Former Thai premier Samak resigns as party head

Bangkok, Sep 30 (Xinhua) Thailand's former prime minister Samak Sundaravej Tuesday resigned as the leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), a party source said.

Samak, who was ordered to leave the prime minister's post after a court ruling Sep 15 for violating the constitution by hosting two cooking shows on commercial television, submitted his resignation Tuesday.

The Party will hold a press conference later to announce the development, the source said, adding that Samak would not attend the conference.

Samak rarely showed up in public after he was disqualified from the government's top post. He even skipped his voting right on a parliament session Sep 17, during which the PPP's deputy leader Somchai won more than half support from the 480-seat House of Representatives and became the country's 26th prime minister.