Thailand awaits royal approval of new cabinet

BANGKOK, (AFP)

Thailand was on Saturday awaiting the unveiling of new Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s cabinet, which he says will bring national reconciliation but which has already stirred controversy.

Abhisit has vowed to bring stability to Thailand and boost an economy battered by six months of protests against the last government, which ended on December 3 after a court dissolved the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

Oxford-educated Abhisit was voted in by parliament on December 15 with the help of defecting MPs, but the Democrat Party leader’s cabinet has already hit a snag with business leaders criticising some ministers as inexperienced.

Local media reported that the outcry prompted a last-minute change of industry minister before the list went to the revered king for royal approval late Friday.

“Every coalition party has sent their list of ministers, and the cabinet secretary has forwarded the list to the palace,” Abhisit said Friday.

“I am willing to listen to all criticism, but as head of government I have to find a balance. I have told ministers of that concern, so they must quickly work to create confidence and select acceptable working teams.”

Since May, Thailand has been beset by increasingly disruptive protests by the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

The PAD accused the now-defunct PPP of being disloyal to the monarchy and of running Thailand on behalf of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives in exile abroad to escape corruption charges.

PAD protests reached their peak at the end of November when thousands of their supporters occupied Bangkok’s two main airports for about a week, stranding up to 350,000 passengers and causing massive economic damage.

The group only ended their siege after the PPP was dissolved over vote fraud charges related to elections they won one year ago, allowing the Democrats to win over former PPP lawmakers and small parties to form the government.

Abhisit has said he wants to bring peace and stability back to the kingdom after the protests and has tried to reach out to Thaksin’s supporters, but some of his reported choices for cabinet posts have cast doubt on those promises.

Kasit Piromya, slated as the new foreign minister, was a vocal supporter of the PAD and took to the stage repeatedly during their six-month protest campaign to criticise the government.

The Democrat Party has already been accused of tacitly backing the PAD, while supporters of Thaksin have accused the courts and the army of staging a “silent coup” to get the establishment-friendly Democrats into power.

Thailand’s new premier Abhisit Vejjajiva said Saturday his opponents would be allowed to rally when he delivers his policy address, as a protest group vowed to gather thousands of supporters.Backers of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra — who are known as “Red Shirts” because of the scarlet clothes they wear — have said they will start gathering in Bangkok on December 28 to demand the dissolution of parliament.Abhisit, voted in by lawmakers on December 15 after a court dissolved the Thaksin-linked ruling party, said police would be able to handle the protest.

“The Red Shirts have a right to rally under the constitution. We must respect their rights, but I have instructed officials to better handle them and not allow them to violate the law,” Abhisit told reporters.Authorities will be keen to prevent a repeat of the events surrounding a rally outside parliament by anti-Thaksin group the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) on October 7, when police and protesters clashed, leaving two people dead and nearly 500 hurt.

The PAD began rallying in May, accusing the People Power Party (PPP) government of running the country on behalf of Thaksin, who was removed in a 2006 coup and lives in exile overseas to avoid corruption charges.Their campaign culminated with the occupation of Bangkok’s two airports late last month, which they ended on December 3 after a court disbanded the PPP and forced then-premier Somchai Wongsawat from office.

The move opened up a power vacuum swiftly filled when Abhisit’s Democrat Party won over defecting MPs, but supporters of the last government feel the court decision robbed them of their democratic rights.Jatuporn Prompan, a leader of the Red Shirt group, said they would mobilise thousands of supporters to protest the legitimacy of the Democrat-led coalition.