Thai Rulers Tap Central Banker To Run Panel
Junta Picks 18 Others
For Economic Team;
Continuity Is Sought
BANGKOK -- Thailand's military rulers appointed a 19-member economic-policy advisory team headed by central bank Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula while they continued their search for an interim civilian leader to replace deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Economic analysts said Thailand's nervous financial markets would likely welcome Mr. Pridiyathorn's appointment as a sign that the new military ruling council is seeking continuity in the country's economic management -- which Army Commander-in-Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin promised after the Sept. 19 ousting of Mr. Thaksin.
But it wasn't immediately clear whether Mr. Pridiyathorn or any of the prominent Thai bankers and economists named to the advisory team had accepted their appointments, which were announced in a statement by the military council yesterday.
Mr. Pridiyathorn has won international recognition for his political independence and management at Thailand's central bank.
In 2004, he acted to tighten lax lending policies at state-owned Krung Thai Bank PCL, when the bank's nonperforming loans surged by $1.1 billion -- a decision that brought Mr. Pridiyathorn into direct conflict with Mr. Thaksin and his economic managers, who had promoted politically popular easy-credit policies.
Mr. Pridiyathorn, who has also been described by people close to the situation as a potential candidate for the interim premiership, couldn't immediately be reached for comment. It is also not clear how much policy-making weight he would have should he accept his new advisory role, or whether he might still be considered for the post of interim leader.
Other possible candidates for the premiership include Supachai Panitchpakdi, the former head of the World Trade Organization, and two senior legal officials -- Ackaratorn Chularat, president of the Supreme Administrative Court, and Chanchai Likhitjittha, president of the Supreme Court -- as well as former army chief Gen. Surayud Chulanont.
Among other members of the team named by the military council were Krirk-krai Jirapaet, a member of the central bank's monetary policy board; Bangkok Bank PCL Executive Chairman Kosit Panpiemras; Jada Wattanasiritham, president of Siam Commercial Bank PCL; and Ammar Siamwalla, a senior economist at the Thailand Development Research Institute, an independent think tank.
Some other prominent civilians named by the military council to similar advisory councils -- covering ethics, governance, and reconciliation and social unity -- said they hadn't been contacted by the military authorities before their appointments.
For example, Chaiwat Satha-anand, a political-science professor at Thammasat University who was appointed to a panel to discuss reconciliation between Mr. Thaksin's supporters and opponents, told the Associated Press yesterday that he was surprised by the military's announcement. It quoted him as saying: "I have not been consulted whatsoever. I have said that the coup is wrong, so how can I serve on [the military's] advisory board?"
Thailand's armed forces declared martial law and deposed the country's democratically elected government when Mr. Thaksin was in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly. Their move followed months of tension in Thailand, where large crowds have demonstrated against Mr. Thaksin for his alleged abuses of political power during his five years as prime minister.
The day after the coup, six generals led by Gen. Sondhi appeared before diplomats and reporters to say they acted to stop "rampant corruption." They later established a panel to investigate allegations of graft in the Thaksin government.
The military leaders have said they will forward a temporary constitution to King Bhumibol Adulyadej for approval this week, before appointing a new prime minister to oversee the drafting of a comprehensive new charter and prepare for fresh elections by October 2007.
泰国军方提名央行行长组建经济顾问团
泰国军方领导人任命了一个以泰国央行行长蒂耶通(Pridiyathorn Devakula)为首的19人经济政策顾问团，与此同时，他们仍在继续物色接替他信(Thaksin Shinawatra)的新总理人选。
经济分析人士表示，泰国金融市场应该会对蒂耶通等人的任命表示欢迎，在他们看来，此举表明新的军事执政委员会在努力使国家的经济管理保持连贯，这一点也是政变领导人、陆军总司令颂提(Sondhi Boonyaratkalin)在9月19日宣布罢免他信时所承诺的。
不过，现在还不清楚蒂耶通或其他被提名进入顾问团的泰国着名银行业人士和经济学家是否已接受任命。泰国军事委员会是在昨天宣布提名消息的。
蒂耶通在政治上的独立性及其在泰国央行的管理能力得到了国际社会的普遍认可。
相关报导
? 泰国军政府考虑冻结他信资产
? 泰国临时军政府开始调查他信
? 政变或许对泰国经济有利无害
? 泰国发生政变 他信任期或将终结
2004年，在泰国国有银行泰京银行(Krung Thai Bank PCL)不良贷款激增11亿美元时，他要求该行收紧贷款政策，此举使他与他信及内阁经济部门官员发生了直接冲突，他信政府一直推行宽松信贷政策，这一政策在政治上很受欢迎。
知情人士还认为，蒂耶通有可能出任过渡政府总理。记者未能立即联系到蒂耶通本人发表评论。目前还不清楚如果他接受顾问团负责人的提名，他能对经济决策产生多大影响，也不清楚他是否仍是过渡总理的潜在人选。
过渡总理的其他可能人包括世界贸易组织(WTO)前总干事素帕猜(Supachai Panitchpakdi)，还有两位法律界高级官员：一位是泰国司法院院长Ackaratorn Chularat，另一位是最高法院院长Chanchai Likhitjittha，另外，前陆军总司令Surayud Chulanont可能也在候选人名单上。
军事委员会还提名其他一些着名人士加入其他顾问团，包括职业规范、行政管理、协调和社会联盟等。不过这些人士表示，目前军事委员会方面没有就此与他们接触。
军方领导人此前表示，本周将向普密蓬国王(Bhumibol Adulyadej)提交临时宪法等待他的批准，此后将任命一位新总理，负责新宪法的制定，并为明年10月的大选作准备。
James Hookway
