Bangkok - Former Thai prime minister Samak Sundaravej, who was forced out of office last month by a court ruling, said Saturday that he has cancer.

The rotund, outspoken Samak, 73, said that after the court ruling, abdominal pains prompted him to seek medical treatment and doctors discovered he has liver cancer, he told a local television programme.

An operation to alleviate the cancer had gone well, he said.

Bangkok - A Thai appeals court upheld a libel conviction against former prime minister Samak Sundaravej Thursday and sentenced him to two years in jail but then released him on bail.

The verdict came after Samak lost his post as prime minister on September 9 when the Constitution Court found him guilty of illegal moonlighting by hosting television cooking shows while he was in office. It is illegal for sitting prime ministers to earn income from a second job.

Bangkok - Thailand's sacked prime minister Samak Sundaravej confirmed that he will no longer try to regain the post he lost this week for hosting television cooking shows, news reports said Saturday.

Theerapol Nopparampa, a close aide to Samak, has confirmed that Samak will no longer seek a renomination as prime minister and may also shed his post as leader of the People Power Party (PPP) - the countruy's largest political party, the Bangkok Post newspaper said.

Bangkok - Thailand's Parliament on Friday postponed a vote on a new prime minister after a court sacked premier Samak Sundaravej this week for moonlighting as a television cooking show host.

Samak had been renominated for the job he lost Tuesday, but the failure by many of his own People Power Party (PPP) members to show up for Friday's vote demonstrated the strong opposition to his reinstatement.

Bangkok - Embattled Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Monday denied charges that he had broken the constitution by hosting a television cooking show while holding the premiership, claiming the programme had been done on a freelance basis.

In May, a group of Thai senators charged Samak with violating the constitution by continuing his job as a TV presenter on his personal cooking show, Chim pai, bon pai 
(Tasting and Complaining), after he had been appointed prime minister on February 6.

Bangkok - Embattled Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej claimed Sunday he would attend the United Nations General Assembly later this month to explain the country's political situation to the international community.

In his weekly "Talking Samak Style" Sunday television programme, the prime minister said he was not worried about a military coup occurring while he is in New York at UN annual meeting which starts on September 23.

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has chosen a respected career diplomat to become the country's next foreign minister at a time of heightening political crisis for his government, official sources said Saturday.

Samak has named Saroj Chavamaviraj, 66, the new foreign minister and on Friday submitted the appointment to Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej for approval, a foreign ministry source confirmed.

Saroj retired in 2002 as ambassador to France. Prior to his Paris posting he was permanent secretary of the foreign ministry for four years.

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Thursday refused to resign his post despite growing pressure on him to step down after failing to evict thousands of protestors from Government House, the seat of power, for more than a week.

"I cannot leave because under a democratic system no one group can force me to resign," Samak said in a broadcast to the nation Thursday morning. "I will stay on to heal the country's democracy."

Bangkok, Sept 2 : Following serious clashes between protesters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) and the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship of Thailand (UDDT) Thailand Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej today imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok till November 30. It was invoked under the Executive Decree for National Administration under an Emergency Situation.

The clashes had left at least one person killed and about 40 injured, reported the bangkokpost. com.

Bangkok - A protest calling for the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and dissolution of his government entered its 100th day Monday, with thousands on demonstrators in command of Government House - the administrative seat.

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a loose coalition of conservative groups opposed to the current government, has been staging peaceful anti-government demonstrations on Rajdamnoen Avenue in the old section of Bangkok since May 25.

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday vowed to stay on in his post despite having lost Government House - the seat of his administration - to protesters for the past six days.

"I came to power in accordance with the law," said Samak, addressing his weekly "Talking Samak Style" television program. "I have done nothing wrong."

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who survived a bruising no-confidence motion last week, departed Monday for a four-day official trip to China that will include a visit to the Olympic Stadium and becoming an honorary professor.

Samak, 73, departed from Bangkok's Military Airport at 7:30 am aboard a special Thai Air Force plane flying direct to Beijing, where he will stay until Thursday when he travels on to Brunei.

In China, Samak will meet with Chinese Premier Wen Jia Bao and President Hu Jin Tao, holding talks aimed at tightening already close Thailand-China ties.

Bangkok  - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and seven cabinet ministers on Friday survived a no-confidence motion against their four-month performance.

Samak won the motion with 280 votes in his favour compared with 162 opposed, and one abstention. His seven ministers won with similar tallies.

The Democrat opposition party launched a censure debate against Samak and seven cabinet ministers on Tuesday, accusing the 73-year-old premier with a variety of charges including incompetence, senility and working for the benefit of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

With the opposition holding only 164 seats in the 480 seat Lower House, there was little likelihood of the censure motion succeeding. (dpa)

Bangkok  - Embattled Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday vowed to stay on with his job even though his office has been surrounded by thousands of protestors calling for his resignation.

"On Monday I will go to work at Government House and there will be no problem getting in," said Samak, addressing his weekly "Talking Samak-Style" television program.

Bangkok- Thailand's prime minister on Saturday cancelled plans to forcibly end a week-long anti-government demonstration in Bangkok that has raised questions about the country's always fragile political stability.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej earlier Saturday threatened to use force to disrupt the demonstration by about 1,000 people led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the group that organized the mass protests in 2006 that eventually led to the downfall of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra by military coup.

Manila  - Thailand Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has pledged to sell rice at a negotiated price to the Philippines amid a tight supply of the staple, a Philippine official said Friday.

Samak made the pledge during a dinner meeting with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the start of a two-day visit in Manila Thursday, according to Philippine Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap.

"The prime minister said that in the event the Philippines should need rice, Thailand would be more than open to supply to the Philippines," Yap said.

Bangkok  - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will go to cyclone-hit Myanmar this week to personally hand over a message from the head of the United Nations to Myanmar's ruling junta, the Thai foreign minister said Tuesday.

"Samak will go to Burma (Myanmar) tomorrow (Wednesday) to deliver a message from Ban Ki-moon," said Thai Foreign Minister Noppodon Pattama.

The Thai cabinet was scheduled Tuesday to approve 500,000 dollars in emergency aid for Myanmar, in addition to the 100,000 already pledged last week, and another
500,000 for China's earthquake victims.

Bangkok  - Thailand's outspoken Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said Sunday that his official jet could do with some modifications, for special needs that arise after he reads critical press reports.

Speaking on his weekly television show, the right-wing leader of the People Power Party said his critics are so unreasonable and intent on causing chaos that he wanted to throw up on one recent trip out of Bangkok.

"The Boeing 777 is a very good plane but it has no place for me to vomit," he said on "Talk in Samak's Style" on Channel 11.

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday urged Thais to eat less rice so as to allow farmers to export more.

The prime minister noted that farmers could sell their rice at double the price last year on the export market, so Thais should make the sacrifice of eating less of their staple food, the Bangkok Post online service reported.

Samak, who earlier this year advised consumers to eat more chicken as the best means of countering rising pork prices, offered his unique solution to Thailand's artificial rice shortage on his Sunday talk show.