Somkid, who headed the economic team in Thaksin Shinawatra's administration, called the first meeting of his team at Baan Phitsanulok yesterday afternoon.

At the press conference called after the meeting, Somkid thanked Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont for placing trust in him.

He said his job would focus on strengthening economic ties with Thailand's leading trading partners but would not overlap with what state agencies were doing. His team will only take up matters missed by other agencies, Somkid said.

"Our country today needs assistance from all sides. Some countries have inaccurate facts about Thailand, and many of them have long been our allies. I believe that if we meet with them they will better understand and our trading partners won't leave us," Somkid said.

In a related development, Deputy Premier and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula, who has long been at odds with Somkid, yesterday dismissed speculation that he would leave the Cabinet in response to Somkid's appointment.

Pridiyathorn reiterated yesterday that he would continue working in the government even after Somkid was appointed as chairman of an international economic coordination committee.

Asked if he would resign, Pridiyathorn retorted: "I will not quit. Where did you get this news? The appointment of Somkid as chairman of the committee responsible for promoting the Sufficiency Theory to the international community is nothing to do with me."

Somkid's committee will report directly to the prime minister, said Pridiyathorn, who is also Finance Minister.

"I would never resign because of this. I will work as usual and do not feel uncomfortable because of the appointment. I am still standing here. I rise above all that," he said.

Many veteran politicians questioned the appointment of Somkid.

Chat Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa said it did not bode well for the present economic team.

"Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has dismissed political implications arising from Somkid's appointment, but he misses the point that he may have brought politics into his Cabinet," he said.

Banharn said he failed to see any justification for recruiting Somkid when Surayud already had two capable deputies in Pridiyathorn and Kosit Panpiemras.

"Just imagine what would happen if at a future Cabinet meeting Pridiyathorn reported on his overseas trip to explain the 30-per-cent capital-control measure and Somkid submitted a possibly different view for his trip on sufficiency-economy theory," he said.

He expressed strong aversion to taking on Somkid, a top ally of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra. "It is as if the coup happened in vain. We might as well put Thaksin back in power," he said.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said Surayud should quickly dispel three lingering doubts about Somkid's comeback.

First, as Somkid is the target of a graft investigation on the rubber-sapling scandal, the government must ensure its unwavering commitment to fighting corruption, he said.

Second, Somkid was an architect of "Thaksinomics" and the government has yet to explain how he will fulfil his duty as spokesman for the sufficiency-economy theory, he said.

Third, it remains unclear how Somkid can be an economic envoy without being involved in policy formulation, he said.

Democrat chief adviser Chuan Leekpai voiced scepticism that Somkid could make a U-turn from being an advocate of populist policies to a proponent of the sufficiency economy.

Chuan also said he doubted whether the military-backed government was serious about uprooting the legacy of the ousted government.

"Even though this government came to power after the coup, many Cabinet members had ties with the Thaksin regime," he said.

Thai Rak Thai acting party leader Chaturon Chaisang said the appointment would confuse Thais as well as foreigners. He said the government would be wasting its time explaining why it had picked Somkid and it would be difficult for Somkid to explain this government's economic policies.

"I think it's weird that this government, which appointed a committee led by a PM's Office minister to explain the last government's policies, today appoints Somkid, who was a minister in the last government, to explain this government's own policies. It's most confusing," he said.

Democrat Party deputy chief adviser Banyat Bantadtan said the government would lose more than it gained in appointing Somkid, a leading strategist for the Thaksin government's capitalist policies that were the opposite of the sufficiency economy. Somkid's credibility would be adversely affected too, he said.

More to the point, he said, Somkid would not dare to attack Thaksin.

"With Somkid's appointment, government officials loyal to the last government may return, making other officials even more reluctant to work against the last government," he said.

Member of the National Legislative Assembly Akapol Sorasuchart, former deputy leader of the Mahachon Party, said he was confused by the government's decision and sorry that Surayud seemed to have lost his neutrality.

Using Somkid would be like laundering Somkid, he said, and guaranteeing his innocence so that the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) might have problems investigating or accusing him, as Surayud was known to be an honest man and this would redound to the credit of anyone appointed by him.

AEC chairman Nam Yimyaem said the appointment of the former deputy prime minister to chair a committee to promote the sufficiency economy would not affect the AEC's work, although Somkid was also accused of wrongdoing relating to the last government's rubber-seedling project.

The committee will do its job, he said.