Word: samaklis
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...Samak's PPP won elections last December by essentially campaigning as a proxy for Thaksin's banned party, promising plentiful health care and village loans. The message resonated with the rural poor, who ignored the coup leaders and brought Thaksin's supporters back to power. Indeed, even if the PPP is dissolved because of its deputy leader's alleged malfeasance, another round of elections would likely bring some other newly formed proxy party for Thaksin to power. In essence, it would be back to square...
That potential scenario infuriates many members of Thailand's elite, who believe that Thaksin, far from being a populist democrat, is actually a corrupt politician who distorted democratic institutions to cement his power. Since late May, thousands of protesters have camped out in central Bangkok calling for Samak to resign because they believe he is little more than a Thaksin puppet. Samak begs to differ, telling TIME recently that he doesn't consult with his predecessor on political issues. "I can do [it] on my own," he says...
...political decisions over the past five months are truly Samak's own, he's shown less than a delicate hand. Case in point is the court decision that brought down Foreign Minister Noppadon. Earlier this year, Thailand supported Cambodia's bid to gain UNESCO World Heritage status for a temple located in a disputed border zone between the two nations. Although the temple itself sits on land that an international court deemed to be Cambodia's back in 1962, Thailand claims the main access area to the temple as its own. So when Noppadon provided official Thai backing for Cambodia...
...damage to the nation." But Noppadon is in a vulnerable position; before serving as Foreign Minister, he was Thaksin's lawyer and spokesman. One of the reasons the coup leaders gave for deposing Thaksin was that he supposedly had not shown enough respect for Thailand's beloved king. For Samak's enemies, in turn, taking an allegedly cavalier attitude toward Thailand's territorial integrity was not so different from an alignment with a man they believe had denigrated their monarch...
...order to salvage his rule, Samak will likely have to announce a major cabinet reshuffle. The 73-year-old P.M. has promised to face the nation on Sunday during his weekly TV address. In the meantime, Thailand's usually outspoken leader is keeping uncharacteristically quiet. Nobody wants to be the next domino...