Thai PM told to quit for hosting cooking show

BANGKOK, Thursday - Thailand’s Constitutional Court ordered Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to stand down today, accusing him of breaking the law by hosting TV cooking shows while in office.

The verdict prompted mixed reactions from protesters occupying Government House to try to force Samak from office, with some cheering his demise, and others fearing the belligerent 73-year-old would simply be voted back to power by his party.

Wittaya Buranasiri, chief government whip from Samak’s People Power Party, a successor to the disbanded party of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, echoed the defiance his boss has shown throughout the three month campaign against him. ‘’I insist that our party leader will be the prime minister,’’ he told reporters within minutes of the verdict.

Launched its push

The stock market, which has fallen 24 per cent since the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) launched its push at the end of May, closed down 0.3 per cent, having failed to react to the verdict.

The PAD’s main gripe is that Samak is a puppet of Thaksin, who was removed as prime minister by the army in a 2006 coup. The group, a mix of royalist businessmen, academics and activists united by their hatred of Mr Thaksin, had hoped the conflict of interest charges against Samak for hosting the commercial TV cooking programmes after becoming prime minister.

Mr Samak testified in his own defence on Monday, denying any wrongdoing as the star of ‘‘Tasting, Grumbling’’ and ‘‘Touring at 6 am’’.

He suggested the case was politically motivated and said the 80,000 baht ($2,300) his driver received was to cover the cost of fuel and ingredients for the show.

He gave up the role in April, more than two months after becoming prime minister.

With the thick skin that has typified his behaviour throughout, Mr Samak toured a meat and vegetable market in the northeastern province of Udon Thani today, before chairing a ‘‘mobile’’ weekly cabinet meeting.

He declined to answer questions from reporters afterwards.

At a pro-government rally on Monday evening in the town, a stronghold for his seven-month-old government, he vowed not to resign or call a snap election.

‘‘I declare that I will not dissolve parliament. I will not quit. I will fight ‘‘he told thousands of cheering supporters.

The standoff between the government and PAD has paralysed administration decision-making at a time of slowing economic growth and high inflation.

The tension spilt over into bloodshed last week when a man was killed in a street battle between pro- and anti-government groups, trigging a declaration of a state of emergency from Samak that the highly politicised army chose to ignore.

Two years after its removal of Thaksin in a coup, the army has insisted it will not intervene again. (Reuters)