Samak Found Guilty By Court, Must Resign

[kurtgruen]

Good Morning everyone,

These guys REALY, REALLY want to jigger the budget their way,

before getting the axe.

Of course, how else can they collect on their kickbacks from all the big contractors? After all, that's what Thai (and a lot of other countries) Politics are all about....get elected, so you can get millions in kickbacks, for handing out contracts to your buddies or whoever pays the most.

Mega Projects is just another word for mega kickbacks.

Will it change with future governments? Who knows. If the Judges get more good anti-corruption legistlation to work with, then maybe. How to bring that about, I have no idea.

[Plus]

The Generals should be worried, because the court set a precedent. If a PM can be obliged to resign from an activity far removed from conflict of interest, then all those members of the military wealthy family cabal had better be worried, because it means that the old days of owning a company that bids on a contract or of gaining monies from public disbursements can now be called into question. Pandora's Box is now opened.

Every government member and every MP has to declare his/her assets and they ARE examined for links like that.

Just yesterday Chai, the House Speaker, was cleared by EC for his old family business that gets government contracts. It was ruled that it doesn't violate the law, something about licenses vs concessions.

So far the law covers only immediate family members, which is fair enough under the present system.

Under "new politics" proposal, if implemented properly, everyone would know whose family owns what, as businessmen would have to get elected/selected by their peers, not by their employees and beneficiaries. They'd have to represent the whole industry, not just their family business, as it happens now.

[kurtgruen]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

[kurtgruen]

Deputy PM and Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat will act as PM for the time being.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/100908_News/10Sep2008_news01.php

The new PM Somchai...

The old PM Thaksin...

The women that connect them...

Thaksin's sister and Somchai's wife, Yaowapa, (right) and her daughter, a People Power Party MP (left)

*edit: Yaowapa herself is one of the Thai Rak Thai Party executives banned for 5 years for electoral fraud.

this pro-thaksin government is sickening! they are like virus that cannot be cured they keep on coming back. now the brother in-law? give me a break...

That's why I am glad that the PAD is there to hold them accountable (along with the judges). Thaksin had a long time (and a lot of money), to build up his network of people. It will take some time to clean house. Getting the PPP disolved will be a big step in the right direction, as far as house cleaning and anti-corruption judgements are concerned. The Election commission voted unanimously to have the PPP disolved, now it's up to the Supreme Court. Seeing the tough stand the Supreme court has taken against corruption already, I think I have an idea, how the verdict will go. The evidence is definitely there against the PPP and some other parties.

[JoeInSurin]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

[sabaijai]

Businessmen: Samak's return unwanted

The Nation

Published on September 10, 2008

Businessmen urged all MPs not to vote disqualified Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej back to office, fearing that would prolong political chaos.

Suchart Chantranakaracha, chairman of Thai National Shippers' Council, said that disqualification of Prime Minister Samak did not guarantee the end of the political turmoil as People's Alliance for Democracy is vying to destroy former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's nominee.

"We [businessmen] are still concerned with continuing political conflicts because the PAD had not yet succeeded the goal, while the People Power Party still insists to name Samak as the prime minister. This will increase political tension," said Suchart.

He called for all involved not to vote for Samak's return in order to ease tension. The best solution to solve the problem is naming someone as the premier, while all involved including the government, the opposition, and the PAD must join a negotiation to end the political chaos.

Nandor von der Luehe, president of the Joint Foreign Chamber of Commerce, said that foreign investors are anxiously waiting for the easing of political tension in Thailand.

He hopes that the conflict will end soon in order to restore foreign investors' confidence.

Von der Luehe said that foreign investors are closely watching the next political move, when politicians must think what would be the best for the Kingdom.

Chookiat Ophaswongse, president of the Thai Rice Exporters Association, is also afraid that political tension would rise as PPP vows to vote for Samak when Parliament is to name the new prime minister.

Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, said that if Samak is voted back, the tension would rise and political crisis would be prolonged.

Concerned with Samak's return, Santi Vilassakdanont, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, said the Cabinet reshuffle should not seriously affect investment policies.

Wallop Vitanakorn, president of Hi-Tech Apparel, said members in the People Power Party should consider carefully if they want Samak to further steer the country.

"I want them to give priority to the country's benefits. I believe nobody wants to the prolonged political turmoil," he said.

Boonchai Chokwattana, president of Saha Pathanapibul Plc, said that the Constitution Court's ruling has eased the intense political situation but the political unrest would return if Samak is voted back to the office.

