World IN BRIEF : THAILAND : King Formally Approves Cabinet

King Bhumibol Adulyadej formally approved a new Cabinet that puts a pro-democracy general at the helm of the Defense Ministry and a former anti-Communist crusader in charge of foreign affairs. Named defense minister was Gen. Vijit Sookmark, 59, the armed forces deputy chief of staff. Vijit, who studied at West Point, is a moderate who favors Thailand’s emergence as a modern democratic state. The new foreign minister is Prasong Soonsiri, 64, who headed Thailand’s intelligence service in the 1980s. Prasong, who has a master’s degree from the University of Colorado, adopted a tough anti-Vietnamese policy after Hanoi’s 1978 invasion of Cambodia but has moderated his views.