BANGKOK, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Some 17 Thai cabinet seats will be filled up with new faces, though most of whom are ministers now serving in different posts in the government, according to the reshuffle results announced on Tuesday night.

    The widely-expected cabinet reshuffle has changed ministers forthe most-focused portfolios including ministers of transport and communication, the interior, finance and commerce, reported the state-run Channel 11.

    Suriya Jungrungreangkit, current Transport Minister, survived the reshuffle despite of his alleged involvement in a corruption case that dragging down the public confidence in the government.

    He was switched to the posts of industry minister and deputy prime minister, while Deputy Transport Minister Adisorn Piebgket was changed to an equivalent post in the Agriculture Ministry.

    The reshuffle by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra also switched the current Interior Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya to the post of justice minister, while keeping his other post of deputy prime minister unchanged.

    Air Chief Marshall Kongsak Wantana will replace Chidchai to head the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of tackling problems in the kingdom's insurgent deep south.

    Kongsak resigned his job as Air Force Commander on Monday.

    Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak and Commerce Minister Thanong Bidaya will change seats with each other, while Somkid remains deputy prime minister at the same time.

    The new government line-up also touched posts including ministers of justice, education, science and technology, industry, social development and human security, tourism and sports, and information and communication technology, and deputy ministers of agriculture and foreign affairs.

    However, there are only four new faces among the all changed 17 ministers, with the rest rotating their posts in the government.

    Thailand's constitutional monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej has granted his approval of the cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday.

    The new cabinet is scheduled to be swore in on Wednesday.

    It's the first cabinet reshuffle by Thaksin since he took office for the second term in February.

    The change of cabinet members came among dropped government popularity, sluggish economic growth and unabated violence in the insurgent deep south. Enditem