Thailand's new prime minister said yesterday that he will also become the defense minister in a soon-to-be unveiled Cabinet to deter the military from staging a coup against his government.
The Cabinet, to be announced in the coming days, is expected to be stocked with close advisers, friends and relatives of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a 2006 military coup.
The military, which relinquished power after guiding the country for more than a year, is displeased with the election victory of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who has openly announced that he is Thaksin's proxy.
Samak said he would take the defense minister's job to allay military fears that he or others would interfere with the annual military reshuffle of senior officers. Under a law that came into effect on Saturday, the power to implement the reshuffles is removed from political leaders, including the prime minister and defense minister, and placed in the hands of seven military commissioners.
"When there is no outside interference there is no reason for them to stage a coup," said Samak, who was sworn in on Tuesday last week to become the country's first elected leader since the coup.
In the past, the annual changing of the guard proved an opportunity for political leaders to shore up their positions with military commanders while relegating potential opponents to unimportant positions.
Generals have periodically toppled governments since the country changed from absolute monarchy to a parliamentary system in 1932. The latest occurred on Sept. 19, 2006, when the military deposed Thaksin, who has been charged with corruption and abuse of power.
Thaksin, who was out of the country during the coup and has not returned since, now spends most of his time in London. He says he will return to Thailand this year to face the courts and clear his name.
The Burmese junta has said that detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi is “in good health,” a day after her son said he has received little information about the 80-year-old’s condition and fears she could die without him knowing. In an interview in Tokyo earlier this week, Kim Aris said he had not heard from his mother in years and believes she is being held incommunicado in the capital, Naypyidaw. Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was detained after a 2021 military coup that ousted her elected civilian government and sparked a civil war. She is serving a
REVENGE: Trump said he had the support of the Syrian government for the strikes, which took place in response to an Islamic State attack on US soldiers last week The US launched large-scale airstrikes on more than 70 targets across Syria, the Pentagon said on Friday, fulfilling US President Donald Trump’s vow to strike back after the killing of two US soldiers. “This is not the beginning of a war — it is a declaration of vengeance,” US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth wrote on social media. “Today, we hunted and we killed our enemies. Lots of them. And we will continue.” The US Central Command said that fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery targeted ISIS infrastructure and weapon sites. “All terrorists who are evil enough to attack Americans are hereby warned
Seven wild Asiatic elephants were killed and a calf was injured when a high-speed passenger train collided with a herd crossing the tracks in India’s northeastern state of Assam early yesterday, local authorities said. The train driver spotted the herd of about 100 elephants and used the emergency brakes, but the train still hit some of the animals, Indian Railways spokesman Kapinjal Kishore Sharma told reporters. Five train coaches and the engine derailed following the impact, but there were no human casualties, Sharma said. Veterinarians carried out autopsies on the dead elephants, which were to be buried later in the day. The accident site
RUSHED: The US pushed for the October deal to be ready for a ceremony with Trump, but sometimes it takes time to create an agreement that can hold, a Thai official said Defense officials from Thailand and Cambodia are to meet tomorrow to discuss the possibility of resuming a ceasefire between the two countries, Thailand’s top diplomat said yesterday, as border fighting entered a third week. A ceasefire agreement in October was rushed to ensure it could be witnessed by US President Donald Trump and lacked sufficient details to ensure the deal to end the armed conflict would hold, Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Sihasak Phuangketkeow said after an ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Kuala Lumpur. The two countries agreed to hold talks using their General Border Committee, an established bilateral mechanism, with Thailand
RSS