Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced on Tuesday that he will not take premiership in the next government.
He said his decision is aimed at restoring unity in the country.
He apologised to 16 million people who voted for him in the April 12 election.
A main reason of his decision is that the country is celebrating HM the King's 60th anniversary on the throne, Thaksin said.
However he will remain in the position as caretaker prime minister until the Parliament select the new prime minister.
Source : The Nation
Thaksin:I will not accept post of premier in next government
Thaksin:I will not accept post of premier in next government
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Update from The Nation:
He said his decision is aimed at restoring unity in the country and that the country is celebrating HM the King's 60th anniversary on the throne.
His abrupt announcement came after he was granted an audience with HM the King at Hua Hin palace in the afternoon.
On television Monday night, Thaksin said he saw no reason to resign since results showed that his party had won 16 million votes - enough for a victory but down from the sweeping mandate of 19 million votes his party received last year.
He apologised to the 16 million people who voted for him and his Thai Rak Thai Party in last Sunday's election.
"My main reason for not accepting the post of prime minister is because this year is an auspicious year for the king, whose 60th anniversary on the throne is just 60 days away," Thaksin said in a nationally televised press conference.
"I want all Thais to reunite," he said,"we have no time to quarrel. I want to see Thai people unite and forget what has happened, he said.
However he said he would remain in the position of caretaker prime minister until Parliament selects the new prime minister.
"I will remain a member of parliament and the Thai Rak Thai party leader."
Thaksin and his family who were at the Government House were all in tears after he made the announcement.
Weeping Khunying Pojaman, Thaksin's wife, had to try to comfort tearful Thaksin.
Some cabinet members, including caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juengrungruengkit, former PM's Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva and former Government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee, were seen heavily crying.
The Shinawatra family left the Government House in a car driven by Thaksin himself.
He said his decision is aimed at restoring unity in the country and that the country is celebrating HM the King's 60th anniversary on the throne.
His abrupt announcement came after he was granted an audience with HM the King at Hua Hin palace in the afternoon.
On television Monday night, Thaksin said he saw no reason to resign since results showed that his party had won 16 million votes - enough for a victory but down from the sweeping mandate of 19 million votes his party received last year.
He apologised to the 16 million people who voted for him and his Thai Rak Thai Party in last Sunday's election.
"My main reason for not accepting the post of prime minister is because this year is an auspicious year for the king, whose 60th anniversary on the throne is just 60 days away," Thaksin said in a nationally televised press conference.
"I want all Thais to reunite," he said,"we have no time to quarrel. I want to see Thai people unite and forget what has happened, he said.
However he said he would remain in the position of caretaker prime minister until Parliament selects the new prime minister.
"I will remain a member of parliament and the Thai Rak Thai party leader."
Thaksin and his family who were at the Government House were all in tears after he made the announcement.
Weeping Khunying Pojaman, Thaksin's wife, had to try to comfort tearful Thaksin.
Some cabinet members, including caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juengrungruengkit, former PM's Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva and former Government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee, were seen heavily crying.
The Shinawatra family left the Government House in a car driven by Thaksin himself.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Tears of joy no doubt, they can now go off and spend nearly 2 billion US dollars without being hounded by the press.buksida wrote: Thaksin and his family who were at the Government House were all in tears after he made the announcement.
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Easy, Toxin is better liar. To wit:kevars wrote:better the devil you know ? can anyone explain how thaksin is different from any other corrupt politician ........
In 1996 while being minister of transportation he promised to end Bangkok traffic jams in six months.*
In 2004 he promised to eradicate drug problem in Thailand in six months.^
In 2005 he promised to eradicate corruption in Thailand in six months.~
He is more generous:
He pays 200 - 500 baht for a vote in rural Thailand, Very generous compared to other vote-buying politicians.
He is better thief:
He was a nothing police lieutenat in northern Thailand 25 years ago. Now he is one of the richest persons in the world.
And all this loot, of course, is gathered with irreproachable means in a poor developing country.
He can swing a good deal with the Singaporeans and with Inexcisting Revenue Service. The "No Taxes Thaksin" he is.
* Yeah, right!
^ 4 - 6000 people summarily killed, nobody is responsible and drugs flow freely.
~ Cleverly enough this was less than six months before when he made one helluva deal selling stock. (no taxes)
This is how he differs from the rest of the politicians.
'
Had a quiet night last night and was just getting off to sleep when the missus woke me up shouting "Your friend's gone. Your friend's gone". Eventually worked out what she meant and had the best night's sleep I've had for ages.
Good riddence, square-faced man.
I would have loved to see him crying. His reptile of a wife would have looked good also.
Good riddence, square-faced man.
I would have loved to see him crying. His reptile of a wife would have looked good also.
A view of this from the UK :http://www.guardian.co.uk/international ... 63,00.html
I can never get the link right. The full story:
4.15pm
Thai PM stands down
David Fickling
Tuesday April 4, 2006
The Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is to resign from office in the face of mass protests calling for him to depart after Sunday's disputed election.
"I am sorry that I will not accept the premier post," Mr Thaksin said in a news conference, shortly after he returned from visiting Thailand's constitutional head, King Adulyadej Bhumibol.
But he added that he would remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor has been selected after parliament resumes in a month's time.
Article continues
However, a question mark hangs over this process, as parliament may not be able to sit until the political crisis arising from Sunday's election is resolved.
Rolling protests of up to 100,000 people have been calling for Mr Thaksin's resignation for several months and the country has been in political deadlock since the election, which was boycotted by opposition parties arguing that it had been called too soon.
