Thaksin Shinawatra may return as Thailand's full-time prime minister, ending a break from politics he took last month amid street protests, the government spokesman said Monday.
Thaksin resumed some of his major duties Monday, including trying to tackle a bloody Muslim insurgency in the country's southern provinces. Spokesman Suraphong Suebwonglee said Thaksin might stage a full comeback by asking the cabinet to revoke a resolution that appointed Chitchai Wannasathit as caretaker prime minister.
Opposition political parties have not yet outlined how they would react to a comeback.
An alliance spokesman, Suriyasai Katasila, said more street protests would be held, but only after celebrations next month marking the 60th anniversary on the throne of the country's revered monarch.
Thailand has had a caretaker government and no parliament since April 2 general elections were annulled by the Constitutional Court.
"There are a lot of problems. I will have to tackle them because it will be a long time until a new election is held," Thaksin told reporters over the weekend.
The embattled Election Commission Monday proposed a further delay in plans for new elections until October 29, after Muslim officials said the earlier date, October 22, conflicted with the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
But neither date may hold since the commissioners are under pressure from the country's top courts as well as opposition political parties to step down over claims that they unfairly favor Thaksin's government.
In an unrelated case, the four commissioners appeared Monday before a criminal court in southern Thailand to face charges of abuse of duty. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The criminal lawsuit was filed by a local official who accused the commissioners of illegally revoking his 2004 election victory in a municipality of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Thaksin dissolved parliament in February and called snap elections on April 2, but the opposition boycotted the vote and the result was declared invalid.
Thaksin took "a break from politics" after the polls to quell the protests and appointed Chitchai to take his place.
(China Daily May 23, 2006)
