A good wednesday… with enough drama to entertain us.
NEW MUPPETS SHOW
-Deputy leader of People Power party (PPP) Somchai Wongsawat is elected as Thailand’s 26th prime minister as expected, as 298 out of 470 MPs showed their support for him in the vote taken place at the parliament on Wednesday morning.
The opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva received 163 votes. There were five MPs who abstained from voting. (Bangkok Post)
The brother in law of Thaksin is the new Prime Minister. The PAD should therefore continue its fight.
But there is a positive point : Somchai is not arrogant like Samak.
Let’s see now the composition of the new government…
RATCHADAPHISEK LAND CASE
-The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders is scheduled to decide today whether Thaksin, when prime minister, somehow helped his wife win the Bt772-million land auction held by the Financial Institutions Development Fund. (Nation)
Update : I guess it would have been too hot with Somchai election… “Supreme Court postpones verdict reading in Ratchadapisek land case to Oct 21” (Nation). 😉
Thailand Crisis 
With the postponement the court just follows the rules if the accused is not present.
Simple procedure.
(Bangkok Post)
I guess everything, particularily in Thailand, is matter to interpretation.
Otherwise, on october 21, we would have the same circus. Ad vitam aeternam…
This seems to be a capitulation of the courts. I can almost hear the pitter-patter of little feet as the judiciary run off to get their instructions. It seems to me that this Somchai guy is recognised as being rather less clown-ish than the simian Samak. A whole different game has just begun.
I suspect we are going to have a very interesting couple of years, and all eyes will be on you-know-who to see what happens next. Either way, the pretence of the ‘Bangkok elite’ not meddling in politics is about to come to a dramatic end, and I suspect that the ‘unseen hand’ is about to become very visible.
Bedwyr
By nature, Somchai Wongsawat is a nice guy. Too bad he is married to Thaksin’s sister, Miss Yaowapa “BBQ Porkie” Shinawatra, later pulling himself into this vicious loop. He should have been home, retiring by now.
I am starting to get tired of Thai politics. Yawnnnnnn
Okay, okay… but we should give him a chance. 😉
Again, what I like (without judging his links to Thaksin’s family) is the fact that he seems to be… a normal man.
Not like the Retired Cook Samak, who was arrogant, who was an appalling liar, an obscene monstruosity of mother nature, the worst of what the thai society is capable to produce.