Thai king endorses 8 new ministers

BANGKOK, June 6 (TNA) - Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej on Sunday has endorsed eight new ministers in a cabinet shake-up following a rift between two coalition partners in the six-party ruling coalition.

Following the royally-endorsed cabinet reshuffle, the eight new ministers are Industry Minister Chaiwut Bannawat, Information and Communication Technology Minister Juti Krairiksh, Labour Minister Chalermchai Sri-on, Culture Minister Nipit Intrasombat, Prime Minister's Office Minister Ongart Klampaiboon, Science and Technology Minister, Veerachai Veerametheekul, Deputy Minister of Finance Man Pattanotai, and Education Minister Chaiyos Jiramethakorn.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will lead the newly-appointed ministers to be sworn in before His Majesty the King at 5.30pm on Monday at Siriraj Hospital.

King Bhumibol, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has received medical treatment at Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital since September 19 with a lung infection and fever.

The Cabinet reshuffle, the fifth since the Abhisit administration came into power since December 2008, followed a Bhumjaithai Party's ultimatum to the Democrats to remove some Puea Pandin Party factions from the six-party
coalition government after some Puea Pandin MPs voted against the Bhumjaithai ministers in the no-confidence debate on June 2.

Bhumjaithai Party leader Chavarat Charnweerakul, as Interior Minister, and Sopon Zarum, as Transport Minister, received less votes than the prime minister and other three ministers.

The removed ministers from Puea Pandin Party were Ranongruk Suwunchwee, ex-Minister of Information and Communication Technology and Chanchai Chairungruang ex-Minister of Industry.

Coalition partner Chart Thai Pattana party said that there was no ministerial change under its party quota, while Bhumjaithai Party had no plan to change its ministers. (TNA)