THAILAND:WEEKS OF protests by thousands who invaded his official compound could not bring him down. The declaration of emergency rule failed too. But yesterday the Thai prime minister was thrown out of office - for hosting a TV cookery show.
The country was cast from political turmoil to high farce after the constitutional court ruled that the embattled prime minister Samak Sundaravej and his entire cabinet must quit over the programme.
The nine judges in one of Thailand's highest courts decided that Mr Samak must go immediately for hosting four episodes after taking office, breaching rules that bar ministers having business links.
Mr Samak's ministers must also resign within 30 days once a caretaker administration is appointed to run the country, which has been beset by political crises since demonstrators took to the streets demanding the prime minister step aside.
Government opponents hoping the bizarre twist might resolve the deadlock appear set for disappointment after Mr Samak's People Power party unanimously pledged to renominate him for prime minister, a role he took up just seven months ago.
"This is a complete farce," said Giles Ungpakorn, a political scientist. "This law was drafted to reduce big business's influence in government. But here a cooking programme is being equated with big business and the minutiae of the law is being used to get the government out, and the judiciary's taking part in the farce."
Government opponents from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has occupied the grounds of Mr Samak's offices for two weeks, failed to dislodge him. They accuse Mr Samak of corruption and of being a puppet of his ousted predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra.
Clashes between PAD protesters and government supporters left one dead and dozens injured, prompting Mr Samak to declare emergency rule.
Mr Samak (73) had hosted the television programme, Tasting, Grumbling, for the past eight years while he was Bangkok's governor, but gave up in April, two months after becoming prime minister.
The popular show featured the passionate foodie wrapped in an apron whipping up traditional Thai recipes - pork leg in Coca-Cola is a favourite - before indulging in a ranting monologue on subjects of his choosing.
The grumpy right-winger would often visit restaurants or food stalls offering cooking tips. His other preferred haunts were Bangkok's food markets, where he would cast an eye over produce.
The €340 he received for travelling expenses and buying the ingredients for each of the final shows after he assumed office was his undoing. He denied he had been moonlighting in the employment of the show's producers.
The court disagreed, saying that Mr Samak had "fabricated his evidence" and presented "conflicting testimony" to conceal the truth.
The judges ruled he had breached the clause in the constitution, which was rewritten after the 2006 military coup. It was designed to eliminate the conflicts of interest that bedevilled the rule of the telecoms tycoon Mr Thaksin.
However, the new constitution stipulates no further sanction for the prime minister, beyond being forced to stand down. It allows his party to choose him once again, as its leaders say they will when they meet on Friday.
After initial jubilation, the demonstrators occupying Mr Samak's compound began to realise the ruling was unlikely to alter significantly the landscape or break the stalemate.
"Mr Samak was ousted by the court," said a PAD spokesman, Suriyasai Katasila. "But there is no guarantee he will not return in the next few days. So our protest will continue for the time being." - ( Guardianservice)