Thai PM 'must go' over cookery shows

Thailand's Prime Minister must quit because he violated the constitution by hosting TV cooking shows while in office, a court has ruled. Nine judges have said Samak Sundaravej is guilty of conflict of interest after hosting commercial TV cookery slots. However, Mr Samak's ruling People Power Party (PPP) has said it will renominate him as prime minister despite the verdict. The PPP's continued support, which renders the court decision largely irrelevant, is likely to outrage protesters who have been barricaded inside Mr Samak's Government House compound for the past two weeks demanding his resignation. Thailand has undergone three years of political turmoil and the stock market has fallen 24 per cent since the opposition People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) launched its campaign against him at the end of May. Last week, as the crisis deepened, Mr Samak declared a state of emergency - that the highly-politicised army chose to ignore - when tensions resulted in the death of man during a street battle between pro-government and anti-government groups. The main gripe of PAD is that Mr Samak is a puppet of Thaksin Shinawatra, who was removed in a 2006 coup as prime minister. On Monday, Mr Samak testified in his own defence, denying any wrongdoing as the star of the shows Tasting, Grumbling and Touring at 6am. He also attended a pro-government rally later that day and vowed not to resign or call a snap election. Mr Samak said: "I declare that I will not dissolve parliament. I will not quit. I will fight on." The political stand-off has scared away visitors to Thailand with airlines and hotels reporting cancellations as more countries issue travel warnings in the wake of his state of emergency declaration.

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ITN | September 9, 2008

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