Thai Premier In Court For Appearing In TV Show

September 9, 2008 6:17 a.m. EST

Bangkok, Thailand (AHN) - Massive protests will not remove him from office, but appearing on a television cooking show might force Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej out.

Thailands's Constitutional Court is expected to announce its decision Tuesday whether Sundaravej violated the law in hosting TV cooking shows and remove him from office.

"Ready or not - I have to wait and see," Sundaravej told reporters after emerging from a weekly Cabinet meeting in the northeast town of Udon Thani, his party's stronghold.

And added, "I have no choice but to honor the court order."

Samak had been hosting the television cooking show, "Tasting and Complaining" for seven years before becoming prime minister. But he was accused of appearing on the show several times after becoming premier, violating the constitutional prohibition on private employment while in public office.

Thousands of protesters have been occupying Thailand's government house for two weeks to demand Samak's ousting, accusing him of being a proxy of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.