Thai PM promotes his cousin

Thai PM promotes his cousin

THAILAND: Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has promoted his
cousin, Gen. Chaisith Shinawatra, to the powerful position of
army commander in chief in Thailand's annual military reshuffle,
officials said on Thursday.

The appointment list of 558 military officers was announced by
state radio on Thursday and goes into effect after the officers
take their oaths before King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Since taking office in February 2001, Thaksin has appointed a
small but significant number of family members and former
classmates from Thailand's police academy to important military
and government posts. Thaksin was a police officer before
becoming a telecommunications entrepreneur and then a politician.

Critics have charged the appointments use loyalty to the prime
minister as a yardstick and are meant to consolidate his power,
but Thaksin has defended them as being based on merit.

Thai defense minister Thammarak Issarangkul on Thursday
defended the appointment of Thaksin's cousin as the new army
chief.

Thammarak said that Chaisith's family background was
irrelevant and that he was a good candidate for the job. --
Agencies