Mizzima News

Chiang Mai - Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was ordered to resign from his post on Tuesday by court order for breaching the constitution by hosting two culinary shows while in office.

The court pronounced its judgment today at about 4:30 p.m., saying the Thai Prime Minister violated the 2007 constitution by performing in a popular TV show, "Chimpai Ponpai" ("Tasting and Grumbling"). According to the 2007 constitution, Samak thus automatically forfeits his office.

In further accordance with the Thai constitution, his entire cabinet must also resign their portfolios. A new government and new cabinet must be formed within 30 days, while the current government, minus the deposed Prime Minister, will continue to rule the country in the capacity of a caretaker government.

However, the Prime Minister's People's Power Party (PPP) hinted that Samak may well be reelected as the next Prime Minister.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) accuses Samak of being a puppet of deposed Prime Minister and Thai Rak Thai party leader Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a coup two years previously. PAD members have been staging protest demonstrations against Samak for weeks, demanding his entire cabinet resign from office.

Thai political observers say that the sacking of the Thai Prime Minister will likely alleviate the current tension in Thai politics.

But PAD leaders, whose party has recently seized Government House, say they will not immediately cease their demonstrations and will wait and see who will be the next Prime Minister. The chief demand of protesting PAD members is for the 2007 constitution to remain unchanged.

PAD believes that PPP wants to amend the constitution in favor of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra; thereby mitigating various legal charges against him, including the misuse of power, corruption and tax evasion.

Thaksin's wife Pojaman has already been found guilty for buying real estate through the abuse of her husband's position and has been sentenced to imprisonment. However Thaksin and his wife fled to London last month while appealing the verdict and are now seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom.