Former Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej dies

BANGKOK — Samak Sundaravej, a firebrand right-wing politician and TV cooking show host who briefly served as Thailand's prime minister and considered himself a proxy of ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, died of cancer Tuesday. He was 74.Samak died at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok after a long battle with liver cancer, hospital official Navachamol Sangkaew said. Samak had sought treatment for the cancer late last year in the United States and kept a low-profile after returning to Thailand.Known as a straight-talker with a penchant for the profane, Samak's political career spanned four decades including an incarnation as an anti-communist rabble rouser, but many supporters remembered him best for his TV show called "Tasting and Complaining," a mix of traditional Thai cooking and rants on pet subjects.Among the first Thai politicians to express their condolences was former Prime Minister Thaksin, who was forced out in a 2006 coup and tweeted about Samak's death from self-imposed exile. He also expressed regret that he could not return to the country to attend the funeral.It was ultimately Samak's TV work that ended his political career, which peaked in December 2007 when he became the country's 25th prime minister — a job that lasted only nine months.Samak's tenure as prime minister coincided with one of the worst political crises in Thailand's history and followed the September 2006 that ousted Thaksin. Samak rose to power as the self-proclaimed proxy for Thaksin, who was living in exile. Samak became the focus of street rallies by anti-Thaksin protesters who demanded his resignation.Tens of thousands of protesters stormed the prime minister's compound in August 2008, but it wasn't the protesters who led to his ouster.A court ruled in September 2008 that Samak's appearance on his TV cooking show while prime minister — and the fact that he had accepted money — constituted a conflict of interest. The hasty decision prompted speculation that the court ruled to curtail protes

Add comment

Nick
Content

Submit