New Thai cabinet sets to work amid complaints

Thai Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva's newly unveiled cabinet set to work yesterday on building reconciliation and reviving the economy, despite the threat of protests over some appointments.
Key ministers from the Democrat Party met to discuss policy matters, a day before an official swearing in ceremony on Monday in front of the revered king.
"After the royal audience tomorrow, the prime minister may call for another discussion of government policy before the cabinet meet for the first time on Tuesday to approve the policies," said deputy interior minister Thaworn Senneam.
The cabinet list was announced Saturday after King Bhumibol Adulyadej signed a royal command approving the ministers, appointed after Abhisit won a parliamentary vote to bring a Democrat-led coalition into power.
Of the 36 cabinet posts, 24 ministers are serving in government for the first time.
Heading the economic team is finance minister Korn Chatikavanij, an Oxford contemporary of 44-year-old Abhisit. The minister formerly worked for investment bank JPMorgan Chase.
But amid a global financial downturn exacerbated by political turmoil in the kingdom, business leaders have criticised the choice of other economic ministers tasked with reviving the country's fortunes.
On Friday members of the business community said they were disappointed by the choice of industry and commerce ministers. Local media said the grumbles prompted a last minute switch to Charnchai Chairungruang as industry minister.
But Pornthiwa Nakasai remains as commerce minister, despite criticism that his appointment was a sop to a coalition party.
Fixing the economy has become an urgent task. The last finance minister admitted growth could be as low as two percent next year because of months of protests that have wracked the country.
Abhisit has vowed to restore unity in Thailand after six months of protests against the previous government, which peaked with an eight-day blockade of Bangkok's airports.
But his cabinet list has also been criticised by other ministers as inexperienced and inappropriate.
The new foreign minister Kasit Piromya was a vocal supporter of a protest group that seized Suvarnabhumi international airport in late November, causing some of the massive economic damage that Abhisit has vowed to mend.
The Democrat leader's nomination came after the ruling People Power Party -- backed by ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra -- was dissolved by a court, forcing ex-PM Somchai Wongsawat and his cabinet from office.
Abhisit was voted in by parliament on December 15 with the help of defecting lawmakers, and was forced to pick many non-Democrat MPs for top cabinet jobs to appease his hastily-formed coalition, angering some party veterans.
Democrat Party members met on the luxury island Ko Samui for two days of talks ending Saturday, to outline their own policy plans.
Since May, Thailand has been beset by increasingly disruptive protests by the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).
The PAD accused the now-defunct PPP of being disloyal to the monarchy and of running Thailand on behalf of Thaksin, who was ousted in a coup in September 2006 and now lives in exile abroad to escape a jail term on corruption charges.
PAD protests reached their peak at the end of November when thousands of its supporters occupied Bangkok's two main airports for about a week, stranding up to 350,000 passengers and causing massive economic damage.
The group only ended its siege after the PPP was dissolved over vote fraud charges related to elections it won one year ago, allowing the Democrats to win over former PPP lawmakers and small parties to form the government.
Meanwhile supporters of Thaksin have vowed to rally on December 28 before moving to parliament when Abhisit gives his first policy address.