Samak

Now, struggling to stay in office, Mr. Samak's referendum plan appears to be one of his last remaining gambits.

'We cannot let the situation go on like this, ' Mr. Samak said in his weekly television address.

Mr Samak wants to hold a referendum to ask voters if they wish the constitution changed again.

In a bid to stave off pressure from his opponents, Prime Minister Samak plans to reshuffle his cabinet in the coming days.

The last several weeks have seen a return of Thaksin's opponents to the streets in rallies against the Samak government.

Hospitalized for food poisoning, Samak had to pull out of several cabinet meetings.

before he assumed the P. M. post, Samak hosted his own TV cooking show.

Samak was not always so harsh on the armed forces.

The protesters have portrayed Mr. Samak as a proxy for Mr. Thaksin and his populist politics.

Adding to his troubles, Mr. Samak confirmed that his foreign minister had resigned.

During his campaigning for Sunday's election, Samak had no qualms about calling himself a Thaksin 'nominee.

Thailand's pugnacious prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, is an especially hard man to defend.

The purchase is still under investigation, and Samak's case is pending.

Mr Samak, once Mr Thaksin's sworn enemy, was now an opportunistic proxy for him.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was forced to surrender the leadership in September on court charges of conflict of interest.

Samak issued the state of emergency on Tuesday after one person was killed and 45 were injured during clashes.

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej urged the delegates to push for reforms that ensure environmentally sustainable energy supplies.

Thaksin returned to Thailand this year after his political ally Samak Sundaravej was elected Prime Minister.

The next year a new election brought in the burly, boisterous figure of Samak Sundaravej.

Samak formed a six-party coalition government dominated by Thaksin supporters.

Mr Samak, abrasive and uncouth, may prove an even more divisive prime minister than Mr Thaksin.

Mr. Samak, leader of the People's Power Party, oversees a six party coalition government elected last December.

Forty-six people were lynched or burned alive ( "I deny the whole thing, " said Mr Samak).

Mr. Samak heads a coalition government led by the People's Power Party, which is closely linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

When popular opinion turned against Thaksin in 2006, Samak became a vocal defender of the embattled prime minister.

"Samak is seen as Thaksin's proxy, " he explained.

We'd eat samak masgouf, a kind of freshwater fish, and drink raisin juice.

Samak, 72, has made the return of exiled Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a bloodless military coup last year, a top priority.

Samak Sundaravej, celebrity chef and prime minister of Thailand, died on November 24th, aged 74