Published on January 14, 2006

The Thai Rak Thai Party’s executive board will meet next week to discuss the “90-day rule”, as well as the internal conflict between Snoh Thienthong and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The board plans to discuss the possibility of amending the Constitution, specifically the 90-day rule, which requires prospective MP candidates to hold party membership for 90 days prior to a general election.

The move came after Snoh rejected a proposal to hold talks with Thaksin despite the efforts of senior party members who tried to act as intermediaries between the two to help resolve the dispute.

Transport Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal said that he believed the internal conflict between the Wang Nam Yen faction leader and the premier would subside, but that it would take some time.

Pongsak met and talked to Snoh on Thursday at a golf course.

Meanwhile, the Wang Nam Yen faction yesterday questioned the motives behind MP Kusumawatee Sirikomut’s demand that Labour Minister Somsak Thepsuthin be removed from his post.

“I suspect Kusumawatee harbours a personal grudge against Somsak because labour officials failed to give her a warm welcome during a recent visit to Taiwan,” said faction member MP Banyin Tangpaporn.

She fabricated many charges in order to portray Somsak as incompetent, he added.

Faction members said Somsak would not dignify Kusumawatee’s statement with a response.

Pracha Prasopdee, also a faction MP, said he suspected Kusuma-watee was acting as a mouthpiece for Somsak’s opponents.

“I don’t think Kusumawatee was speaking of her own accord. Someone must have written a script for her,” he said.

He added that labour leaders supported Somsak and that he did not agree with Kusumawatee.

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