AMARETTO-old
September 28th, 2006, 18:10
By Nopporn Wong-Anan BANGKOK (Reuters) - Former army chief Suruyud Chulanont has emerged in Thailand's crystal balls as the favorite to become interim prime minister in the wake of a military coup.
"This year it is the year of the mad dog and next year will be the year of the mad pig," said Panuwat Punvichartkul, referring to the Chinese cycle of 12 years, each bearing the name and characteristic of an animal.
"Therefore we need a person in uniform with firearms to run the country," said Panuwat, who discerns fortunes by reading his clients' facial characteristics.
Panuwat predicted three months ago ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would either be assassinated or killed in an accident in October and suggested he step down to avoid blood on the streets.
He said the new prime minister had to be an honest man with the credibility to restore democracy following the country's first coup in 15 years.
"General Surayud fits all these qualifications," he said.
Surayud, now retired and a member of the royal advisory council, was lauded as an "Asian Hero" by Time magazine in 2003 for being a professional, reform-minded soldier.
Surayud, 63, is highly regarded at home as competent and honest, but as a member of the privy council, he could be seen as too close to the palace and leave revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej open to charges of supporting the coup, some analysts said.
Army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin has promised an interim civilian prime minister would be in place within two weeks of the coup and several names have been floating around.
Thai media reported earlier this week former World Trade Organization (WTO) head Supachai Panitchpakdi had tentatively accepted the job.
Other fortune tellers said they, too, had concluded Thailand needed a clean professional soldier, even a retired one, to lead the country.
"A soldier is needed now to strengthen the fortune of the country," said fortune teller columnist Kengkaard Jongjaiprah.
"If I were in the military council, I would pick Surayud because he is clean, honest and very loyal to the monarchy."
Kengkaard said central bank chief Pridiyathorn Devakula, also among the favorites, could be a deputy prime minister for the economy.
Fortune tellers are central to life in a country where more than 90 percent of population is Buddhist and people consult them on matters of love, business decision or politics.
Newspapers often run political forecasts by fortune tellers and one of them, in its forecast for 2006, painted September as a dreadful month featuring a disease outbreak, a stock market crash, heavy job cuts, bloodshed and a military coup.
Thailand managed to escape disease, a stock crash, major job losses and bloodshed.
Kengkaard and others said the leaders of the September 19 coup would face some kind of turbulence in October, a natural disaster maybe, perhaps a rift among the military leadership or between them and the civilian government they promise.
"As Jupiter is due to meet Uranus during October and November, we expect to see a deadly incident that could either be an abrupt political violence or a natural disaster like flash floods or heavy storms," Pinyo Pongcharoen said.
Source : http://today.reuters.com/news/articlene ... ticlePage2 (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-09-28T083511Z_01_BKK736_RTRUKOT_0_TEXT0.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2)
"This year it is the year of the mad dog and next year will be the year of the mad pig," said Panuwat Punvichartkul, referring to the Chinese cycle of 12 years, each bearing the name and characteristic of an animal.
"Therefore we need a person in uniform with firearms to run the country," said Panuwat, who discerns fortunes by reading his clients' facial characteristics.
Panuwat predicted three months ago ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would either be assassinated or killed in an accident in October and suggested he step down to avoid blood on the streets.
He said the new prime minister had to be an honest man with the credibility to restore democracy following the country's first coup in 15 years.
"General Surayud fits all these qualifications," he said.
Surayud, now retired and a member of the royal advisory council, was lauded as an "Asian Hero" by Time magazine in 2003 for being a professional, reform-minded soldier.
Surayud, 63, is highly regarded at home as competent and honest, but as a member of the privy council, he could be seen as too close to the palace and leave revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej open to charges of supporting the coup, some analysts said.
Army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin has promised an interim civilian prime minister would be in place within two weeks of the coup and several names have been floating around.
Thai media reported earlier this week former World Trade Organization (WTO) head Supachai Panitchpakdi had tentatively accepted the job.
Other fortune tellers said they, too, had concluded Thailand needed a clean professional soldier, even a retired one, to lead the country.
"A soldier is needed now to strengthen the fortune of the country," said fortune teller columnist Kengkaard Jongjaiprah.
"If I were in the military council, I would pick Surayud because he is clean, honest and very loyal to the monarchy."
Kengkaard said central bank chief Pridiyathorn Devakula, also among the favorites, could be a deputy prime minister for the economy.
Fortune tellers are central to life in a country where more than 90 percent of population is Buddhist and people consult them on matters of love, business decision or politics.
Newspapers often run political forecasts by fortune tellers and one of them, in its forecast for 2006, painted September as a dreadful month featuring a disease outbreak, a stock market crash, heavy job cuts, bloodshed and a military coup.
Thailand managed to escape disease, a stock crash, major job losses and bloodshed.
Kengkaard and others said the leaders of the September 19 coup would face some kind of turbulence in October, a natural disaster maybe, perhaps a rift among the military leadership or between them and the civilian government they promise.
"As Jupiter is due to meet Uranus during October and November, we expect to see a deadly incident that could either be an abrupt political violence or a natural disaster like flash floods or heavy storms," Pinyo Pongcharoen said.
Source : http://today.reuters.com/news/articlene ... ticlePage2 (http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-09-28T083511Z_01_BKK736_RTRUKOT_0_TEXT0.xml&pageNumber=0&imageid=&cap=&sz=13&WTModLoc=NewsArt-C1-ArticlePage2)