BANGKOK -- When former army chief Prawit Wongsuwan took over as the leader of the largest party in Thailand's 19-party ruling alliance, it provided the latest indication of just how close it is to the country's influential military.
Palang Pracharath Party's nod to Prawit, on the last weekend in June, brought an end to the leadership of technocrat Uttama Savanayana, the finance minister. The change came as the party found itself in turmoil close to the end of its first year in government.
