Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej reads a statement during a no-confidence debate at Parliament House in Bangkok yesterdayBANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The Thai prime minister's coalition government showed no signs of cracking Wednesday and a pending no-confidence vote in Parliament seemed likely to go in his favor despite a barrage of criticism launched against him.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's six-party coalition commands a majority in Parliament's lower house, where the opposition
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has accused him of incompetence, economic mismanagement and yeilding sovereignty by acknowledging Cambodia's ownership of a disputed border temple.
The debate continued Wednesday. But with his partners seemingly behind him, Samak appeared likely to win the no-confidence vote Thursday, although he still faced continued street protests calling for his resignation that already have persisted for 31 days.
«The government will survive the non-confidence debate since the coalition is still intact. His partners do not care much about the content of the debate, but they care about their own survival,» said Sukhum Naunsakul, a political scientist at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University.
Samak showed he was unruffled during the heated debate Tuesday by folding origami birds as the opposition leader spoke.
During a two-hour speech, opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva accused Samak of mishandling the economy and failing to ease the impact of soaring oil prices, interfering with freedom of the press and violating national interests in the case of an ancient temple that borders Cambodia.
«Even after four months in power, the administration massively mismanaged the country, with no unity, no direction and no efficiency,» Abhisit said during the debate.
He repeatedly accused Samak's government, which took office in February, of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.
«The worst case of the government's mismanagement is the case of Preah Vihear temple,» Abhisit said.
The 11th-century temple has been the subject of a territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand for decades.
Critics accuse Samak of bypassing Parliament last week when he endorsed Cambodia's application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the temple. The temple is located on still-disputed territory although it was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
Cambodia closed the temple to tourists on Monday as Thais, singing patriotic songs, staged a protest near the site.
The 72-year-old Samak accused Abhisit of trying to «incite a dispute between the two countries.
After listening quietly during Abhisit's speech, Samak responded with an hour-long reply, saying the 40-year-old opposition leader was jealous of him.
«I have been groundlessly belittled by a man in his 40s. But I can take it,» Samak said. «He wants to be prime minister and can't be. That's why (he) is doing this.
Samak's coalition, led by his People's Power Party, controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats in the lower house. The government says it is confident it will survive.
Demonstrators, led by activists from the People's Alliance for Democracy, launched protests on May 25 and have occupied the area around Government House, the seat of Thailand's government, since breaking through a police cordon on Friday.
The protesters say they will not be satisfied until Samak's entire government steps down.
The alliance led mass demonstrations before the 2006 coup demanding Thaksin step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power. They now accuse Samak's government of interfering with corruption charges against Thaksin and trying to change the constitution for its own self-interest.
Rumors have swept Bangkok since the protests began that the country's powerful military would stage another coup, something the top brass has repeatedly denied.
The debate continued Wednesday. But with his partners seemingly behind him, Samak appeared likely to win the no-confidence vote Thursday, although he still faced continued street protests calling for his resignation that already have persisted for 31 days.
«The government will survive the non-confidence debate since the coalition is still intact. His partners do not care much about the content of the debate, but they care about their own survival,» said Sukhum Naunsakul, a political scientist at Bangkok's Ramkhamhaeng University.
Samak showed he was unruffled during the heated debate Tuesday by folding origami birds as the opposition leader spoke.
During a two-hour speech, opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva accused Samak of mishandling the economy and failing to ease the impact of soaring oil prices, interfering with freedom of the press and violating national interests in the case of an ancient temple that borders Cambodia.
«Even after four months in power, the administration massively mismanaged the country, with no unity, no direction and no efficiency,» Abhisit said during the debate.
He repeatedly accused Samak's government, which took office in February, of being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.
«The worst case of the government's mismanagement is the case of Preah Vihear temple,» Abhisit said.
The 11th-century temple has been the subject of a territorial dispute between Cambodia and Thailand for decades.
Critics accuse Samak of bypassing Parliament last week when he endorsed Cambodia's application for UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the temple. The temple is located on still-disputed territory although it was awarded to Cambodia by the International Court of Justice in 1962.
Cambodia closed the temple to tourists on Monday as Thais, singing patriotic songs, staged a protest near the site.
The 72-year-old Samak accused Abhisit of trying to «incite a dispute between the two countries.
After listening quietly during Abhisit's speech, Samak responded with an hour-long reply, saying the 40-year-old opposition leader was jealous of him.
«I have been groundlessly belittled by a man in his 40s. But I can take it,» Samak said. «He wants to be prime minister and can't be. That's why (he) is doing this.
Samak's coalition, led by his People's Power Party, controls about two-thirds of the 480 seats in the lower house. The government says it is confident it will survive.
Demonstrators, led by activists from the People's Alliance for Democracy, launched protests on May 25 and have occupied the area around Government House, the seat of Thailand's government, since breaking through a police cordon on Friday.
The protesters say they will not be satisfied until Samak's entire government steps down.
The alliance led mass demonstrations before the 2006 coup demanding Thaksin step down for alleged corruption and abuse of power. They now accuse Samak's government of interfering with corruption charges against Thaksin and trying to change the constitution for its own self-interest.
Rumors have swept Bangkok since the protests began that the country's powerful military would stage another coup, something the top brass has repeatedly denied.
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