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Thai opposition implies PM not loyal to revered monarchy

Thailand’s opposition questioned Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s loyalty to the revered monarchy yesterday, a serious charge that lit new sparks in a no-confidence debate on his government.

Samak took power after December elections that ended more than a year of rule by royalist generals who toppled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006.

The military had accused Thaksin of widespread corruption and of disrespecting King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who is revered with an almost religious devotion.

Thaksin tapped Samak to rally his supporters in elections in part because of his family’s long-standing ties to the palace and Samak’s own history of supporting the monarchy.

But a junior minister in his four-month-old government was forced to resign last month after giving a speech last year that questioned the role of monarchy in Thailand’s democracy.

Any discussion of the monarchy’s role in Thailand’s political life can be prosecuted under a strict lese majeste law.

“The monarchy has been insulted as never before without any attempt from government to protect the institution,” said Nipit Intarasombut, a member of parliament from the opposition Democrat Party, referring to the speech.

Samak responded by noting that his family has served in the palace for generations and that he has several royal decorations.

“Don’t question me on my royalty,” Samak said.

The prime minister said he had told police to investigate the speech made by former minister Jakrapob Penkair, who implied that the palace had a role in the coup against Thaksin.

“Jakrapob quit because police found that the allegation was substantial,” Samak said.

The censure debate, which lasted until midnight on Tuesday, was scheduled to wrap up later yesterday. A no-confidence vote was scheduled for today but could be postponed.

Samak has vowed to step down if he loses the vote, but that appeared unlikely as his six-party coalition controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats.

Outside parliament, the prime minister still faces street protests by the so-called People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has camped outside Samak’s offices since Friday.

The PAD led protests against Thaksin in the months before the coup and its latest demonstrations have raised fears of a new takeover, which has sent investors fleeing the Thai stock market.

The group’s rallies exert a strong influence because its leadership is seen as a reflection of the traditional power centers in the palace and the military.

Thaksin had antagonized Bangkok’s elite with policies such as free health care that endeared him to the populous rural heartland.

Samak had campaigned openly as a proxy for Thaksin, but on Tuesday he tried to distance himself from the billionaire, who is still loathed by the Bangkok elite.
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