Pm Thaksin Resigns

[sriracha john]

Plus - Thaskin is far from gone, he'll be pulling strings behind the scenes.

IF that happens, that person who IS premier will be making the same speech as Thaksin just finished making... people won't accept anything less.... and they won't wait 5 painful gruelling years to do so..

[h90]

of course there will be no wrong doings with a 100 % in parlament, what wrongdoings, you absolut rule the country.

This is like putting Stalin to court for wrongdoings while he is dicator

Also worth taking notice of is the fact that if after there has been a full enquiry in to the allegations made against him and he is cleared of any wrong doing. HE WILL BE BACK.

[Dario]

Also worth taking notice of is the fact that if after there has been a full enquiry in to the allegations made against him and he is cleared of any wrong doing. HE WILL BE BACK.

You bet! He'll sure be back, that is exactly what he says since some time: I might take a political break. And he made that true tonight. In the meantime he'll still control the country from wherever he might be, be that London, Singapore, Texas, or wherever..

Edited April 4, 2006 by Dario

[camerata]

Although it wasn't mentioned in Thaksin's speech tonight, friends in the know tell me the deal is the current government will be dissolved in 15 months time after constitutional ammendments have been made.

So I guess we could see Thaksin back one day, or we could see TRT fade away when various factions jump ship before the next election.

[Plus]

Jakrapop Peklair of TRT was asked how long will it take to find a successor to Thakins and he said that Thaksin allowed the system to work and once the political reform is in place, new PM will take over.

Might be even before the new airport opens.

PAD are not going to like it.

[English Noodles]

of course there will be no wrong doings with a 100 % in parlament, what wrongdoings, you absolut rule the country.

This is like putting Stalin to court for wrongdoings while he is dicator

Also worth taking notice of is the fact that if after there has been a full enquiry in to the allegations made against him and he is cleared of any wrong doing. HE WILL BE BACK.

Lets wait and see what happens over the next 12 months

[britmaveric]

Plus - Thaskin is far from gone, he'll be pulling strings behind the scenes.

IF that happens, that person who IS premier will be making the same speech as Thaksin just finished making... people won't accept anything less.... and they won't wait 5 painful gruelling years to do so..

Doubt that John...this all about dosh, plain/simple. The ones who want it vs the ones who have it. Same Same will continue, perhaps different faces, but same same.

[h90]

if I understood right only the areas were TRT could not get the 20 % must vote again and than the parlament can work 4 years without new vote.

What would be crazy, on 100 % TRT in the parlament???

Taksin will not be the premier anymore, but as I see it, TRT will rule the country, one of them will become prime minister and HE (Thaksin) will appoint him. All the members of TRT are his puppets on a string. He will continue to rule the country and set new standards from the comfortable back seat.

It is as simple as one, two, three. All orchestrated by their party leader.

Well there will have to be another election and hopfully the oppostion will get their act together. So that we don't have a TRT dominated parliament. One can only hope that TRT now goes into meltdown, thus making it hard for Tox to come back ever again!

[asd]

Glory!! Glory!! in Thailand

Thaksin still be a caretaker PM in this time.

[h90]

before the new airport opens,

hmm sept 2005, or 2004 or june 2006 or later or much late or sooner aeh not sooner

Jakrapop Peklair of TRT was asked how long will it take to find a successor to Thakins and he said that Thaksin allowed the system to work and once the political reform is in place, new PM will take over.

Might be even before the new airport opens.

PAD are not going to like it.

[bulmercke]

The call to go to Hua Hin came just a few hours after his very belligerent and defiant national broadcast last night.

He was told to go in no other terms.

This is final. He will respect His Majesty's wishes and I suspect Thaksin will retire from politics in the not too distant future.

It's all over - although after so long -we still can't come to terms with the enormity of it all - and we're naturally suspicious of his intentions!

Also, Thaksin is an "all-or-nothing" sort of guy. Being just a MP won't suffice. He will depart soon. He's frequently spoken of activities he would like to engage in after he leaves politics and he has the money now to engage in those activities - he says cynically!

Edited April 4, 2006 by bulmercke

[sriracha john]

Plus - Thaskin is far from gone, he'll be pulling strings behind the scenes.

IF that happens, that person who IS premier will be making the same speech as Thaksin just finished making... people won't accept anything less.... and they won't wait 5 painful gruelling years to do so..

Doubt that John...this all about dosh, plain/simple. The ones who want it vs the ones who have it. Same Same will continue, perhaps different faces, but same same.

As long as it's a different face than that square one....

his face is already responsible for the deaths of so many....

Edited April 4, 2006 by sriracha john

[konangrit]

before the new airport opens,

hmm sept 2005, or 2004 or june 2006 or later or much late or sooner aeh not sooner

Jakrapop Peklair of TRT was asked how long will it take to find a successor to Thakins and he said that Thaksin allowed the system to work and once the political reform is in place, new PM will take over.

