Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has replaced 3 of his top ministers after a string of recent setbacks, including Bird Flu and the outbreak of violence in largely Muslim dominated South of Thailand.
With a general election due in less than a year's time, the still popular Thaksin Shinawatra replaced his defense and interior ministers, both criticized for their bad handling of the unrest in South Thailand, where at least 40 people have been killed in the last 2-months.
Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak returned to the Finance Ministry 13 months after being succeeded by his number two. Analysts said significant policy changes were unlikely.
Defense Minister Thamarak Isarangura and Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Noor Matha were shifted to less active deputy prime minister jobs and replaced by other members of the Thaksin's cabinet, the Thai government said in a short statement yesterday evening.
Science and Technology Minister Chetta Thanajaro, a former army chief who is expected to favor a more subtle, conciliatory approach to the trouble-plagued, Muslim-dominated regions in Thailand, was named defense minister.
Bhokin Bhalakual, a former deputy prime minister and prominent lawyer, becomes the interior minister.
Political Analysts called the changes in the Thai government insignificant. The Nation newspaper, writing before the changes became official, called the shifts in the thaksin administration as "changing old wine in a new bottle".
Thailand's Premier Thaksin is known to be very unhappy with the Thai government's response to growing security problems in the mostly Muslim dominated southernmost provinces of Thailand, where unrest and violence against Thai officials started in early January 2004 year with an organized attack on a on a Thai military base.
Hundreds of weapons were stolen and 4 soldiers killed in the army camp assault, which some officials fear marks the start of a revival of a new Muslim separatist movement thought to have been brought to a stop some 20 years ago.
"Thaksin had to get rid of ministers who failed to tackle the southern problem, which has both political and security consequences," said political analyst Somkit Lertpaithoon of Bangkok's Thammasat University.
The return to the Finance Ministry of Somkid, an advocate of popular policies to boost consumption through economic stimulus programs, could eventually boost Thailand's image with businessmen, analysts said.
"We believe that the reshuffle will help improve the confidence among investors, particularly the return of Somkid as the finance minister," DBS Securities said in a research note. Thailand's consumption-led robust economic growth has outpaced most other Asian countries except China and India in the past 2-years.
Agriculture Minister Somsak Thepsuthinand and his deputy, Newin Chidchob, the public face of the battle against the bird flu which killed seven Thais, kept their jobs despite vehemently denied accusations that the government of Thailand covered up the bird flu outbreak for weeks.
"These people belong to the strongest factions in the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party. They have strong bases of MPs and money," said political scientist Thitinan Pongsudhirak of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
