Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said yesterday he would consider stepping down temporarily, but continued his political parries against opponents who demand he resign for alleged corruption and abuse of power.
Thaksin, who denies any wrongdoing, did not say when, or for how long, he might step down.
He made his comments in northeastern Thailand while campaigning for elections he called for April 2 in hopes of refreshing his mandate and deflating the growing movement against him.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission said it was considering a postponement of the election because of an opposition boycott.
Many constituencies have only one candidate -- from Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party. But his victory would not be certifiable if he failed to win the votes of at least 20 percent of the district's eligible voters. That would make it impossible to fill the 500 seats in the House of Representatives, a constitutional requirement for convening parliament.
Thaksin met yesterday with Luangpor Koon, a popular Buddhist monk in the region, a move traditionally made by virtually all politicians seeking to attract northeastern voters.
Thousands of Thaksin supporters from the northeast -- a stronghold of his support -- gathered on the outskirts of the Thai capital, Bangkok, to demonstrate their loyalty to the Thai leader.
They said, however, they would not enter the city, where there would be a risk of confrontation with anti-Thaksin demonstrators.
Critics have suggested that Thaksin step aside before the polls and appoint a neutral replacement to oversee proposed reforms to the Constitution, a move that would help defuse the growing protests.
When asked by a reporter what he thought of stepping aside, he said: "It is a good proposal, and I am considering this."
"This does not mean that I would bow to mob rule. I have to take some time to consider and decide what to do, because I have a duty to complete my mission," he told reporters in Buriram Province.
Thaksin's statements came amid speculation that he already has designated a replacement, Deputy Prime Minister Chitchai Wannasathit, who on Tuesday was unexpectedly promoted to the No. 2 position in the Cabinet. Chitchai, in charge of security affairs, is a longtime, trusted associate of the Thai leader.
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said it expects its 2-nanometer (2nm) chip capacity to grow at a compound annual rate of 70 percent from this year to 2028. The projection comes as five fabs begin volume production of 2-nanometer chips this year — two in Hsinchu and three in Kaohsiung — TSMC senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer Cliff Hou (侯永清) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Silicon Valley, California, last week. Output in the first year of 2-nanometer production, which began in the fourth quarter of last year, is expected to
RSS