Wissanu told Government House reporters he had informed his boss, Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, about his decision some time before.

He declined to disclose his reason for leaving, citing political etiquette. "I'm not the type that tells all about what's happened to me," he told reporters.

His cousin, Borwornsak, resigned his post on June 6 to be ordained as a Buddhist monk.

The deputy premier yesterday made an uncharacteristic remark about how the government was dealing with a plan to establish the new Suvarnabhumi Airport and the surrounding area as the country's newest province.

Commenting on the fact that the government failed to conduct any public hearing on the plan, he said: "When we fail to meet the three components of good governance - transparency, participation and legality - suspicions and doubts are inevitable."

Wissanu said he had tried to keep his imminent departure as low-profile as possible in order to prevent any negative impact on the government. He said he had not tendered his resignation letter but that he would do so in less than a month after completing an undisclosed task.

The deputy premier refused to explain the nature of the task in question. He said only that it "is not a big job".

Wissanu said he would not return to politics after leaving the government. He said it was likely that he would return to the academic world and work as a university lecturer.

He said he had never been a member of the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party and will not be even after leaving the Cabinet. He would not join any other political party either, he said.

Wissanu said it was likely that his decision to leave the Cabinet was earlier leaked to the media by someone with knowledge about the matter. But he believed it was not someone close to him.

Meanwhile, Thai Rak Thai spokesman Sita Divari yesterday said Wissanu's decision was news to many party figures. He regarded his decision as a personal matter, adding that he believed the move would not affect the party.

The spokesman said he saw no signs of other Cabinet members about to follow in Wissanu's footsteps.

At yesterday's meeting on public finance management at Government House, which many Cabinet members attended, Wissanu was teased by some colleagues about news of his imminent departure.

In a related development, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said he viewed Wissanu's imminent departure as a signal of attempts by certain Cabinet members to bring about changes with the goal of reducing the political tension.

He called on other government figures and the relevant parties, including the election commissioners, to contribute more to the effort.

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation