PM in no rush to debate Abhisit
Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is greeted by a group of admirers during his tour of Khon Kaen province yesterday.
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Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday shrugged off a challenge by Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva for a one-on-one public debate ahead of the general election.
"[The election] has not begun yet. There's no registration of candidates yet. Do they want a debate now? Take it easy. In politics, you need to take it easy," Thaksin said of the Abhisit challenge. The prime minister said he believed politicians' popularity stemmed from their performance. That was why he focused on work in spite of criticism about his tour of the provinces and the interpretation it was "advance election campaigning". Thaksin said yesterday that after a "boring, long wait", a general election would be held on October 15. "Then there will be a clear direction for the public and government officials. After the election, the country will see a new beginning," he said. Thaksin was speaking in Khon Kaen where he was inspecting government projects. His itinerary will take him to At Samat district in Roi Et. That was the scene of his January poverty-fighting "reality-show". His two-day trip to the district, which starts today, is a follow-up. Thaksin flew to Khon Kaen yesterday morning accompanied by several Cabinet members, including Interior Minister Kongsak Wantana and his deputy Sermsak Pongpanit and Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat. The group arrived at Khon Kaen airport at about 9.40am and was welcomed by about 300 local officials and residents. But Thaksin's schedule was changed abruptly. A planned visit to Srinagarindra Hospital at Khon Kaen University was cancelled. Instead, he was taken to Khon Kaen Central Hospital to inspect a Public Health Ministry project. A number of academics and critics of Thaksin had been waiting for him at the university. Public Health Minister Pinij Charusombat denied the change of schedule had anything to do with an expected protest. Pinij changed the schedule because he believed cases at Khon Kaen Central Hospital better helped the prime minister understand public-health problems. Later, Thaksin went to a temple in Nong Rua district, where he inspected an anti-poverty project. He spoke to more than 1,000 residents who gave him a warm welcome. He thanked his supporters for offering him morale. Thaksin said the government had many plans in the pipeline to improve the well being of people and strengthen the economy. He blamed political problems for a delay in the distribution of affordable computers to schoolchildren. The prime minister spent last night at a Khon Kaen hospital.
Piyanart Srivalo The Nation Khon Kaen
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