Thai minister gets censure reprieve

Thai minister gets censure reprieve

BANGKOK (AFP): Thai Foreign Minister Prasong Soonsiri has been given a day's reprieve for a no-confidence debate in parliament which had been scheduled to take him away from an ASEAN meeting with Western partners.

Opposition parties announced after a meeting Thursday that they would grill three other ministers targeted by their censure motion on July 27, allowing Prasong to finish chairing the two- day meeting before facing them on July 28.

The no-confidence motion against Prasong accuses him of incompetence, nepotism, ignorance and indiscretion -- the latter reportedly because he was suspected of leaking U.S. information linking opposition politicians to drug trafficking.

Two other members of Prasong's Palang Dharma Party are targeted: Deputy Prime Minister Boonchu Rojnastien and Communications Minister Winai Sompong. Interior Minister Chaowalit Yongchaiyudh of the New Aspiration Party is the fourth minister.

All are accused of damaging the country by running their ministries without knowledge, ability, judgment or justification.