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Published on January 21, 2008

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is waiting to hold talks with his successor to hand over unfinished matters.

Surayud yesterday spoke to a group of reporters visiting his vacation home at Khao Yai Thiang Mountain in Nakhon Ratchasima's Si Khiew district.

While having lunch with them, Surayud admitted his government had failed to curb violence in the South and bring to justice the people who were behind extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders.

"When we have a new prime minister, I'll seek a chance to speak with him openly about these matters," Surayud said.

He declined to say whether People Power Party leader Samak Sundaravej was suitable for the post of prime minister, saying that depended on how political parties vote in the House of Representatives.

But Surayud hopes the next prime minister will possess integrity and work for the public and be loyal to the monarch.

He said his government had not been dragging its feet as claimed in some quarters but it could not do all it wanted because of several limitations.

He said his government found it difficult to have new laws enacted by the National Legislative Assembly.' It also found it was very difficult to get rid of the influence of old power cliques whose members include permanent state officials.

Surayud said permanent officials knew they would stay on no matter who formed the government.

He said it was difficult for him to bring about reconciliation between former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin because both men had a high degree of personal pride.

"When I first took office, I tried to resolve the conflicts and tried to mediate between Thaksin and the coup makers. When Thaksin called, I relayed his messages to Sonthi but each has an ego, so the problem remains," Surayud said.

He said he was waiting to step down and hand over

the position to the next PM, after which he would never return to politics. He said he would ensure a smooth transition of power from his government to the next one.

"I will not get involved in the workings of the new government and will not act as an adviser because I am fed up with politics, not only for now but for a long time to come," he said.

On the investigation into extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders, Surayud said he had been informed by the investigative panel headed by former attorney-general Kanit na Nakhon that only a few people will face legal action.

The panel did not have sufficient evidence to take legal action against anyone higher than a few officials, Surayud said.

The prime minister admitted he did not understand why his government had failed to resolve violence in the South.

"There is still a lot to be done and there is not enough progress, and I don't understand why this is so," Surayud said, adding that the government even failed to get the bill on the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre enacted.

Surayud also asked Samak and People Power to refrain from attacking Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda so as to avoid causing misunderstanding among the foreign press.

"I personally know Samak because he was deputy prime minister, but I don't know what conflicts he has with Prem. In the past, he had no conflict with Prem," Surayud said.

The Nation

Nakhon Ratchasima