Sonthi retires from the army

Sonthi, who masterminded the Thai coup last year, has retired as army chief and CNS leader.

For the past few months, there has been constant media speculation about Sonthi's future plans, speculation which he has never denied. It is widely believed that he wants to enter politics, possibly by standing as a candidate in the forthcoming Thai election. (Please, Sonthi, don't do it!)

Indeed, the rumours about him have recently been changing day-by-day: first, it was suggested that he might postpone his army retirement by six months, then he hinted very broadly that he would be interested in a cabinet position. 'Prime Minister' Surayud apparently considered making him Defence Minister, but presumably this wasn't quite what Sonthi had in mind because that rumour was soon replaced by a theory that he would become Deputy Prime Minister. Then, when the Interior Minister resigned, another rumour had it that Sonthi would take both positions. Surayud then announced that a cabinet reshuffle would not be necessary, and that he could take charge of the Interior position himself. Naturally, this didn't last long, as Surayud then announced that he would be reshuffling the cabinet after all, amid rumours that he was about to resign (thus enabling Sonthi to take over). The latest position is that Surayud has no plans to resign, that Sonthi has no plans to be Prime Minister, and that he will be in fact be appointed Deputy Prime Minister. Sonthi had always maintained that he would remain CNS leader after he resigned from the army, though he has now resigned from the CNS as well.