He added that the new premier should win public acceptance and possess acumen to manage the country. The new premier should also uphold transparency.

Witawat Jayapani, chief executive of advertising agency Creative Juice/G1 said that the political storm would not end if Samak returns.

Kongkrit Hiranyakit, chairman of Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT), said tourists around the world should perceive the court's ruling positive, as Thailand should be a safer place.

"I would say that he (Samak) should not come back again. If he returns, the situation will worsen," said Kongkirt.

The council scheduled to meet with its 60 association members next week to assess the political impacts on the business and seek solutions.

Pornsilp Patcharintanakul, deputy secretarygeneral of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) and the Board of Trade of Thailand, said that the new government must be formed immediately in order to ensure that all government's policies will run continuously while the Declaration of the State of Emergency must be revoked as soon as possible.

"It was not the most important issue who will be the next premier, but the new cabinet must be formed soon as the country will stay in vacuum without a government."

TCC's vice chairman Phongsak Assakul said that if all Cabinet members return, the political turbulence would continue.

[larvidchr]

Please spare me from the holy Hippocratic statements about the Thai courts and the democracy finally working by ousting the PM on a juristic technicality.

If this was true the PAD leaders would long ago have been imprisoned for being the catalysts to the last military coup, the Generals would have been imprisoned for illegal overthrowing the Government forcing the Thais to accept a new constitution and for lining their pockets while in power.

Someone else ( for some reason I cant seem to remember the name ) would have been imprisoned for making the same kind of property deals on an almost daily basis making them some of the richest people on earth, that Thaksins wife was convicted of.

And the present PAD rally would have been broken up by court order long ago and the responsible imprisoned, if the rally lasts to the end of the month it will have cost the Thai society 40 to 60 Billion Baht according to economical analysts.

Now the PAD supporters is hoping that if the cooking farce don't do the trick then at least the defamation case against Samak will do the job, this will after all be the final prof that the repeat offender Samak is rotten to the core.

In the midst of all this all these PAD fans seems to have been struck with collective amnesia.

March 27-2007 Case 1. Sondhi Limthongkul convicted to 2 years in jail for defamation.

March 8-2008 Case 2. Sondhi Limthongkul convicted to 9 month in jail for defamation.

[LuckyFive8888]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

it has nothing to do with cooking, i hope your not playing dumb here, but being employed by another institution while being a PM is the case. and as we all know that employment or work in thai constitution or law is defined very broadly this is also the reason why you cannot paint your own house, mow your own lawn, etc. without having a work permit.

[JoeInSurin]

Does anyone on here read www.notthenation.com ? It has some good humor to lighten things up a bit.

[Baan Kiki]

Looks like parliament can just vote him back in (legally)

It will be interesting to see if he wants to be voted back in or if he is going to look at this as a way out without losing TOO much face.

They all don't care about face...just about money.

Reminds me of the three little piggy story – By cook and by crook I’ll blow your house down.

[coalminer]

Does anyone on here read www.notthenation.com ? It has some good humor to lighten things up a bit.

Does anyone on here knows if Samak has already ask for Political Asylum in The UK?

OK, this is not funny ......

[JoeInSurin]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

it has nothing to do with cooking, i hope your not playing dumb here, but being employed by another institution while being a PM is the case. and as we all know that employment or work in thai constitution or law is defined very broadly this is also the reason why you cannot paint your own house, mow your own lawn, etc. without having a work permit.

Not trying to play dumb. I agree if the law was just "no work allowed" but the verdict was quoted as "The court reasoned that the Constitution was aimed to prevent conflicts of interest on part of Cabinet members so Samak had violated in the intention of the charter although he host the programmes on part-time basis." If you look up the definition of "conflict of interest" it would not fit the verdict.

[h90]

Lets see if he is arrogant as DR T? if he tries to walk in again though the backdoor then we have the September 25th decision which may not weight lightly on him. If he is gracious and allows other factions to take the lead, then the judges may be lenient or do a famous Thai postponement of judgment.

Though I do have a theory that his allegiance has just been changed to higher forces and is staging a play for their effect.

He got the 2 year sentence, with no probation for defamation

because it is FAR from his only defamation charge,

he is a serial defamer and laughed at the courts publicly

and ignored their edicts to stop.

They final threw the book at him.

On the 25th unless someone REALLY, REALLY LOVES him,

he is right off to jail, no questions, no further appeals etc.

I might want to spend my last few weeks of freedom

NOT fighting with PAD and the powers that be,

but enjoying some of life's pleasures,

that I am like to be denied shortly.

