BangkokPost.com
Deputy Prime Minister Suwit Khunkitti pulled his Puea Pandin party and 24 MPs out of the ruling coalition late on Tuesday in protest against what he called the misguided priorities of the government.
"The party will withdraw from the coalition government. We have given the government a chance to make changes," he told a hastily called press conference.
Government spokesmen said the withdrawal would not affect plans to reshuffle the government and submit a new list of ministers for royal approval on Wednesday.
In addition to Mr Suwit, Puea Pandin has two cabinet members of the Samak I administration: Information and Communication Technology Minister Mun Pattanothai and Deputy Finance Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee.
The Puea Pandin Party leader said he had submitted his party's letter to notify Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of its decision to pull out of the coalition government at about noon Tuesday.
Chart Thai Party advisory chief Sanan Khachornprasart called Mr Suwit's decision "appalling," and said he would consult ex-premier and party leder Banharn Silpa-acha. Chart Thai and Puea Pandin supposedly had a deal to act as partners on any major decisions, and Maj Gen Sanan indicated he felt Mr Suwit had back-stabbed.
In the short term, the loss of Puea Pandin and its leader should not affect the ability of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to govern. The premier will still have a majority in the Lower House, and there will be no vote of confidence until next year, barring a major political emergency.
But the withdrawal of Mr Suwit, a key cabinet member who also was industry minister, is another mini-crisis added to unending street protests, the loss of three cabinet ministers to malfeasance charges and the decision by the Supreme Court on Monday to prosecutge 42 members of former Thaksin governments on criminal charges, including three sitting cabinet members.
"We are concerned about the charter amendments," said Mr Suwit, apparently staking out an opposition agenda. "We have said that the amendment of the constitution is less important then people's day-to-day problems."
Mr Suwit also cited what he claimed were his party's concerns over the Preah Vihear temple. "The party is not satisfied with the government's decisions on the temple issue," he said - although he did not detail either his objections or what policy he favoured.
Puea Pandin was the third-biggest among the five political parties backing the ruling People Power party headed by Mr Samak. Mr Suwit is a veteran politician and financier.
The party joins the Democrats, until now the only opposition party, on the other side of the parliamentary aisle.
Mr Samak has promised a major cabinet shakeup involving "more than 10 positions:" in coming days. It is widely expected he will bring in non-politicians to help, particularly with the economic posts, including Mr Suwit's industry minister post.
"The party will withdraw from the coalition government. We have given the government a chance to make changes," he told a hastily called press conference.
Government spokesmen said the withdrawal would not affect plans to reshuffle the government and submit a new list of ministers for royal approval on Wednesday.
In addition to Mr Suwit, Puea Pandin has two cabinet members of the Samak I administration: Information and Communication Technology Minister Mun Pattanothai and Deputy Finance Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee.
The Puea Pandin Party leader said he had submitted his party's letter to notify Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of its decision to pull out of the coalition government at about noon Tuesday.
Chart Thai Party advisory chief Sanan Khachornprasart called Mr Suwit's decision "appalling," and said he would consult ex-premier and party leder Banharn Silpa-acha. Chart Thai and Puea Pandin supposedly had a deal to act as partners on any major decisions, and Maj Gen Sanan indicated he felt Mr Suwit had back-stabbed.
In the short term, the loss of Puea Pandin and its leader should not affect the ability of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to govern. The premier will still have a majority in the Lower House, and there will be no vote of confidence until next year, barring a major political emergency.
But the withdrawal of Mr Suwit, a key cabinet member who also was industry minister, is another mini-crisis added to unending street protests, the loss of three cabinet ministers to malfeasance charges and the decision by the Supreme Court on Monday to prosecutge 42 members of former Thaksin governments on criminal charges, including three sitting cabinet members.
"We are concerned about the charter amendments," said Mr Suwit, apparently staking out an opposition agenda. "We have said that the amendment of the constitution is less important then people's day-to-day problems."
Mr Suwit also cited what he claimed were his party's concerns over the Preah Vihear temple. "The party is not satisfied with the government's decisions on the temple issue," he said - although he did not detail either his objections or what policy he favoured.
Puea Pandin was the third-biggest among the five political parties backing the ruling People Power party headed by Mr Samak. Mr Suwit is a veteran politician and financier.
The party joins the Democrats, until now the only opposition party, on the other side of the parliamentary aisle.
Mr Samak has promised a major cabinet shakeup involving "more than 10 positions:" in coming days. It is widely expected he will bring in non-politicians to help, particularly with the economic posts, including Mr Suwit's industry minister post.
4 comments:
All of you concern only the power!! Fucking A Sam Rain Sy (called A Venn Ta), A Kim Sokha(called A Chhout Tek Moit), A Ranarith( called A Chhout Srey), A Keo Puth Raksmey( called A Lob Lob), A Hun Sen ( called Ah Hun Kvak)!!!! all of you don't care our nation faces with the evil neighboring that occupy illegally into our land.
Please all khmer stop vote for All idoit leader of political party in Cambodia at next election poll because They care the power and how to get the powerful only.
Stop play the stupid game by using the people for your power.
Khmer need to think our land first, no time to care with these crazy man!!!
From Khmer boring with politic in Cambodia.
Mr. Hun Sen needs to make a call for a deadline for pullout of our territory.
Can you do just that, Mr. prime minister?
I think it's time for you to show your savage leadership to have your foreign invaders out of Cambodia soil.
"The problem comes from the same root, which is mapping based on unequal treatment by powerful countries in the past," he said (Thai Vice-Admiral Pratheep).
= There is no one on this planet Earth who has more irrational thinking and illogical reasoning than the Thai leaders! These Thai leaders like to twist Cambodian history to fit their need and their ego to show the world of how powerful and influential the Thai politic on Cambodia!
Now! I want to know. What is so unequal treatment about the Thai who doesn't want to be colonized by the European Powers? If the Thai were willing to submit to colonialism and maybe the Thai can get special treatment from the British or the French! But the problem is the Thai was never wanted to be colonized and now they complain about unequal treatments which help save them from colonialism!
So who can blame Cambodia for wanting to be French Protectorate which helps save Cambodia from Thai and Vietnamese aggression! For Cambodia being a French Protectorate, Cambodian people were never treated anything special more than the Vietnamese! Because the French allowed the Vietnamese to work as Cambodian government officials at every level in Cambodian government while Cambodian people were looking down by the French as being lazy, uneducated, and not hard working! So is this how the Thai people want to be treated under the French colonial master? Of course not! So what is the point for the Thai to complain about unequal treatment under the French?
Now that the Thai leaders are in the spot light on the issue of violation of Cambodian territory, The French map of Cambodia which recognized by International Community and United Nations will be used to verify every square inch of Cambodian territory on Thai side and the Vietnamese side to see if they both had violated Cambodian territory in anyway shape or form! Cambodian leaders can’t afford to have endless ongoing bilateral talk between the Thai and the Viet to solve Cambodian border conflict because bilateral talk is nothing more than a whisper which nobody can hear or understand including International Community or the United Nations!
I believe International Community and United Nations have a role to play in helping Cambodia in verifying the French International Map to end the Thai-Viet-Cambodian conflict! Otherwise the Thai and the Viet will insist on using their own map to violate Cambodian territory forever! At the end, I believe there won’t be peace and stability in the mainland Southeast Asia!
Now you know why even the Vietnamese government blocked Cambodian leaders from seeking the help from United Nations to solve the Thai-Cambodia conflict because the Vietnamese government is also in violation of Cambodian territory too!
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