Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday signalled that he intends to step down after the visiting foreign monarchs and royal dignitaries leave the country.

Rumours have been rife that Wissanu will follow in the footsteps of his relative Borwornsak Uwanno, who quit as Cabinet secretary-general early this month and became a monk.

Wissanu's exit would be much more significant than Borwornsak's. Although the 54-year-old former law professor at Chulalongkorn University has served six premiers, he redefined his role as a government saviour during the two Thaksin administrations.

Wissanu lent his mastery of logic, memory for detail, story-telling skill and legal expertise to help steer the government through times of crisis. These have included claims that caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra committed lese majeste by organising a religious ceremony at Wat Phra Kaew last year, the Anti-Money Laundering Office's investigation into the finances of government critics in 2002 and allegations of corruption surrounding Suvarnabhumi Airport's CTX bomb-detection system.

 Wissanu was also the legal expert of choice for Thaksin to handle Constitutional challenges. His friendly, academic personality gave him the appearance of being above the political fray.

He has been Thaksin's first pick for official probe panels tasked with allaying the suspicions of the media and setting to rest public concerns about scandals that have rattled the government.

Asked if he had submitted his resignation yesterday, Wissanu said: "If you ask this question, I will have to say it is not true.''

When asked if he had decided to quit, Wisannu smiled and said half-heartedly: "Reporters just have to come and ask me every day.''

When questioned further, Wissanu said, "I will not answer. A thought is just a thought. I should not answer now. I still have several projects to carry out, but they are not long-term. I still have to see off foreign monarchs. The Crown Prince of Bhutan and the head of state of Qatar are still in the country.''

He said he knew it was wrong not to clearly say whether or not he would quit, but added that the public must realise he has duties and responsibilities to fulfil.

"For some reasons, it is not appropriate to say now. When the time is right, then I will say,'' he said.

Wissanu also said he did not want to speak about the matter publicly because it was a breach of political etiquette to do so as he had never discussed the matter with anyone.

"I have been very surprised that I have never talked about this matter but other people are talking about it. But it is not really to pressure me. I can guess where the source of the rumour came from,'' he said.

He said he had been receiving telephone calls from colleagues who pressed him to quit and some that called to stop him. Since rumours that he would step down began circulating, Thaksin had not asked him whether they were true but kept assigning him work as usual, Wissanu said.

He denied reports that he had been pressurised by senior figures to resign.

He said he made all decisions based upon his best interests, as well as the best interests of the government and the country. "If it is good for me but bad for the government and the country, then it is not good for the latter two. But if it is good for the government and the country but bad for me, then I am not happy to stay. I have to balance the benefits. Whether I stay or leave, the government will have to stay. It is a normal principle. The boat that carries too much weight has to release some of the burden,'' he said.

A source close to Phra Borwornsak insisted Wissanu would resign, saying he had already applied to become a lecturer at a university. "Wissanu is expected to resign on June 20. The country's dignitaries praised Phra Borwornsak for his decision to step down,'' the source said.

Defections from the Thaksin government are unlikely to stop at Wissanu. A source close to caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said he had planned to resign one month ago but decided to stay on to contest the United Nations secretary-general post. His chance of winning the post improved when other Asian candidates withdrew from the race.

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation