February 20, 2007
BANGKOK (AFP) - The political pressure group behind last year's protests in Bangkok on Tuesday criticised the military-installed government for hiring a key aide to deposed Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
The so-called People Alliance for Democracy (PAD) urged the government to reconsider the appointment of Somkid Jatusripitak as special economic envoy, and threatened to take to the streets once again unless he is sacked.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont last week stunned many of his cabinet ministers by appointing Somkid, who was deputy prime minister under Thaksin up until his ouster in a bloodless coup last September.
"We oppose the appointment of Somkid, who was an architect of 'Thaksinomics', which was a crucial reason behind all the trouble facing Thailand now," PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told AFP, referring to Thaksin's pro-investment economic philosophy.
"It is totally inappropriate as Somkid is also being investigated in connection with various corruption cases by the junta-appointed Assets Examination Committee," he added.
The PAD spearheaded protests in early 2006 aimed at driving Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai political party from office over alleged corruption and abuse of power. The protests forced a snap election, which Thaksin won in April.
However, the poll was annulled, and Thaksin was eventually removed from power by the military.
Since the putsch, the PAD have largely supported the junta, but on Tuesday they vowed to mobilise support among the Thai public if the government did not yield to their demands.
"We call on the government to reconsider and we call on Somkid to resign from the post. Otherwise we will make our next move, probably in one month's time," Suriyasai said.
Somkid, 53, was a charged with heading up economic policy under Thaksin. He was widely seen as a potential successor to the billionaire premier, but resigned from Thai Rak Thai after the coup.
Last Thursday, Surayud named Somkid as head of a new commission tasked with explaining Thailand's economic policies, especially to international investors whose confidence has been badly shaken since the coup.
The move appeared to be a slight to Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula, a former Bank of Thailand governor, who has given confusing and sometimes contradictory explanations of Thai economic policy.