Might be even before the new airport opens.

PAD are not going to like it.

Yesterday:

"Airport won't open in June

Suvarnabhumi Airport is unlikely to be ready to begin commercial operations in June, Deputy Transport Minister General Chaiyanan Charoensiri said Monday.

Chaiyanan said work was still to be completed in several parts of the terminal, including the roof, ahead of a comprehensive safety test to be carried out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

"It [the work] should take about six or seven months," he said.

The government had already postponed the opening of the airฌport from last September to June."

Seven months puts the current opening date back to December.

[bino]

Can't say that I'm buying it....

As other posters have said, he will probably be back after an enquiry, and / or will be able to control the new prime minister from his position as leader of the TRT.

I see this as a short term solution to restore "harmony" in the interests of national security during the 60th year celebrations in June when many heads of state from around the world will visit Thailand.

Thaksin will also remain as Prime Minister, if even as caretaker, during this prestigious event.

I can see the problem coming back in a big way after 90 days or so. I can only hope that there will be another election that the opposing parties will participate in, and campaign effectively. It seems the only way to stop Thaksin is for the Thai people to stop the TRT.

Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't....

[lung]

boah... after the last post they kick me out ...

15times!!! (tt&t)

illiminati again

but then the much moscito here from them

viva la

------

where HE is going ??

[Nawtilus]

Did anyone notice all the planes over Bkk yesterday, more planes than usual, more movement.

Does Thailand feel a little lighter today ??

[capt_canada42]

The call to go to Hua Hin came just a few hours after his very belligerent and defiant national broadcast last night.

He was told to go in no other terms.

This is final. He will respect His Majesty's wishes and I suspect Thaksin will retire from politics in the not too distant future.

It's all over - although after so long -we still can't come to terms with the enormity of it all - and we're naturally suspicious of his intentions!

Sorry children he is not out of the picture any more than Lee Kwaun Yeew is in Singapore,Taksin will still be calling the shots from behind the scenes.

[george]

Thai premier to take "political break"

BANGKOK: -- Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will announce on Tuesday that he is taking a "political break" to try to resolve a long-running crisis over opponents' demands for his resignation, an aide said.

"He will have to bow to the current situation and take a political break," the aide said soon after Thaksin returned from seeing King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Thaksin was due to speak to the nation on television at 1330 GMT, his spokesman said.

Opponents demanding he resign over allegations of corruption and abuse of power said earlier they would stop street protests and take part in a new election if he quit immediately.

Thaksin had offered on Monday night to resign if they called off the protests and joined a new poll he said could take place 15 months after last Sunday's election, which was boycotted by the main opposition.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva agreed to run in a new election, but only if the telecoms billionaire quit now.

"I don't see why it couldn't happen today. The PAD have said yes, we've said yes, and it was his offer -- so he should stick to his word."

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), an ad-hoc coalition behind street protests calling for Thaksin's head, had said they would go home if he resigned.

"When the prime minister makes an official announcement to the public that he will resign, the alliance will end its rallies immediately," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told reporters.

Thaksin called Sunday's snap poll to defuse a street campaign led by a former business ally, Sondhi Limthongkul, and his political mentor, retired general Chamlong Srimuang.

Appearing on a television talk show on Monday, Thaksin did not repeat recent calls for law and order, seen by some as a threat to crack down on protests that took off in January after the tax-free sale of the telecommunications empire he founded.

RECONCILIATION CALL

Thaksin, 56, said he wanted reconciliation after the poll boycott by the Democrat, Chart Thai and Mahachon parties.

"I will do anything. I have retreated so many steps that my back is against the wall," he said.

Thaksin said his Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) had won 16 million votes, a fall of 3 million from the landslide win in February last year, although official returns are far from complete.

He said 10 million voters abstained -- effectively a vote against him -- spoiled their ballots or chose minor parties, threatening a continuation of a crisis hurting the economy.

Thaksin proposed that a group of former judges, university chiefs and prime ministers seek a way out of the political mess and said he would quit if they recommended his exit.

The opposition said the proposed panel was "irrelevant" and dismissed Thaksin's call for reconciliation.

The opposition boycott left 38 of 400 parliamentary constituencies without a winner and no one can form a new government until all seats in parliament are filled.

An unopposed candidate must get 20 percent of the eligible vote to win -- and there is no guarantee by-elections for those 38 seats, most in Democrat strongholds, will achieve that -- and all seats must be filled before parliament can convene.

--Reuters 2006-04-04

[george]

Thai prime minister to resign

BANGKOK: -- A day after claiming victory in a national election, Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has announced he will resign amid mass protests and a political crisis that has thrown the future of the government into question.

Thaksin addressed the country on national television after meeting with the Southeast Asian country's king.

