Thai military to loom large over civilian govt

BANGKOK, Sep 28 (Reuters) Thailand's military looks set to loom large over an interim civilian government despite pledging it would step back two weeks after ousting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a bloodless coup.

With the 1997 ''People's Charter'' abolished by the coup leaders who seized power on September 19, legal experts are putting the final touches on a draft interim constitution to be submitted for royal approval on Saturday.

Details of the draft circulated in the Thai press have raised concerns that the generals will have too much influence over the new civilian administration.

''I'm concerned that this interim constitution will give too much power to the CNS,'' said University of Mahidol professor Gothom Arya, referring to the military plan to become a Council for National Security working in parallel with the government.

''It seems they hold the ultimate administrative and executive power,'' he said. ''They can dismiss the prime minister or they can sit with the cabinet and say: 'We want this to be done.''' The coup leaders insist they have no political ambitions after their self-imposed, two-week handover period.

''We are not the prime minister's boss and the prime minister is not our boss,'' General Winai Phattiyakul said on Monday.

Newspapers have been rife with speculation over who was the coup leaders' favourite for premier, with frontrunners including former World Trade Organisation chief Supachai Panitchpakdi and royal adviser and retired general Surayud Chulanont.

One coup leader said today the military council had agreed on a candidate, but declined to say if he was a civilian or a retired general. An announcement is expected this weekend.

''We are confident the new prime minister will be accepted by the people,'' Admiral Satirapan Keyanon told reporters.

''MISSION IMPOSSIBLE'' Whoever the new prime minister is, he will face a ''mission impossible'', Nation newspaper group editor Suthichai Yoon wrote in a commentary.

''He will be caught between a rock and a hard place -- a man without a public mandate, but with an unenviable mission to complete.

''The coup leaders aren't supposed to interfere with his decisions, but they can't afford to let him fail either,'' Suthichai said.

The draft charter has not been made public, but it has been seen by a small group of academics.

The draft says the CNS chief can call a joint meeting with the civilian cabinet to consider any administration issue, said Thammasat University president Surapon Nitikraipot, who reviewed the document.

The CNS head would counter-sign the royal appointment of the prime minister, his 35-member cabinet, a new legislative council and an assembly charged with drawing up a new constitution.

Surapon said the draft was the ''most democratic charter'' ever issued by the military after 18 coups in 74 years.

Meechai Ruchupan, the military council's chief lawyer, said the CNS would have ''duties not power'' and would lack the authority to order the cabinet to do anything.

Only the prime minister would have the power to declare a state of emergency or impose martial law, he said.

''The CNS may tell the government that the situation is critical and how it should handle it. But if the government doesn't want to do it, the CNS can't do anything.'' REUTERS SP KN1430