(Associated Press)- Tanks and troops that toppled a civilian government nearly two weeks ago were off the streets of the Thai capital Monday following the announcement of a new interim prime minister to lead the country for one year, reports Trend.
The military council that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup Sept. 19 while he was abroad chose former army commander Surayud Chulanont to serve as premier until elections promised for October 2007.
Surayud, sworn in Sunday as the country's 24th prime minister, said during the ceremony that he wanted to heal a country divided by the policies of his predecessor and settle a bloody Muslim insurgency festering in Thailand's south.
"It was injustice that caused problems in politics and the south," Surayud said. "I urge everybody to help solve the two problems, and unity is needed to deal with them."
Surayud told reporters Monday that he would travel to the restive region after the formation of a 35-member Cabinet, expected in about a week.
The Cabinet's first confirmed member is Pridiyathorn Devakula, the head of Thailand's central bank, who told reporters he has agreed to join the interim body. He said his exact position has not been discussed but he is expected to get a key portfolio in the finance-economic sector.
Pridiyathorn, 59, who helped steer Thailand's economy out of the devastating 1997 Asian financial crisis, took over the helm of the Bank of Thailand in 2001. He has been praised for policies that promoted financial stability.
An official of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party, meanwhile, said at least 10 prominent party members have resigned since the coup.
The 10 are former members of Parliament and Cabinet ministers, said Samarn Lertwongrat, the party's registrar. The most prominent among them is former Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai, who was named by the former government as Thailand's candidate to become the next U.N. secretary-general, and also has the backing of the military council that ousted Thaksin.
Thaksin, accused by the coup makers of corruption and divisive policies, is currently in London.
In his first day in office, Surayud met with U.S. Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce and received blessings and Buddhist amulets from the country's senior ranking Buddhist monk, 93-year-old Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara.
Surayud and Boyce, the first foreign diplomat to meet Surayud, shook hands in front of reporters at Government House, but the prime minister did not speak to the press.
"We had a very good discussion," Boyce said. "I think it's very well known that the United States urges a speedy return to a democratically elected government and protection of civil liberties during the interim, and the prime minister assured me this would be the case."
A spokesman for the military council said that troops began their drawdown from Bangkok's streets on Sunday.
"The soldiers are back in their barracks and the police have redeployed from Government House and all other government offices," spokesman Lt. Gen. Palangoon Klaharn said.
Surayud, 63, tried to set himself apart from the brash, pro-business Thaksin by saying he would strive to balance the needs for a growing economy with the happiness of the people.
"I will focus on self-sufficiency, more than focusing on the GDP numbers," Surayud said. "I will focus on the happiness of the people, more than the GDP."
While Surayud reaffirmed the government's commitment to elections in one year, a temporary constitution approved by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej reserves considerable powers for Thailand's coup makers, unnerving rights activists.
The military council gave itself the power to remove Surayud and his Cabinet, approve the selection of a National Assembly speaker, and have final say on a 100-member committee that will write the next constitution.
The interim document, which replaces the 1997 charter abolished when military officers seized power from Thaksin, also gives "complete immunity" to the coup leaders for overthrowing the government.
Surayud, a career soldier who fought homegrown communist rebels, is seen as someone who can help stabilize Thailand's political situation. He has a reputation for incorruptibility, quiet diplomacy and modest demeanor.
His appointment was generally well received by academics and politicians.
However, some critics raised concerns about Surayud being too close to the palace since he has served on the king's Privy Council, a hand-picked body of advisers to the constitutional monarch. Others said the choice of a former general reaffirmed that the government was illegitimate.