Thai govt survives no-confidence vote

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-03-21 14:12

BANGKOK -- The three-month-old government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva survived a no-confidence vote Saturday following two days of opposition attacks in Parliament.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva arrives at parliament in Bangkok March 19, 2009. [Agencies]

Abhisit and five of his Cabinet ministers won by comfortable margins, with the prime minister tallying 246-176 votes with 12 abstentions in the House of Representatives.

The opposition Phuea Thai Party, which supports ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, initiated the no-confidence motion but failed to deliver any knock-out punches as it criticized the government for poor handling of the economy and other issues.

Abhisit's Democrat Party controls a majority ruling coalition in the lower house.

Also coming under fire were Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanich and his deputy, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Interior Minister Chavarat Chanveerakul and his deputy.

Opposition members denounced the foreign minister Friday as unfit to serve in government because he supported unruly street demonstrations that culminated in last year's siege of Bangkok's airports.

Thailand was destabilized last year by months of protests by both supporters and opponents of Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power.

Friday's debate focused on Kasit, a vocal supporter of the anti-Thaksin protesters whose actions helped oust previous pro-Thaksin governments.

"He is a divisive figure who was part of a movement that has damaged the country's reputation," opposition lawmaker Somkid Balthaisong said during the televised debate. "He has no place in the government."

Kasit spoke on several occasions at rallies by the protesters, who occupied the prime minister's office compound for three months and shut down Bangkok's two airports for a week.

He later hailed the airport blockade, which stranded more than 250,000 travelers, as an "innovation in public protests."

The government also faced criticism over its management of the economy.

Chalerm Yoobamrung, leading the debate for Phuea Thai, accused Abhisit and his economic team of lacking the experience and ability to steer the economy through the global financial turmoil.

The economy's performance in the first quarter is expected to be equal to or worse than the fourth quarter of last year, when it contracted 4.3 percent.

Abhisit's government rose to power after a court ruled that the previous pro-Thaksin ruling party was guilty of election fraud.

Critics say the court ruling and Abhisit's appointment followed pressure from the military and other unelected groups.

Thaksin, who remains popular in the countryside, fled into exile last year and has been convicted in absentia of violating a conflict of interest law.

His supporters plan to hold a rally next Thursday at the prime minister's office, the site of last year's three-month siege by their rivals.