Thing is I think he LIKES fighting like this

and has few other pleasures besides cooking.

I would book a flight to UK.....There should be already a large minority of Thais in London.

[Sparkles]

Does anyone on here read www.notthenation.com ? It has some good humor to lighten things up a bit.

Does anyone on here knows if Samak has already ask for Political Asylum in The UK?

OK, this is not funny ......

Hopefully but then another"clown" will step up so the impasse continues. I have my own remedy which would be (1) Leave the constitution in limbo for the immediate future (2) Have the Palace appoint a Prime Minister with a reduced number of people in Cabinet. Select the best and most honest brains ,irrespective of which party in the country ,and there are many , then put the country first instead of all these rag tag political parties. The current situation is damaging the country immeasurably.

I think nearly every Thai citizen would accept this alternative.

[hammered]

Prasopsuk ends role as mediator

and

He said that he would like to give opportunities to political parties to solve the situation, so now it is the responsibility of the members of parliament to proceed with their work to end political problems.

Full article from the Post at: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=130549

It certainly look slike pressure is being applied to move on from Samak. First the business community and now the senate/negotiation leader

[Old Man River]

Prasopsuk ends role as mediator

and

He said that he would like to give opportunities to political parties to solve the situation, so now it is the responsibility of the members of parliament to proceed with their work to end political problems.

Full article from the Post at: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=130549

It certainly look slike pressure is being applied to move on from Samak. First the business community and now the senate/negotiation leader

Samak was only one part of the problem. The fact that the PPP so readily wants to see him back (whether it happens or not) shows the ethical standards they operate under. Moreover, there is little doubt that that the people who voted the PPP into office would be willing to vote them right back into office again should the house be dissolved. This system has to change or this merry go round will continue.

[h90]

Does anyone on here read www.notthenation.com ? It has some good humor to lighten things up a bit.

Does anyone on here knows if Samak has already ask for Political Asylum in The UK?

OK, this is not funny ......

Hopefully but then another"clown" will step up so the impasse continues. I have my own remedy which would be (1) Leave the constitution in limbo for the immediate future (2) Have the Palace appoint a Prime Minister with a reduced number of people in Cabinet. Select the best and most honest brains ,irrespective of which party in the country ,and there are many , then put the country first instead of all these rag tag political parties. The current situation is damaging the country immeasurably.

I think nearly every Thai citizen would accept this alternative.

3) change the constitution:

remove that strange yellow cards with red cards

5 year ban from politic with lifetime

who took money also does not has any right to vote again

the same for all middlemen

the worst problems fixed....

[coalminer]

Does anyone on here knows if Samak has already ask for Political Asylum in The UK?

OK, this is not funny ......

Hopefully but then another"clown" will step up so the impasse continues. I have my own remedy which would be (1) Leave the constitution in limbo for the immediate future (2) Have the Palace appoint a Prime Minister with a reduced number of people in Cabinet. Select the best and most honest brains ,irrespective of which party in the country ,and there are many , then put the country first instead of all these rag tag political parties. The current situation is damaging the country immeasurably.

I think nearly every Thai citizen would accept this alternative.

I have another proposition for the Government in Thailand.

1. Hold every 3 months elections.

1a. An elected person cannot be reelected for 1 year.

1b. A party cannot be reelected 3 times consecutevely.

If this solution would be accepted by the Thai Government, I will be more than pleased to offer the next PM a bridge which i have for sale now.

[hammered]

Prasopsuk ends role as mediator

and

He said that he would like to give opportunities to political parties to solve the situation, so now it is the responsibility of the members of parliament to proceed with their work to end political problems.

Full article from the Post at: http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=130549

It certainly look slike pressure is being applied to move on from Samak. First the business community and now the senate/negotiation leader

Samak was only one part of the problem. The fact that the PPP so readily wants to see him back (whether it happens or not) shows the ethical standards they operate under. Moreover, there is little doubt that that the people who voted the PPP into office would be willing to vote them right back into office again should the house be dissolved. This system has to change or this merry go round will continue.

The merry go round will inevitably continue. The only thing that could break the logjam would be a defection of PPP MPs but that would probably mean paying them a lot;)

[LuckyFive8888]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

it has nothing to do with cooking, i hope your not playing dumb here, but being employed by another institution while being a PM is the case. and as we all know that employment or work in thai constitution or law is defined very broadly this is also the reason why you cannot paint your own house, mow your own lawn, etc. without having a work permit.