The prime minister had called the election three years early, as demonstrators filled streets demanding his ouster.

Thaksin said he would step aside because of his party's poor showing in Sunday's election, keeping a pre-election promise to leave his post if his party received less than 50 percent of the vote.

His Thai Rak Thai party was the only major one participating in the vote, as three opposition parties launched a boycott, hoping to make it impossible to fill all 500 parliamentary seats.

All the seats must be filled for a new government to be formed.

Opponents of the billionaire leader have accused him of abusing the country's system of checks and balances and bending government policy to benefit his family's business.

Anti-government protests grew when his family announced it had sold its controlling stake in telecom company Shin Corp. to Singapore's state-owned Temasek Holdings for a tax-free $1.9 billion.

During the elections Sunday, bombs exploded at three polling stations in Thailand's troubled southern region, wounding two policemen and four soldiers in Narathiwat, one of three Muslim-majority provinces plagued by a separatist insurgency.

More than 1,200 people have died in the insurgency in clashes and revenge killings.

--CNN 2006-04-04

[Dario]

Thaksin and the Thai Rak Thai party won't be gone so quickly!

One has to bear in mind a simple fact: The ones who gave him 16 million votes are the farmers and they aren't to blame. Thaksin with his TRT was the first who ever made it possible for them to obtain loans. I'm talking about the 1,000,000 Baht which he distributed to every Thai village. This is a feat which they will not so quickly forget. As long as TRT is around they WILL vote for him.

That was one of his smartest moves he ever made >> not for us, though, only for him and the TRT.

Edited April 4, 2006 by Dario

[sriracha john]

C.A.T. lines are jammed up...

I can't call overseas....

but that's ok.... SPREAD THE WORD EVERYBODY!!

I'll wait my turn.

[malcolminthemiddle]

A moratorium by any other name?

[p_brownstone]

Thaksin has clearly stated that he will not be Prime Minister in the next Parliament; as others have pointed out however he will still definitely be pulling the strings from the shadows.

Or maybe not from the shadows – he has only said he will not accept the Post of Prime Minister. The Speaker of the House is a very powerful position, in many respects equal to that of the Prime Minister; I can easily envisage a scenario where Thaksin gets himself elected as Speaker, and at the same time controls whoever is PM.

Patrick

[hammered]

My guess is, and I may be wrong, that the opposition will now run in the by-elections. Parliament will be filled. Somkid will become PM. The 60 th celebration will go ahead. Electoral reform will be the priority probably thriough a neutralish body. There will be a new election in 12-15 months. The usual suspects will realign within parties. We may even end up back with the old style coalition government although some of the old influential faces will be gone. And all the megaprojects, privatisations and free trade agreements will be delayed until a government elected under an ammended constitution is formed.

Finally, all ex pats will remain utterly paranoid.

[asd]

It seems the only way to stop Thaksin is for the Thai people to stop the TRT.

I can not agree with you anymore.

Thaksin Shinawatra to take "political break"

Edited April 4, 2006 by asd

[lung]

C.A.T. lines are jammed up...

I can't call overseas....

but that's ok.... SPREAD THE WORD EVERYBODY!!

thanks for info

C.A.T.

6times again... and i pay per connection (60baht in 2h)

----

ok.. but only today...

[Plus]

"The premier will ask recommendations and suggestions from HM the King," - Prommin said just a few hours ago. He also said that "the premier's audience was a routine visit every six weeks." Another spokesman said it was a routine monthly visit.

Also earlier today PAD said they'd accept offer of not taking PMship in the next parliament.

Also earlier today EC announce the dates for by-elections - April 23.

I guess they can put that out of their minds for now and worry what to do if TRT still doesn't get 20% and 30-day election period expires in less than a week.

Administrative court might still annule the elections and EC will call another round. That would be the best scenario for everyone.

[bulmercke]

Thaksin has clearly stated that he will not be Prime Minister in the next Parliament; as others have pointed out however he will still definitely be pulling the strings from the shadows.

Or maybe not from the shadows – he has only said he will not accept the Post of Prime Minister. The Speaker of the House is a very powerful position, in many respects equal to that of the Prime Minister; I can easily envisage a scenario where Thaksin gets himself elected as Speaker, and at the same time controls whoever is PM.

Patrick

Speaker of the House? I don't think so. Too much of a step-down. In the past he has made abrupt changes in his career and business interests. He's gone and gone completely from politics soon.

[cdnvic]

CNN had analysts discussing the situation and simultaneiously exposing their ignorance.

They were quoting the Thai news agencies then?

cv

[massein]

Prob a temp measure - could this be a shrewd ploy to get the protests to stop then changes his mind at a later date?

Don't worry, Thaskins will still be in parlement and will run a shadow behind the scenes, his replacement will only be a puppet, since Thaksin will still be head of the party as well