Thaksin quits as Thai Rak Thai party chief
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-10-03 13:38 Deposed Thai Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra has resigned as head of his Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party,
triggering the dissolution of its entire executive in the wake of last month's
military coup, a spokesman said on Tuesday.
Prime Minister of
Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra (R) and his daughter Pinthongta leave an
apartment in central London, September 21, 2006.
[Reuters] | "The changing circumstances have
prompted me to preserve the future of everyone who loves the party. Therefore, I
quit the party leadership," Pongthep Thepkanjana quoted Thaksin as saying in a
letter.
The billionaire telecoms tycoon remains in exile in London while an
army-appointed anti-corruption panel investigates his assets and business
dealings.
Thaksin's resignation triggered the automatic dissolution of the 119-strong
executive of Thai Rak Thai, which means Thais Love Thais, although it does not
mean its end as a political entity.
At least 70 TRT members of parliament quit the party on Monday in an apparent
attempt to avoid any bans on politics that derive from the anti-corruption
probes that have been set up against Thaksin and his former cabinet colleagues.
Former deputy prime minister and foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai and
ex-labour minister Somsak Thepsuthin led Monday's mass resignations, the first
sign of the break-up of a political juggernaut that won two landslide elections
on a platform of cheap public healthcare and rural loans.
At the height of its power after the 2005 general election, TRT had
three-quarters of the 500 seats in parliament.
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