Not trying to play dumb. I agree if the law was just "no work allowed" but the verdict was quoted as "The court reasoned that the Constitution was aimed to prevent conflicts of interest on part of Cabinet members so Samak had violated in the intention of the charter although he host the programmes on part-time basis." If you look up the definition of "conflict of interest" it would not fit the verdict.

might be because the definition of 'conflict of interest' in english is not the same as they defined in thai 'ผลประโยชน์ทับซ้อน' (phon prayot thap son) on which 'thap son''' really means overlapping. this is more likely that it falls to the category that you can only have one job ie. as a PM to perform your duties imapartially.

i guess we can't really understand thai law unless we know the language itself...

[Wombat6]

Instead of being re-instated as PM, Samak should be appointed as Chef in the Members Dining room which should save the Government a few Baht.

[sriracha john]

The only thing that could break the logjam would be a defection of PPP MPs

One defection coming right up, sir....

Horse trading begins ahead of Thai PM vote Friday

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The parties in Thailand's ruling coalition huddled behind closed doors on Wednesday to agree on a replacement prime minister for Samak Sundaravej, who was removed by the courts for hosting a TV cooking show while in office.

Samak's People Power Party (PPP), the biggest in the six-member coalition, vowed to back him again as prime minister, but smaller partners have not made their stance clear ahead of Friday's parliamentary vote.

Chart Thai, the second largest party in the coalition, was meeting with the PPP amid newspaper speculation that its leader, Banharn Silpa-archa, would replace Samak.

Banharn, a veteran provincial power-broker whose disastrous premiership in the 1990s contributed to the baht collapse that triggered a wider Asian financial crisis, denied the rumours.

"It is impossible for the PPP to vote for me to be the prime minister. They have many choices, apart from Samak," he told reporters before meeting finance minister and top PPP official Surapong Suebwonglee.

Banharn gave no hint of how his party would vote on Friday.

A nationwide poll conducted by Assumption University found that 56 percent of respondents wanted the Samak government to go. A similar percentage wanted a national unity administration or a snap election.

The 73-year-old Samak has yet to comment on Tuesday's court ruling that he had violated the constitution by hosting cooking shows on commercial television while in office.

The Constitutional Court said it was a conflict of interest that disqualified him as prime minister.

Analysts said the verdict should have provided at least a stop-gap solution to the crisis, but the likelihood the stalemate will drag on for months is likely to take a further toll on Thailand's financial markets.

The country's main stock index has fallen nearly 25 percent since a street campaign against the Samak government began in late May.

Protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), who accuse Samak of being a puppet of Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted as premier by the army in a 2006 coup, said they would not move from Government House, where they have barricaded themselves for two weeks.

Deputy Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat -- who is Thaksin's brother-in-law -- was named acting prime minister, an appointment hardly likely to calm PAD ardour.

It was also not certain that Samak's entire party would back him Friday's secret ballot. Some PPP factions were meeting on Wednesday to discuss leadership options.

"What the spokesman said about re-nominating Samak was not a party resolution," Paijit Srivorakarn, head of the PPP's northeast faction, told a Bangkok radio station.

Edited September 10, 2008 by sriracha john

[Radius]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

it has nothing to do with cooking, i hope your not playing dumb here, but being employed by another institution while being a PM is the case. and as we all know that employment or work in thai constitution or law is defined very broadly this is also the reason why you cannot paint your own house, mow your own lawn, etc. without having a work permit.

Not trying to play dumb. I agree if the law was just "no work allowed" but the verdict was quoted as "The court reasoned that the Constitution was aimed to prevent conflicts of interest on part of Cabinet members so Samak had violated in the intention of the charter although he host the programmes on part-time basis." If you look up the definition of "conflict of interest" it would not fit the verdict.

might be because the definition of 'conflict of interest' in english is not the same as they defined in thai 'ผลประโยชน์ทับซ้อน' (phon prayot thap son) on which 'thap son''' really means overlapping. this is more likely that it falls to the category that you can only have one job ie. as a PM to perform your duties imapartially.

i guess we can't really understand thai law unless we know the language itself...

Actually, it seems pretty simple to me.

If you are PM you are the biggest source of power in the country (on paper). For you to recieve money from any other job your judgement on subject(s) affecting that other job is tainted.

You can no longer take objective decisions. And even if you could, people will always think you ruled that way because you recieved money from them.

This is what we call: 'Conflict of interest'.

btw, does this give Samak a criminal record? And if so, can a person be PM with a criminal record?

