumors, while Somkid neither
denied nor confirmed the speculation.
(Xinhua News Agency June 26, 2006)
