Sam Rainsy's congratulation letter to Abhisit Vejjajiva, Thailand's 27th PM

Phnom Penh, December 16, 2008

Dear Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva,

I wish to join all members of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats in expressing my most sincere congratulations to all Thai Members of Parliament in choosing you as Thailand ’s 27th Prime Minister. I have full trust and confidence in you in securing national harmony and in finding the right solutions for your people at a time when Thailand ’s economy is experiencing a climate of uncertainty.

There are many hurdles that lay ahead but with your commitment to fight corruption and to uphold democratic principles these hurdles will be overcome. Your strong stance for a clean government and for the respect of freedoms and liberties will lead to actions that will benefit all Thais. It is also my strong belief and hope that your vision for regional harmony will see peaceful solutions and the strengthening of economic and cultural ties that will bring mutual progress and prosperity to our peoples.

Sincerely,

Sam Rainsy, MP

New Thai PM faces deep divisions, poor economy [... not to mention the border dispute with Cambodia]

Tuesday, December 16, 2008
By AMBIKA AHUJA

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Thailand's new prime minister faces the difficult task of unifying a country torn apart by months of violent anti-government protests — demonstrations that battered the key tourism industry just as the global economy was slipping into its worst crisis in decades.

The selection on Monday of Abhisit Vejjajiva — the 44-year-old, Oxford-educated opposition leader — marks the first time in eight years that a civilian government will be led by an opponent of exiled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has loomed over Thai politics since he was ousted by a military coup in 2006.

Abhisit began Tuesday to put together his Cabinet, which will struggle to heal the rift between the middle class that is his base and the rural poor who backed Thaksin — and manage an economy buffeted by Thailand's political turmoil and a global slowdown.

"It will be more difficult for the Democrats to achieve fast results in tackling the economic problems now than in 1997," when most of Asia sunk economic recession, said Ekamol Khiriwat, former head of Thailand's stock exchange. "Now everything is kind of slowing down."

Abhisit, who has a strong economic background, is expected to unveil a solid economic team when the cabinet positions are announced, probably on Friday.

Abhisit must still be officially endorsed as prime minister by the constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej — likely within several days.

His appointment is expected to bring at least a brief period of calm, although the move unleashed new protests by supporters of the previous government. Abhisit's image as an upper-class elitist also could hinder his attempts to end the turmoil.

In Monday's vote in the lower house of parliament, Abhisit received support from 235 lawmakers, compared with 198 for a pro-Thaksin former national police chief.

As lawmakers arrived for the vote, Thaksin supporters tried to block the gates of parliament in a last-ditch attempt to prevent the outcome. Riot police later cleared a path for lawmakers to leave the compound. The demonstrators hurled rocks at vehicles and abuse at lawmakers inside but most dispersed peacefully.

From a wealthy family of Thai-Chinese origin, Abhisit was born in England and educated at Eton and Oxford, where he earned an honors degree in philosophy, politics and economics. His first name means "privilege" in Thai and his friends call him by his foreign nickname, Mark.

He joined the country's oldest party, the Democrats, in 1992 and became one of the youngest ever members of parliament. He rose in the party ranks and in popularity, especially among the educated in Bangkok who took to his clean record, polite demeanor, articulate if somewhat bland speeches and movie-star looks.

The Democrats had been in opposition since 2001, when Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon, first took power.

Military leaders ousted Thaksin in September 2006, accusing him of corruption, keeping him in exile and controlling the country for an interim period until elections in December 2007 brought Thaksin's allies back into power. He returned to Thailand in February 2008 to face corruption charges but later fled into exile again, and was convicted in absentia.

However, Thaksin, whose whereabouts are unknown, still enjoys significant support among Thailand's rural masses. Until Monday, his supporters had remained in control of the government.

Monday's vote ended six months of instability caused by anti-government demonstrations that began with a takeover of Thailand's government house and culminated with last month's airports takeover.

Profile: Abhisit Vejjajiva

Critics say Abhisit has received help from the military and the anti-Thaksin PAD protest group [AFP]

Monday, December 15, 2008
Al Jazeera

Abhisit Vejjajiva, the leader of Thailand's Democrat party, has been chosen by parliament to become the country's new prime minister.

The 44-year-old career politician was born in Britain to medical professor parents.

Educated at Eton College and Oxford University, he graduated with first class honours in politics, philosophy and economics.

Though popular with the foreign business community, Abhisit has found little support with rural northeastern Thais who make up the country's majority and are the backbone of support for Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister ousted in a 2006 coup who has remained the focus of anti-government protests since.

In nearly three years as opposition leader, Abhisit's excursions outside Bangkok or the Democrat heartlands of the south were rare and almost always met with hostility, sometimes even in the form of flying rotten vegetables.

Criticism

Abhisit says he wants clean government and he denounced the 2006 coup against Thaksin, but critics say he is an opportunist who has received help from the military and the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

He failed to condemn the PAD, even when the demonstrators occupied Bangkok's two airports late last month, and it was his party's decision to boycott a snap election in 2006 that precipitated the constitutional crisis that eventually led to the coup against Thaksin.

His policies borrow heavily from Thaksin, in particular the commitment to continue the universal public healthcare scheme and cheap rural loans introduced during Thaksin's five years in office.

Abhisit has also vowed to push for more overseas free trade deals but at the same time reverse Thaksin's partial privatisation of some state firms.

Thai PM Samak Sundaravej to visit Cambodia on Monday

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation indicated that Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej will visit Cambodia for 2-day starting from Monday 03 March. According to the planned schedule of the visit, the Thai PM will meet King Norodom Sihamoni, prime minister Hun Sen, Senate president Chea Sim, and National Assembly president Heng Samrin. Chin Bun Thoeun, spokesman for the ministry of Foreign Affairs, indicated that the visit of the Thai PM to Cambodia is to provide an opportunity for Cambodian government officials to know better their counterparts in the new Thai government.