[chuang]

Thai court rules Prime Minister violated charter with cooking show

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's Constitution Court ruled on Tuesday that Prime Minister Samak

Sundaravej must step down after he violated the country's supreme law by accepting payments for hosting TV cooking programmes while in office.

-- MCOT 2008-09-09

What a mockery... I thought Samak was hosting a TV porn show

[hammered]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

it has nothing to do with cooking, i hope your not playing dumb here, but being employed by another institution while being a PM is the case. and as we all know that employment or work in thai constitution or law is defined very broadly this is also the reason why you cannot paint your own house, mow your own lawn, etc. without having a work permit.

Not trying to play dumb. I agree if the law was just "no work allowed" but the verdict was quoted as "The court reasoned that the Constitution was aimed to prevent conflicts of interest on part of Cabinet members so Samak had violated in the intention of the charter although he host the programmes on part-time basis." If you look up the definition of "conflict of interest" it would not fit the verdict.

might be because the definition of 'conflict of interest' in english is not the same as they defined in thai 'ผลประโยชน์ทับซ้อน' (phon prayot thap son) on which 'thap son''' really means overlapping. this is more likely that it falls to the category that you can only have one job ie. as a PM to perform your duties imapartially.

i guess we can't really understand thai law unless we know the language itself...

Actually, it seems pretty simple to me.

If you are PM you are the biggest source of power in the country (on paper). For you to recieve money from any other job your judgement on subject(s) affecting that other job is tainted.

You can no longer take objective decisions. And even if you could, people will always think you ruled that way because you recieved money from them.

This is what we call: 'Conflict of interest'.

btw, does this give Samak a criminal record? And if so, can a person be PM with a criminal record?

It was not a criminal conviction so he has no record for this.

[hammered]

Thai court rules Prime Minister violated charter with cooking show

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's Constitution Court ruled on Tuesday that Prime Minister Samak

Sundaravej must step down after he violated the country's supreme law by accepting payments for hosting TV cooking programmes while in office.

-- MCOT 2008-09-09

What a mockery... I thought Samak was hosting a TV porn show

Good God him out of his kit doesnt bear thinking about

[Old Man River]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

it has nothing to do with cooking, i hope your not playing dumb here, but being employed by another institution while being a PM is the case. and as we all know that employment or work in thai constitution or law is defined very broadly this is also the reason why you cannot paint your own house, mow your own lawn, etc. without having a work permit.

Not trying to play dumb. I agree if the law was just "no work allowed" but the verdict was quoted as "The court reasoned that the Constitution was aimed to prevent conflicts of interest on part of Cabinet members so Samak had violated in the intention of the charter although he host the programmes on part-time basis." If you look up the definition of "conflict of interest" it would not fit the verdict.

might be because the definition of 'conflict of interest' in english is not the same as they defined in thai 'ผลประโยชน์ทับซ้อน' (phon prayot thap son) on which 'thap son''' really means overlapping. this is more likely that it falls to the category that you can only have one job ie. as a PM to perform your duties imapartially.

i guess we can't really understand thai law unless we know the language itself...

Actually, it seems pretty simple to me.

If you are PM you are the biggest source of power in the country (on paper). For you to recieve money from any other job your judgement on subject(s) affecting that other job is tainted.

You can no longer take objective decisions. And even if you could, people will always think you ruled that way because you recieved money from them.

This is what we call: 'Conflict of interest'.

btw, does this give Samak a criminal record? And if so, can a person be PM with a criminal record?

It was not a criminal conviction so he has no record for this.

He has no record for this, but he does for the libel case (2 year jail sentence) that he is appealing it (decision due Sept. 25th).

[sriracha john]

From the OP...

3.15 pm: Where is Samak? Nobody knows. He was said to have boarded his flight back from Udon Thani after the mobile Cabinet meeting but as of now no-one can confirm where he has landed. Samak's close aides who answered reporters' phone calls would only say the prime minister is now in Bangkok. However, he is not expected to appear at the Constitution Court.

Until now, we still don't know...

Thailand: Concerns Of Chaos If Samak Returns

BANGKOK, THAILAND: Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej disappeared from public view Wednesday (10 Sept) as his coalition offered to vote him back into office and opponents warned of chaos if he returns.

The Constitutional Court forced Samak to resign Tuesday (9 Sept) after finding him guilty of violating the constitution by receiving payment to host TV cooking shows while in office.

