Venezuela's Chavez vows to win health battle

President tells thousands gathered outside his palace that he still has to
Chavez made a surprise homecoming in time for Venezuela's 200th independence anniversary celebration [Reuters]

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has said he had to submit to "strict" medical treatment but would win the battle to regain his health after an operation in Cuba for a cancerous tumor.

Chavez was addressing delirious supporters on Monday from the balcony of his presidential palace on his return after cancer treatment in Cuba.

Thousands gathered opposite the Miraflores palace, cheering, waving banners and sporting the red colours of the 56-year-old socialist leader's ruling party.

Chavez spoke strongly but was thinner and paler than usual. He wore the red beret from his days as an army paratroop commander.

He thanked Fidel Castro, saying that the veteran leader has been practically his "medical chief" while recovering in Cuba. He said he will "win this battle for life."

Chavez arrived at Maiquetia airport outside Caracas early on Monday as the country was preparing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of its independence from Spain.

Chavez's return changes the political dynamics once again in Venezuela, where politicians on all sides had been bracing for a protracted months-long absence of the man who has dominated the nation for the last 12 years.

"It took all of us by surprise," Al Jazeera's Monica Villamizar reported from Caracas about Chavez's return.

"We spoke to his supporters yesterday and they were quite confident that he would recover from his health issues, but it was still pretty much an unknown if he was going to preside over the military parade, and everybody [was] obviously preparing for months for this independence day celebration."

"This is a date that is important for the Venezuelan people, but it is also an important date for Chavez himself who has compared his rule here in Venezuela, his leadership, to that of Simon Bolivar, the liberator of Venezuela," our correspondent said.

Bolivar, the Caracas-born 19th-century general who liberated much of Latin America from colonial rule, is the inspiration for Chavez's self-styled "Bolivarian Revolution". Since 1999, the country has been officially known as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

Venezuelan state television on Monday showed footage of Chavez leaving Havana and then arriving in Caracas at about 2am. The video report also showed Chavez bidding farewell to Cuban leader Raul Castro.

"I'm fine. I'm happy," Chavez, 56, said upon his arrival.

He hugged his vice-president, Elias Jaua, and his elder brother, Adan, after stepping down from the plane. "A perfect landing," Chavez said.

In a telephone interview, Chavez later told state television he was having breakfast. "I'm devouring everything," he said.

Secrecy surrounding illness

Chavez, who had been in Cuba since June 8, was rushed to hospital on June 10 for what was initially described as a "pelvic abscess".

He revealed on Thursday that he had a cancerous growth, which was fully removed in a second operation. There had been previous speculation that he was seriously ill.

Despite euphoria among supporters, Chavez's exact condition remains unclear, and he may still face lengthy treatment in Venezuela.

A military hospital was prepared for his arrival.

"There has been a lot of secrecy surrounding all of this," Al Jazeera's Villamizar said.

"He has been away from the country for almost a month. He has undergone two operations for cancer, we do not know what type of cancer. His foreign minister said that the tumour was encapsulated and extracted successfully, which would lead someone to think he was on a recovery phase.

"But it is not clear if this disease has spread, if he is going to have to undergo chemotherapy, all of that remains a mystery."

Thai opposition sweeps to power

Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of ousted former leader, set to form next government as prime minister concedes defeat.

Yingluck Shinawatra will be Thailand's first female prime minister [Reuters]

Thailand's prime minister has conceded defeat in the country's elections, paving the way for Yingluck Shinawatra, the leader of the opposition and the sister of the ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to form the next government.
With 92 per cent of votes counted, Puea Thai had won 260 seats out of 500, well ahead of the ruling Democrats with 163, according to the Election Commission.
"It is now clear from the election results so far that the Puea Thai Party has won the election, and the Democrat Party concedes defeat. I would like to congratulate the Puea Thai Party for the right to form a government," Abhisit Vejjajiva, the incumbent prime minister, said on television on Sunday.
Yingluck, who is set to become Thailand's first female prime minister, said she was working on building a coalition.
"I don't want to say it's victory for me and the Puea Thai party but people are giving me a chance and I will work to my best ability for the people," she told reporters at her party headquarters in Bangkok, the capital.
"While we are waiting for the official results, the Puea Thai executive has already contacted and discussed with Chart Thai Pattana to work together," the 44-year-old said, referring to negotiations for a coalition with a smaller party.
Sunday's vote was the first major electoral test for the Thai government since mass opposition rallies in Bangkok last year, which sparked a military crackdown that left at least 91 people dead.
Reporting from Bangkok, Wayne Hay said many Thais were taken aback by the scale of Pheu Thai party's projected win.
"Everyone is quite surprised, stunned - perhaps by these results," he said.
"Exit polls could change a little bit but certainly everything points towards a comprehensive win for the largest opposition party, Pheu Thai, led by Yingluck Shinawatra."
Yingluck lacks political experience but has garnered much attention as Thaksin's sister.
Thaksin, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Dubai since being ousted by the military on charges of corruption in a 2006 coup, remains hugely popular among the country's poor. The elite, however, are wary of him.
'Tough work ahead'
Thaksin told a Thai broadcaster in an interview held in Dubai, that he had called to congratulate his sister and cautioned her of "tough work ahead".
He also said he hoped to return to Thailand from the United Arab Emirates, but only when the time was right.
"I want to go back to Thailand but I will wait for the right moment," he said.
The Democrat party wants Thaksin to return to the country to stand trial for corruption.
Vejjajiva took office in 2008 following a court ruling that threw out the previous administration. His party has not won a general election in nearly two decades.
Pithaya Pookaman, who heads Pheu Thai's foreign relations, said a Pheu Thai landslide meant anti-democracy forces would have to "think very hard" before provoking a repeat of previous years' violence and election nullifications.
"We learned from our lessons. If the people give us a landslide victory; if the people give us an overwhelming victory, I'm sure the people who are trying to derail the election, who are trying to prevent democracy from working in Thailand, will have to think very hard," he said.
"I think the world opinion is upon them. The people have given their answer, their decision, so I think it's a matter of taking that into consideration and not derailing the democratic process."
source: aljajeera