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Published on February 6, 2008

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is prepared to submit the Cabinet list for royal endorsement this afternoon and is expected to lead his Cabinet members for a swearing-in ceremony before His Majesty the King later in the day.

The first Cabinet meeting has been scheduled for Friday.

The 35 Cabinet members-to-be are to meet at Government House at 3pm for a group photo session. They will then leave for an audience with His Majesty.

A source, who asked not to be named, said the meeting on Friday would be an orientation for Cabinet members. It would cover preparation of policies declared before Parliament, Cabinet members' assets declaration and rules in Cabinet meetings.

"In the special meeting, each minister must be informed about the process and documents for the meetings as well as how to propose the topics for discussion. They have to be informed clearly as most of them are new," the source said.

A People Power Party source said the government spokesman would still be Chakrapob Penkair, who is also set to be a PM's Office Minister.

PPP's Suparat Nakbunnam and Natthawut Sai-kua along with Chart Thai's Janista Liewchalermwong will be his deputies. However, there were still attempts to push Natthawut as spokesman, the source said.

Meanwhile, Samak has received a phone call from US President George W Bush to congratulate him on becoming prime minister.

"They briefly discussed the importance of US-Thai relations, and President Bush said he looks forward to meeting the prime minister in the future," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.

Samak said President Bush talked to him on the phone on Monday night for five minutes. Bush told him the US would restart aid programmes that were suspended due to the coup to commemorate 175 years of Thai-US relations, he said.

The US suspended military assistance to Thailand following the coup on September 19, 2006.

US Ambassador to Thailand Eric John said the assistance was likely to resume after Samak was formally sworn in as 25th prime minister.

In a related development, Puea Pandin Party MP Ranongrak Suwanchavi appealed yesterday for critics to give her a chance to prove herself as deputy finance minister, if she is appointed.

Ranongrak, a senior public health official from Nakhon Ratchasima, said she was treated unfairly by critics who said she was not qualified for the job.

Her husband Phairoj Suwanchavi is one of the 111 banned Thai Rak Thai executives. She was reportedly backed as a nominee of Phairoj to become a candidate for the finance post under the Puea Pandin quota.

However, after facing severe criticism, Ranongrak said she wanted to take the post to prove to people that she could do the job effectively.

Piyanart Srivalo,

Samatcha Hoonsara

The Nation