He will visit government development projects and meets local residents, business people and officials.

Thaksin will chair the weekly Cabinet meeting tomorrow via videoconference from his holiday home at Chiang Mai's Mae Rim district.

This trip is expected to attract less controversy than last week's trip to the Northeast because there will be no handouts as a result of concerns these could violate electoral laws.

Senate to pick EC

The Senate convenes tomorrow to vote for five new election commissioners.

Last Thursday, the Supreme Court finalised a list of 10 nominees from which the caretaker senators will pick five.

It has been suggested that several senators might be involved in bloc voting to prevent certain nominees seen as "hostile" to the caretaker government from being appointed to the Election Commission.

The Upper House will also select nine new members of the National Counter Corruption Commission this week.

A selection committee confirmed a list of 18 nominees last Wednesday.

The nine former corruption busters resigned in May last year after the Supreme Court found them guilty of giving themselves a pay rise without parliamentary scrutiny.

Poll preparations

Political parties will get busy this week preparing for the October 15 general election.

The Chat Thai Party meets today to select constituency and party-list candidates. The opposition party will also announce its election platform.

The Democrats will meet to select their candidates tomorrow, the same day party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will start campaigning in the Bangkok area.

The Democrats launched their election platform, the "People's Agenda", last week.