Thaksin Wants Sanan To Lead Party

[webfact]

PHEU THAI PARTY

Thaksin wants Sanan to lead party : sources

By The Nation

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the key man behind the opposition Pheu Thai Party, wants Sanan Kachornprasart as the next party leader, a Pheu Thai source said yesterday.

The fugitive ex-PM had talked to Sanan, who is Deputy Prime Minister, about the move, the source said. Sanan would have to leave Chart Thai Pattana Party if he was to take the post.

Sanan was seen as having good leadership qualities - compromising by nature, good ties with the military, and close relations with the yellow shirts and coalition parties, said the source, who asked for anonymity. Bringing in an outsider like Sanan was also expected to help defuse feuding among factions for the top party post, the source said.

Sanan, who is Chart Thai Pattana's chief adviser, insists he will remain with the coalition party. He also denies having talked with Thaksin over the phone. He said he would only focus on campaigning for political reconciliation.

Other key Chart Thai Pattana figures also dismissed speculation Sanan would defect.

Party leader Chumpol Silapa-archa, who is also the Tourism minister, dismissed speculation on Sanan's possible departure. "Believe me, there is nothing at all [in such talk]," he said.

Sanan said he would retire from politics if he succeeded in pushing for reconciliation, he said.

Faction leader Anutin Chanweerakul also said the alliance between the Democrat and Bhum Jai Thai parties was likely to survive till the end of the government's term. He rejected rumours that the Democrats were preparing to boot out the junior coalition party.

"The two parties have faced so many risky situations together and will not allow petty issues to undermine the coalition," he said. There was no rift among the coalition partners as alleged.

Bhum Jai Thai had proven itself as a true ally of the Democrats and the party had never betrayed its trust despite the turbulence engulfing the main coalition party, he said.

There were no signs of a move to shuffle out Interior Minister Chaovarat Chanweerakul, appointed under his party's quota, and let him be replaced by Pracha Phromnok from the Puea Pandin Party, he said.

Suspicions about a plot under which Pheu Thai Party would "loan" MPs to the Democrats so Bhum Jai Thai could be dropped from the coalition were preposterous, he said. Such a scheme was unprecedented and would be worthy of listing in the Guinness Book of World Records if it was successful, he said.

Bhum Jai Thai, meanwhile, remained sure that the PM would carefully review his options before deciding on a government line-up favouring Puea Pandin at the expense of Bhum Jai Thai, party spokesman Suphachai Jaisamut said.

"I trust the prime minister will think hard if he is going to choose between Puea Pandin and Bhum Jai Thai," Suphachai said, reacting to speculation about a Cabinet reshuffle to include 22 "mainstream" MPs from Puea Pandin as well as the current faction of 10. Although Abhisit would have the final say on the composition of his coalition government, Bhum Jai Thai was confident no decision would be made without the consent of coalition partners, he added.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

[slapout]

There are rumors, suspicions, speculation, alleged rifts/plots, unnamed sources, outright denial of referenced conversation,etc. Who ever wrote this article did not have balls enough to put his name to it, wonder why? Investigative journalism and real journalists seem to have a similar believability as the proverbially virgin in the cat house.

[SomTumTiger]

I want Sanan to lead the party too. Then PTP will have two people with giant Dumbo ears to make fun of (the other being mingkwan)

[asiawatcher]

If Sanan gets the top job then he is just another pawn in the game of chess and a puppet played by a convicted criminal conman. Losers all.

[TAWP]

So can any PT and red shirt apologist's please tell me again that Thaksin isn't part of the game anymore? Please?

[rubl]

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the key man behind the opposition Pheu Thai Party, wants Sanan Kachornprasart as the next party leader, a Pheu Thai source said yesterday.

The fugitive ex-PM had talked to Sanan, who is Deputy Prime Minister, about the move, the source said. Sanan would have to leave Chart Thai Pattana Party if he was to take the post.

Please tune in again tomorrow for the continued saga of the PTP leadership. Will another PTP source contradict the statement, come with a different name, completely dismiss the rumor, or just blame the government ? Will we get another tape?

Oh, the anxiety, the suspense