Army will help win support from Northeast

Army Chief General Anupong Paochinda said the military would help the new government win support from people in the Northeast, who are mostly avid supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"They have done nothing wrong. I don't want to call them the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship [DAAD] or the red shirts because they are people the government needs to take care of," Anupong said.

"Their expression of love [for Thaksin] is not wrong… we are all Thai. Don't use the red or yellow colour to divide us. We all are under the King," he said. "I love Isaan people and have always thought about improving their living conditions. The government should give them more opportunities."

The deep divide between pro- and anti-Thaksin camps is a key challenge for the new government, because supporters of the former PM believe that the army has forced former coalition partners to defect to the ruling Democrat Party. The DAAD has threatened to call for an uprising against the new government, in much the same way the People's Alliance for Democracy rose up against the previous government.

"It's over. Every country has political differences but they can all unite for the benefit of the nation," Anupong explained.

The DAAD has questioned the Army's role in politics, alleging that the military wanted a stake in the new Cabinet following reports that Anupong's predecessor, Gen Pravit Wongsuwan, might become Defence Minister.

"Gen Pravit's ties to the Army as former commander-in-chief have no political implications," army spokesperson Col Sirichan Ngathong has said.

Sirichan said she had been instructed by the Army chief to clarify that their ties were strictly based on professional courtesy, and that the Army was in no way involved in what Pravit did as an individual.

"In the future, should Pravit be appointed Defence Minister, it will involve him as an individual. His appointment should not be linked to the Army," she said, adding that Anupong will be making this clear in a meeting with Army officers.

She also reminded parties not to read too much into the long-held military tradition of the incumbent Army chief sending greetings or making courtesy calls on past commanders during the New Year celebrations.

Anupong is due to convey season's greetings to his predecessors, including Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, Pravit, leader of the last military led government, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, and soldier-turned-politician General Chaisit Shinawatra, who is related to Thaksin.