Interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont inspects a floodgate in the Phra Khanong area with Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin yesterday.

Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday confirmed the inevitable emasculation and possible demise of his Thai Rak Thai Party after announcing his resignation as leader in a hand-written letter.

Meanwhile, more leading Thai Rak Thai members have been leaving the party in a desperate attempt to keep their political careers alive, resulting in speculation that the "party of reform" would fall apart or shrink into insignificance after eight years in national politics.

In a three-page letter faxed from London to Thai Rak Thai's head office, Thaksin stated he had to quit because his government had failed to implement the law as it was supposed to do to keep the country in order.

Thaksin recalled his reasoning at the time that he had tried every possible means to avoid violence while conflicts with the anti-government groups were growing sharply. As a result, it left room for the military coup on September 19, he said.

Thaksin claimed that as the ruling party's leader, he should be responsible for the outcome.

Deputy Thai Rak Thai leader Pongthep Thepkanjana said Thaksin's resignation had instantly invalidated the positions of all 107 party executives, according to the law on political parties.

Until new executives were elected, deputy leader Sudarat Keyuraphan would become acting Thai Rak Thai leader, he said.

Despite a ban on political party meetings, Thai Rak Thai executive Veera Musikapong said his party should call an executive meeting within 45 days to select a new leader under the election law, he said.

If the new Cabinet refused to allow the meeting, it would violate the basic rights of the people, Veera said. "If party members vote for Thaksin to return as party leader, he will have the legitimacy to return to national politics," he added.

Thaksin's resignation came a day after 62 former Thai Rak Thai MPs submitted their resignations, 25 of whom were party executives. The group included members of Wang Nam Yom, Thai Rak Thai's biggest faction, under Somsak Thepsuthin and deputy leader Sontaya Kunplome's faction.

Despite commanding an overwhelming majority in Parliament when it was in power, Thai Rak Thai was assembled partly through the lure of money and vested interests. The fact that it had to rely too much on Thaksin's clout and financial power may have prompted warnings that it could easily disintegrate if something happened to him.

Former deputy prime minister Somkid Jatusripitak quit Thai Rak Thai yesterday. Somkid is the latest senior member to leave the party.

Party executives Varathep Ratanakorn, Pimol Srivikorn and Veerachai Veeramaethikul then followed Somkid.

More than 40 former Thai Rak Thai MPs under the Wang Nam Yom faction were said to have handed in resignation letters yesterday, the second bloc resignation from the faction.

Pongthep insisted the mass resignations would not affect the status of Thai Rak Thai as a political party, as that would only occur if it had less than 15 members. More than 14 million people hold Thai Rak Thai membership, he said.

The exodus from Thai Rak Thai began on Monday when the Council of National Security (CNS) issued an order banning political party executives from House elections for five years if their party is dissolved for breaking electoral laws. Original laws banned executives of a dissolved party from forming a new party or becoming executives in a new party, but they were free to run in a new election.

Thai Rak Thai is facing trial for allegedly hiring smaller parties to serve as its proxies in the April election, which was nullified by the courts.

Election Commission chairman Apichart Sukakanan said Thai Rak Thai's leading members could not avoid punishment by resigning if the court dissolved Thai Rak Thai. The two incidents were not related, he said.

However, a former Constitution Court judge who refused to be named said the CNS could not apply its new regulations validated on Saturday to the Thai Rak Thai case as the actions had occurred several months earlier. The case would comply with the old rules, the source said.

In the meantime, deputy Thai Rak Thai spokesman Jatuporn Phrompan said the exodus of Thai Rak Thai's leading members had worsened the crisis his party was facing. "First the coup and then the mass resignations. It's like we are facing two typhoons at the same time."