Preliminary figures from the ballot suggest that Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party won 57% of the poll with 16m votes. This is a drop of 3m from his previous election win in February 2005, but a comfortable majority over the 10m abstentions and spoilt ballot papers attributed to the opposition coalition.
However, the result was certain to fall foul of Thai electoral law, which requires that all 500 parliamentary seats be filled. The abstention of opposition parties meant that 38 seats in Bangkok and southern Thailand are almost certain to remain unfilled, although Thai Rak Thai is expected to win the majority of the remaining seats.
Last night, Mr Thaksin agreed to resign his position ahead of a new election expected to be held next year. This morning, the leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has led the street protests, agreed to the proposal.
But early signs from the opposition parties suggest they may not accept the terms he offered at this afternoon's press conference. Korn Chatikavanij, an MP and spokesman for the opposition Democrat party, said that it would not agree to the proposal.
"He's trying to dictate the terms of his departure," he said. "He's trying to get around the election law by forcing parliament to open. I don't think anybody is in a position to force parliament to open illegally."
He also said that opposition parties would continue their boycott of by-elections, meaning that under the Thai constitution, parliament would be unable to sit to appoint a successor to Mr Thaksin.
The string of demonstrations against Mr Thaksin's rule have been sparked by the sale of the Shinawatra family's stake in Thailand's biggest telecoms operator, Shin Corporation, exploiting a loophole to avoid tax on the sale of their $1.88bn stake.
The protests have torn Thai society between support for the Democrats, its oldest political party and the leading opponents of several military governments over the past 60 years, and Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai, a loose grouping that has dominated Thai politics since it first emerged in 2001.
In his interview on Thai television last night, Mr Thaksin said that he would "do anything" to achieve reconciliation with the People's Alliance for Democracy, the group that has backed the street protests with the support of the opposition Democrat, Chart Thai and Mahachon parties.
He at first proposed a commission to decide on his electoral future, though that proposal is now likely to be superseded by his resignation.
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4.15pm
Thai PM stands down
David Fickling
Tuesday April 4, 2006
The Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is to resign from office in the face of mass protests calling for him to depart after Sunday's disputed election.
"I am sorry that I will not accept the premier post," Mr Thaksin said in a news conference, shortly after he returned from visiting Thailand's constitutional head, King Adulyadej Bhumibol.
But he added that he would remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor has been selected after parliament resumes in a month's time.
Article continues
However, a question mark hangs over this process, as parliament may not be able to sit until the political crisis arising from Sunday's election is resolved.
Rolling protests of up to 100,000 people have been calling for Mr Thaksin's resignation for several months and the country has been in political deadlock since the election, which was boycotted by opposition parties arguing that it had been called too soon.
Preliminary figures from the ballot suggest that Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party won 57% of the poll with 16m votes. This is a drop of 3m from his previous election win in February 2005, but a comfortable majority over the 10m abstentions and spoilt ballot papers attributed to the opposition coalition.
However, the result was certain to fall foul of Thai electoral law, which requires that all 500 parliamentary seats be filled. The abstention of opposition parties meant that 38 seats in Bangkok and southern Thailand are almost certain to remain unfilled, although Thai Rak Thai is expected to win the majority of the remaining seats.
Last night, Mr Thaksin agreed to resign his position ahead of a new election expected to be held next year. This morning, the leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which has led the street protests, agreed to the proposal.
But early signs from the opposition parties suggest they may not accept the terms he offered at this afternoon's press conference. Korn Chatikavanij, an MP and spokesman for the opposition Democrat party, said that it would not agree to the proposal.
"He's trying to dictate the terms of his departure," he said. "He's trying to get around the election law by forcing parliament to open. I don't think anybody is in a position to force parliament to open illegally."
He also said that opposition parties would continue their boycott of by-elections, meaning that under the Thai constitution, parliament would be unable to sit to appoint a successor to Mr Thaksin.
The string of demonstrations against Mr Thaksin's rule have been sparked by the sale of the Shinawatra family's stake in Thailand's biggest telecoms operator, Shin Corporation, exploiting a loophole to avoid tax on the sale of their $1.88bn stake.
The protests have torn Thai society between support for the Democrats, its oldest political party and the leading opponents of several military governments over the past 60 years, and Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai, a loose grouping that has dominated Thai politics since it first emerged in 2001.
In his interview on Thai television last night, Mr Thaksin said that he would "do anything" to achieve reconciliation with the People's Alliance for Democracy, the group that has backed the street protests with the support of the opposition Democrat, Chart Thai and Mahachon parties.
He at first proposed a commission to decide on his electoral future, though that proposal is now likely to be superseded by his resignation.
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dr dave soul monsta
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He has been politely sacked, let us not forget he had a meeting with HM the King in HH around 5pm yesterday
Would love to hear a transcript!
we have all seen how this man works and spotted and told so many Thai people what he was doing only to be told "he very good man"
Crystal clear to any body with any basic education that this man was up to no good, a threat to the Thai nation has been ousted, it would be nice to see an investigation into all of his wealth accumulation and legitimacy of these funds
But I doubt it will ever happen.
Would love to hear a transcript!
we have all seen how this man works and spotted and told so many Thai people what he was doing only to be told "he very good man"
Crystal clear to any body with any basic education that this man was up to no good, a threat to the Thai nation has been ousted, it would be nice to see an investigation into all of his wealth accumulation and legitimacy of these funds
But I doubt it will ever happen.
"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"
His party won a landslide election last year, but it was not enough to give Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra the popular mandate he sought. His decision to resign may bring peace to Bangkok's streets, but it raises almost as many questions as it answers about Thailand's future direction. The country's near-term prospects remain clouded.
Full Story : Asia Times Online
Full Story : Asia Times Online
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
