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Thai PM to shuffle ministers to shore up coalition
Associated Press - June 4, 2010
Kinan Suchaovanich, Bangkok – Thailand's prime minister Friday pushed a possible Cabinet shakeup to shore up a coalition government shaken by a no-confidence vote this week and a forcible army crackdown on anti-government protesters.
Prime Minister Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva also planned his first foreign trip since the crackdown last month, a trip Sunday to an economic forum in Vietnam where he will try to restore investor and tourist confidence in Thailand's stability.
Nearly 90 people were killed and some 1,800 injured in violence related to two months of protests by Red Shirt demonstrators demanding that Abhisit call an early election. As troops cracked down on May 19, angry protesters put more than 30 buildings around the capital to the torch, including the country's largest shopping mall and the stock exchange.
The Cabinet ministers who were targeted in the no-confidence motions easily won the votes after the opposition accused the government of excessive use of force in suppressing the protest and of corruption. But the ministers still failed to keep a united front for the coalition.
Executives in Abhisit's ruling Democrat Party decided Friday to replace ministerial posts held by the Puea Pandin party, the small coalition partner that voted against the government on the corruption issue.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, the secretary-general of the Democrats, told reporters that "stability would be the priority in this reshuffle." Suthep will meet with coalition partners for further discussion, so more details on the reshuffle were not immediately available. Some Democrat Cabinet ministers are also slated to be replaced.
On Sunday, Abhisit will aim primarily to restore confidence internationally when he attends the World Economic Forum of East Asian leaders, government spokesman Panithan Wattanayagorn said.
Abhisit will meet counterparts from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and top business executives from the region. "The theme here is recovery," Panithan said.
He cited the Red Shirt protests as a key reason for economic decline in once-booming Thailand. The government estimates the tourism industry lost up to $2.2 billion as a result of the crisis.
In a World Economic Forum report published last month, Thailand fell 10 places to number 60 among the 125 countries indexed. The rankings show Thailand's competitiveness slipping, which could decrease foreign investment.
Panithan said Abhisit during his trip would also update the international community on the progress of his reconciliation "road map," his ideas for healing the country's political divide.
Since the protests were ended, Abhisit has tried to mend Thailand's image, meeting with diplomats and the foreign media to discuss the political developments.
Although the situation in Bangkok has calmed, the capital and 23 other provinces are still under emergency decrees and many analysts say the deep rifts in Thai society will not be easy to fix.
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