Samak Sundaravej

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Thai PM: I Won't Return to Power

After party battle, Samak will not seek renomination

(Newser) - Thailand's ousted prime minister will not seek reelection, possibly paving the way for an end to the country's political crisis. Samak Sundaravej was forced from office Tuesday after the country's supreme court ruled that his appearances on a TV cooking show violated the constitution. "He said he did his...

Thai Democracy Movement Is Anything But
Thai Democracy Movement Is Anything But
ANALYSIS
Sep 12, 2008 6:30 AM CDT

Thai Democracy Movement Is Anything But

Protests in Bangkok pit elite against fairly elected government

(Newser) - In Bangkok, the People's Alliance for Democracy has entered its third week of occupying the office of the Thai prime minister, who was booted from office on Tuesday by the country's supreme court. But as Seth Mydans of the New York Times observes, the PAD only looks like a "...

Court Boots Thai PM Over Cooking Show

Samak forced to resign as protests continue in Bangkok

(Newser) - Thailand's supreme court has ruled that the prime minister and his government must resign, declaring that his participation in a TV cooking show violated the constitution. The unanimous ruling comes as opponents of Samak Sundaravej continue to occupy Government House in Bangkok, reports the AP. While Samak may seek a...

Cooking Show Could Cost Thai PM His Job

Ruling tomorrow on Samak's TV work could ease unrest

(Newser) - Thailand’s prime minister could be forced from his post tomorrow, the Guardian reports—not by protesters who have taken over government offices, but by a court ruling that hosting a TV cooking show was unconstitutional. Samak Sundaravej, 73, hosted Tasting, Grumbling, for years before being elected, appeared a handful...

State of Emergency Declared in Bangkok

Army steps in after clashes kill protester, injure dozes

(Newser) - A state of emergency has been declared in Bangkok after clashes between rival groups of protesters left one dead and dozens injured, the BBC reports. Pro- and-anti-government groups battled each other with sticks, clubs and pipes after administration supporters smashed through police lines near a complex occupied for a week...

Bangkok Bomb Raises Stakes in Standoff

Protesters mark 7th day of occupation of Thai PM's office

(Newser) - A small bomb went off outside a Bangkok police station as anti-government protesters continued their occupation of the Thai prime minister's office for a seventh day. Although nobody was injured in the blast, a senior government source told Reuters that the People's Alliance for Democracy "has launched a guerrilla...

Thai Protesters Battle Riot Cops

Police post eviction order on 4th day of protest occupation

(Newser) - Riot police clashed with protesters in Bangkok as demonstrations against the Thai government continued for a fourth day. Cops posted a court order evicting the People's Alliance for Democracy—a woolly coalition of monarchists, academics, and youth activists—from the lawn of the prime minister's office. Some protesters were detained,...

2,000 Cops Surround Thai Protesters

Prime minister holds firm on 2nd day of demonstrations

(Newser) - As anti-government protests continued outside the Thai prime minister's office, 2,000 police officers surrounded demonstrators and a court issued arrest warrants for nine of the protest's leaders, Reuters reports. The People's Alliance for Democracy—a monarchist movement—is seeking to bring down the government of Samak Sundaravej. But the...

Thai Protesters Storm PM's Office, TV Station

Monarchists seek to bring down government; army sits out

(Newser) - Thousands of protesters have spread out across Bangkok, storming the prime minister's office and forcing Thai state television off the air, reports the BBC. The mass protest movement seeks to force out the government of Samak Sundaravej, whom they see as a stooge for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now...

1,000 Thai Protesters Clash With Cops

Demonstrators demand ouster of prime minister

(Newser) - An anti-government protest in Bangkok turned violent today as more than 1,000 protesters broke through a police barrier outside government offices. The demonstrators demanded the resignation of Samak Sundaravej, the Thai prime minister whom opponents call a proxy for ousted predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra. Protesters have been in the streets...

Thailand Plans OPEC-Style 'Rice Cartel'

PM wants to control market with neighbors, including Burma

(Newser) - The prime minister of Thailand is exploring the idea of setting up a rice price-fixing cartel with four other governments in southeast Asia, including the military dictatorship of Burma. The Bangkok Post reports that Samak Sundaravej wants to establish an OPEC-style collective of producers that will influence the market for...

Deposed Thai PM Returns Home
Deposed Thai PM Returns Home
Feb 28, 2008 6:33 AM CST

Deposed Thai PM Returns Home

Crowds and cops greet Thaksin as he flies home for first time since coup

(Newser) - Ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra flew home today after 17 months in exile to cheering supporters and police, who quickly escorted him to court to face corruption charges. Thaksin, the billionaire owner of the Manchester City soccer team who was forced from power by a military coup, knelt and...

Party of Exiled Thai PM Ready to Govern

Strikes deal with at least one other party; Thaksin to return in '08

(Newser) - Samak Sundaravej is set to become Thailand's next prime minister after his party announced today that it had recruited at least one other party to form a coalition government, the AP reports. The People's Power Party, the bloc allied with deposed PM Thaksin Shinawatra, won yesterday's elections but fell short...

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