POLITICS
AEKARACH SATTABURUTH & PRADIT RUANGDIT
Banharn turns 76
Chart Thai leader Banharn Silpa-archa, right, performs a `klong yao' dance with party MP for Lop Buri Kamol Jirapanvanich, who was among party members wishing Mr Banharn a happy birthday at his house on Charan Sanitwong road. Mr Banharn turned 76 yesterday. |
People Power Party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej cleared the air with disgruntled PPP members over the distribution of arrest warrants for Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, a party source said. Mr Samak was applauded when he finished addressing a meeting with about 200 party members who had signed an open letter demanding an explanation, the source said.
Many PPP members had viewed the public display by police of the arrest warrants as an attempt to humiliate the couple. They asked why Mr Samak, as the chairman of the Police Commission, had failed to prevent it.
The source said Mr Samak told the meeting he had never thought about double-crossing Mr Thaksin and that he was willing to step down if party members felt otherwise. Mr Samak also said he considered the open letter an unacceptable attempt to apply pressure on him, the source said.
The PPP leader spent about 20 minutes in the meeting and left without answering questions. He told the party members he had other businesses to attend to.
The source said core PPP members met on Monday night to try to defuse the situation as they feared Mr Samak would react by dissolving the House.
PPP spokesman Kudep Saikrachang said after the meeting that the open letter was not an attempt to challenge Mr Samak's authority or to criticise his performance. Party members were satisfied with Mr Samak's explanation and would continue to support him.
A source close to Mr Thaksin said the ex-premier was angered by the public display of the arrest warrants.
He considered it a slap in the face as he had made it clear in his Aug 11 statement that his decision to live in London was made because he thought his opponents were interfering in the criminal justice system.
Distribution of the warrants also prompted some party members to find out who were still with Mr Thaksin and who were against him, the source said.
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