Major shake-up for Thai government

[Red Bull]

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Thailand's finance and interior ministers have been replaced as part of a major Cabinet shake-up apparently prompted by public anger over several corruption scandals, and to authorities' failure to end a violent insurgency in Thailand's Muslim-dominated far south.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is also facing economic challenges due to high oil prices and plummeting tourism after last year's tsunami.

State-run Radio Thailand announced the changes in 17 ministerial positions on Tuesday after they were approved by the constitutional monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The finance, commerce, justice, interior, industry and transportation portfolios all changed hands, the announcement said. Most of the changes were rotations, with just a handful of new faces joining the Cabinet.

Taking over the most important economic job was Thanong Bidaya, who moved from the commerce minister's post to become finance minister. The former finance minister, Somkid Jatusripitak, switched jobs with him.

The new interior minister is Kongsak Wantana, who had been the air force commander and resigned his military post on Monday. The interior ministry job is a crucial one, because it oversees internal security at a time when Thailand is facing an Islamic separatist insurgency in its southernmost provinces.

The former interior minister, Chitchai Wannasathit, held onto his concurrent position of deputy prime minister, and takes the helm at the Justice Ministry.

The reshuffle took place less than five months after Thaksin took office for a second term after his Thai Rak Thai (Thai Love Thai) party won 377 out of 500 seats in the lower house, giving Thailand its first-ever single-party government.

Thaksin made frequent Cabinet changes in his first term -- many of them in an effort to get a grip on the southern violence, which has claimed more than 900 lives since January last year.

A shake-up had been expected since June, when former transport minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit was accused of responsibility for irregularities and possible corruption in the procurement of equipment for Bangkok's new international airport.

Suriya won a parliamentary no-confidence vote, but had fared poorly in the debate that preceded it, making him a political liability.