Thai PM Chavalit reshuffles cabinet
Thai PM Chavalit reshuffles cabinet
BANGKOK (Reuter): Thai Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
announced a cabinet reshuffle yesterday, affecting 10 ministers
in his eight-month-old coalition government in an apparent move
to shore up its sagging popularity.
In a statement signed by Chavalit, two outsiders, conservative
economist and former finance minister Virabongsa Ramangkura and
communications tycoon turned politician Thaksin Shinawatra,
became deputy premiers.
The cabinet changes involved eight ministers and deputy
ministers from Chavalit's New Aspiration Party (NAP) and two from
his major coalition partner, the Chart Pattana Party of former
premier Chatichai Choonhavan.
He promoted Chingchai Mongkoltham, a minister in the Prime
Minister's Office, to education minister replacing Sukavit
Rangsitphol, whom the opposition had accused of corruption in his
policy to equip government schools with computers.
Sukavit, who has denied the charge, retained his concurrent
job as deputy premier.
Some analysts saw the reshuffle as falling short of market
expectations, saying it was too limited to ease mounting
criticism of a government struggling to tackle Thailand's worst
economic turmoil in decades.
The Thai economy is projected to grow about 2.5 percent to 3
percent this year, its slowest since at least the early 1960s and
compared with 6.4 percent in 1996.
"It could only help the government's image in the short term
but I don't see any real progress. This is just an image boosting
exercise, a move by Chavalit to buy time for his government,"
Adkinson Securities' Virachai Krongsamsee said.
Chavalit himself has faced calls from the press, university
lecturers and the public for his resignation as Thais voiced
anger over a government decision to raise value added tax to 10
percent from seven from Aug. 16.
The prime minister was also criticized for a government move
to suspend more than half of Thailand's 91 finance companies
since late June as Thailand adopted tough economic reform
measures in exchange for a $17 billion international bailout
package sponsored by the International Monetary Fund.
As part of the reshuffle, Chavalit also switched yesterday the
jobs of University Affairs Minister Montree Danpaiboon and Labor
and Social Welfare Minister Chatchai Eartrakul.
He also named Deputy Interior Minister Kiatchai Chaichavarat
as a minister of the Prime Minister's Office.
The rest of the changes involved deputy ministerial portfolios
in various ministries.