Thai PM survives no-confidence vote
Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejajiva won a vote of no-confidence Saturday introduced by the opposition. The opposition Puea Thai party accused Abhisit and his administration of corruption and human rights violations. This was the third such vote that Abhisit has survived since 2009.
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After a four-day censure debate, Abhisit won 249 votes to 184 against him, with 11 abstentions. All of the ten ministers, including Abhisit, named in the censure motion survived the vote.
During the debate, the opposition accused Abhisit of abusing his power last spring when the military moved in to clear Red Shirt protesters from the streets of Bangkok.
Thousands of Red Shirts gathered in the capital Saturday for a rally, indicating the deep divisions in Thailand in the run-up to a general election, expected in late June or early July.
A week ago, about 35,000 Red Shirts gathered in Bangkok in a major show of support.
Abhisit’s survival of the no-confidence vote means the coalition government can stay in place through the election.
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