BANGKOK, Feb 6: Thailand’s newly elected Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej unveiled his cabinet on Wednesday, bringing close aides to Thaksin Shinawatra back to government more than 16 months after the coup against him.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej swore in the new cabinet during a brief ceremony inside his Bangkok palace.

Samak, 72, bowed and then prostrated himself at the king’s feet after receiving the monarch’s endorsement of his cabinet.

The cabinet includes six deputy prime ministers as well as two ministers attached to the premier’s office. Samak claimed the defence ministry for himself, in one of the few appointments that he revealed before the swearing-in ceremony.

He is only the third civilian ever to hold the job in Thailand, and the military had campaigned hard to get one of their own into the post. Samak has said that he wanted the job so that he could personally handle communications with the military to avoid another coup.

The outgoing defence minister Boonrawd Somtas said on Monday that the military would accept Samak as defence minister, but in the same breath warned that he could be sacked and jailed if he interfered in the army’s affairs.

Many of the other top spots went to Thaksin’s closest aides.

The foreign ministry is headed by Thaksin’s Oxford-educated lawyer, Noppadon Pattama, who is defending the ex-premier and his family against corruption charges filed by the military-backed government.

The former spokesman for Thaksin’s government, Surapong Suebwonglee, is leading the finance ministry — even though he is a medical doctor by training.

Surapong is the secretary general of Samak’s People Power Party (PPP) and is among Thaksin’s closest confidants.

The party’s deputy leader, Chalerm Yoobumrung, was named interior minister, while Thaksin’s brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat is the new education minister.

Samak has publicly complained about his difficulties in getting his own choices into top cabinet posts, highlighting Thaksin’s influence over the new government -- even with the billionaire politico still living in exile in Britain. On Saturday he called his cabinet an “a bit ugly,” saying he was only allowed to change 12 of the ministers to suit his liking.

Many of the new cabinet ministers were largely unknown before the coup. A military-appointed court banned 110 of Thaksin’s top supporters from politics for five years. That decision, which affected prominent former cabinet members, forced the PPP to tap newcomers for many posts.

Analysts said that many of the new cabinet members lacked experience, saying many of the appointments were political payback for supporting Thaksin through the coup and the military government.—AFP