Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula announced Wednesday that he had resigned, citing differences with the prime minister over the handling of the Thai economy.
"I am resigning from all positions. I have talked to the prime minister. He approved my resignation and understands," he said.
Pridiyathorn said that he was stepping down partly because of a recent controversial attempt to appoint Somkid Jatusripitak, a key Thaksin ally to a top economics post.
Somkid Jatusripitak, a former deputy to Thaksin, resigned the post after less than a week. But Pridiyathorn said he believed there was a hidden agenda behindthe effort to bring Somkid back into government.
-- The Nation 2007-02-28