Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra attends a meeting at the Government House in Bangkok July 13, 2006. Thailand's Constitutional Court has agreed to consider legal cases that could lead to the dissolution of the ruling party and the main opposition over charges of electoral fraud.(Xinhua/Rueters Photo)

 BANGKOK, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Saturday denied that he planned to remove Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin as the army commander-in-chief.

    The prime minister said in a regular radio program on Saturday that the transfer of top military posts has to be agreed upon by the Defense Council, which has to decide whether to rotate positions among the armed forces.

    Thaksin said there will be three top positions vacant and the Defense Council would have to make decisions on how to rotate positions among top military officers to fill the posts. The three posts are supreme commander, permanent secretary for defense and armed forces inspector-general.

    "I have no idea about the rotation and no one talks to me about it. I ordered no one about the reshuffle because I regard it's responsibility of the Defense Council," Thaksin said.

    Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Ruengroj Mahasaranont warned the armed forces on Thursday to prepare for a political crisis as Thaksin had ordered an early military reshuffle to shore up his political security. Some reports said that Gen. Sonthi will be displaced by a classmate of the Prime Minister. Enditem

Related:Thai armed forces warned to prepare for a crisis

    BANGKOK, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Ruengroj Mahasaranont has warned the armed forces to prepare for apolitical crisis, as the caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra ordered an early military reshuffle to shore up his political security, local media Friday reported.

    Gen. Ruengroj on Thursday met with air force chief Chalit Pukpasuk, navy chief Sathiraphan Keyanont, police chief Kit Wattana and army chief-of-staff Sophon Silpipat, and told them to be wary of the political situation and warned of a possible political crisis, armed forces spokesman Palangkun Klaharn was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying.

    The supreme commander also urged the armed forces and police to monitor the situation closely and keep social order, Palangkun said. Full story>>

Thai court to decide five parties' fate

     BANGKOK, July 13 (Xinhua) -- The Constitutional Court of Thailand on Thursday formally accepted a landmark case against the country's five political parties that could lead to their dissolution, further adding to the country's current political confusion and delaying a planned general election.

    "The Constitutional Court panel of judges has decided to accept the case against the five parties," said the court's secretary-general, Paiboon Walahapaithoon.

    The court's 15 judges agreed in a closed-door meeting on Thursday to accept the case which could lead to the parties' dissolution, Paiboon said.

    All the five parties have 15 days to defend themselves after the court send them the charges they face.

    Thailand's Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) formally forwarded the charge to the Constitutional Court early July, alleging that five parties, namely the ruling Thai Rak Thai (TRT) Party, the Democrat Party, Prachatipatai Kaona Party, Patana Chat Thai Party and Thai Ground Party, committed election fraud, which could lead to the dissolution of all the five parties. Full story>>