Samak Sundaravej dies at 74; former prime minister of Thailand

Samak Sundaravej, a firebrand politician who briefly served as Thailand’s prime minister but was ousted for simultaneously getting income as the host of a popular TV cooking show, has died. He was 74.

Samak died Tuesdayof liver cancer at Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, a hospital official said. Samak had sought treatment for the cancer late last year in the United States and kept a low profile after returning to Thailand.

Known as a straight-talker with a penchant for the profane, Samak’s political career spanned four decades but many supporters remembered him best for his TV show, “Tasting and Complaining,” a mix of traditional Thai cooking and rants on Samak’s pet subjects.

Samak’s political career peaked in December 2007 when he became the country’s 25th prime minister -- a job that lasted only nine months.

His tenure as prime minister coincided with one of the worst political crises in Thailand’s history and followed the 2006 coup that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra. Samak rose to power as the self-proclaimed proxy for Thaksin, who was living in exile. Samak became the focus of street rallies by anti-Thaksin protesters who demanded his resignation.

Tens of thousands of protesters stormed the prime minister’s compound in August 2008, but it wasn’t the protesters who led to his ouster.

A court ruled in September 2008 that Samak’s appearance on his TV cooking show while prime minister -- and the fact that he had accepted money -- constituted a conflict of interest. The hasty decision prompted speculation that the court had ruled to curtail protests and end Samak’s divisive tenure, amid fears of another coup.

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