The ruling marked the first time in Thai history that a prime minister had to leave office by a court order. The English-language Bangkok Post poked fun at the circumstances with a political cartoon that showed Samak being poisoned by a plate of steaming food, as two pigs commented, "You are what you eat."

But, the mood in Thailand was tense Wednesday as the court's decision appeared unlikely to end a political crisis over Samak's leadership. Anti-government protesters seized the prime minister's office compound 26 Aug to demand Samak's ouster and said they would remain camped there until they were certain he would not return.

Samak's six-party coalition in Parliament said Wednesday it would try to get him re-elected as prime minister when Parliament meets Friday (12 Sept) to select his replacement.

"So far, we have not yet heard from Prime Minister Samak. We have merely proposed the idea of voting him back into office, but we don't know if he will accept the position or not," said Wittaya Buransiri, a senior coalition member.

Samak made no public comment on the court ruling or his coalition's offer, though The Bangkok Post quoted anonymous coalition members as saying he had privately accepted it. Samak's whereabouts were not known, with some speculating that he had moved into a military safe house.

The opposition Democrat Party warned that returning Samak to power would inflame the country's political crisis.

"I am urging the coalition parties to rethink the idea of appointing Samak," said Suthep Thuagsuban, secretary-general of the Democrat Party. "You are fueling the fire in the country and it could lead to chaos."

The opposition was pushing to delay the parliamentary vote for a new prime minister until Monday so all parties could find "a good person that is acceptable to the public" to lead the country and resolve the political crisis, Suthep said.

Anti-government protesters call Samak a puppet of deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was forced from office by an army coup in 2006 and recently fled to Britain to avoid corruption charges.

The People's Alliance for Democracy, the protest organizers, said they would hold on to Government House while waiting to see who Parliament selects as prime minister. If Samak or anyone tied to Thaksin is picked, the occupation will continue, alliance spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told The Associated Press.

Newspaper editorials urged Samak to bow out.

"Reappointing Samak will only widen the rift in society and risk leading the country into chaos and a bloodbath," the Thai-language Matichon newspaper said in its editorial.

Street clashes in the capital Bangkok between Samak's supporters and opponents on 2 Sept left one person dead and dozens wounded.

The English-language Nation newspaper urged all sides to "listen to each other in a sincere attempt to sort out the political mess. ... Everyone should take this opportunity to sort out their differences for the sake of the nation."

The anti-Samak movement argues that the ballot box gives too much weight to Thailand's poor rural majority. It contends that the poor are susceptible to vote buying and provide a solid political base for the forces represented by Thaksin and Samak.

For now, the 73-year-old Samak has been undone by hosting a popular TV cooking show, "Tasting and Complaining." He was host for seven years before becoming prime minister seven months ago, but he made several appearances after taking office, which the court said violated a constitutional prohibition on private employment while in office.

In his defense, Samak had argued he was not an employee of the company that made the show and only received payment for his transportation and the ingredients used for cooking.

The court said Samak's Cabinet could remain as a caretaker administration until Parliament fills the prime minister's post. That means the senior deputy prime minister, Somchai Wongsawat, will serve as acting prime minister. Somchai is Thaksin's brother-in-law.

- Associated Press / 2008.09.10

[ubonjoe]

PPP meet Banharn to find new PM

By The Nation

People Power Party's deputy leader Somchai Wongsawat and secretary general Surapong Suebwonglee hold a meeting with Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa on Wednesday morning.

The meeting came a day after Samak Sundaravej was disqualified from the premiership at the order of the Constitution Court.

Somchai and Surapong were expected to discuss about new prime minister who will be voted in the parliament on Friday. Both were also expected to confirm that Chart Thai is still a coalition party in the government

[animatic]

In the UK if it seemed a minister was in breach of regulations, however trivial, the civil service machine would warn the offending minister and the matter would be nipped in the bud.In the case of the PM this warning would be carried out by the Cabinet Secretary.

Samak had been warned before and was now convicted, just like any court in the West would convict him, given the evidence. I had my wife translate a lot of the judges comments, when he was reading the judgement and the judgement seemed perfectly fair. (The whole reading of the judgement was broadcast live on ASTV. In full, without being chopped up). Maybe, if they translate it into English one day, you will see for yourself.

You may not like what happened, but as far as the law is concerned, it was perfectly fair.

He was charge with "conflict of interest". What did they state was the conflict between being PM and the cooking show?

He took money from a media company that makes product regulated by his governments agencies.

Clear cut conflict of interest. The AMOUNTS make no difference legally.