PM to offer Gen Sonthi a Cabinet position

"The chief of the Council for National Security (Sonthi) would have nothing to do when he retires from the army top job. I will ask him if he is interested in joining the portfolio for security matter," the premier told reporters.

Gen Sonthi was widely tipped to take the position of Deputy Prime Minister to take care of security matters.

Surayud needed to reshuffle his cabinet again as two ministers were willing to step down after strong criticism over business holding.

 Information Technology and Communication Minister Sithichai Pokaiyaudom and Deputy Commerce Minister Oranuj Osatananda said they would quite the cabinet.

"Legally, they can stay on but many people have different feeling on the issue," Surayud said, "But I feel uncomfortable with the situation."

The 2007 Constitution bars member of the cabinet to hold business stake more than 5 percent but the rule was not applied to the current cabinet in the grace period.

The Prime Minister said he would make a minor change in the cabinet only for the ministries deemed necessary when he returned from a mission in New York for the United Nations General Assembly at the end of this month.

"I would ask Khun Krirkrai (Jeerapath, minister of commerce) if he needs a deputy to replace the vacant one. But for the ICT ministry we really need somebody to fill in as it has no deputy minister," he said.

Surayud said he was in difficulty to make change in the cabinet since his government was about to leave the office in the next few months.

The new ministers would have only one month to fully function before the official announcement of the general election which automatically made the cabinet as a care-taker one.

Asked if bringing Sonthi into the cabinet would be a power overlapping since the junta chief was technically the person who can bring down the Prime Minister, Surayud said he saw no problem since Sonthi, if he took the job, would be in the office for a month before the government became a lame duck.

by Supalak G Khundee

The Nation, New York