Thaksin Gives Live Interview To CNN

[Grover]

What a pile of unbearable rubbish.

Who are you to decide what is newsworthy and what not?!

everyone go back to your seats and shhh - the teacher is coming.

[johnleepbs]

What a pile of unbearable rubbish.

Who are you to decide what is newsworthy and what not?!

everyone go back to your seats and shhh - the teacher is coming.

yes, "teachers in Thailand"....

the next instalment.... I can't wait....

[Ijustwannateach]

Yes, you called?

[onethailand]

hmm... now I can't reach CNN or BBC either...

having said that, someone I know in the UK is having trouble reaching a site in Manila, could be some sort of routing problem going on...

[The Skipper]

Of course Thaksin wants to come back, and he certainly wants to come back as leader of Thailand, because he has nothing else in his life.

Have you ever seen him visit a museum, historical site, cite the arts, philosophy or religion in any way?

Profess a love for sport or music? What interests does he have to maintain himself without power?

Nothing else in his life?

That's one of the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard.

[marquess]

for those of you in Thailand who couldn't see it, you can watch it here<a href="

target="_blank">

</a>

My profound thanks to you for the above!

Well it may be a coincidence, but presently I can't access either BBC or CNN right now.

Regards

PS Can access both using a proxy, and YouTube link in the thread is operational without proxy

Same here too!

[JacknDanny]

Transcript: Thaksin Shinawatra interview

January 15, 2007

SINGAPORE (CNN) -- CNN's Dan Rivers spoke to ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The following is a transcript of the interview. Rivers began by asking Shinawatra about his alleged involvement in New Year bombings in Bangkok.

Shinawatra: It's baseless allegations. No one believes so. Because everyone knows who is, who am I. I come from election, I come from the people. I owe gratitude to our people. I do everything for the good of the country and the people. I don't do something that's stupid.

Rivers: So you had no involvement.

Shinawatra: Not involvement at all. But I would like to express my deep sympathy, deepest sympathy for those who lose, lost their loved ones and also all those who are injured. And the individuals who are involved must be brought to justice.

Rivers: This is the first time you've spoken since the coup of September the 19th, first of all, you were in the United States, in New York at the U.N., when this happened, how did you find out that this was going on?

Shinawatra: Well I find out just about four, five hours before, before it happened, but I trying to get into the television station but it's very difficult at that time I cannot get into it until I can get into channel 9 briefly, but you know, which I, it's a rumors at that time but I don't believe that this can happen again in the 21st century.

Rivers: So it was surprise when it happened?

Shinawatra: It's very surprise because you know, but anyway 70 years in Thailand, 17 coup happened is very unfortunate but it's, it's an event that happened here in Thailand.

Rivers: Will you go back to, back to politics?

Shinawatra: No. No. (DR: Go back as a private ... ) Enough is enough. Six years you serve the countries. You been working hard. You sacrifice your time even your life. And, even your family life. So it's, it's time for me to go back as a private citizen. And contribute to the Thai society outside political arena.

edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/01/15/thaksin.interview/index.html

------------------------------------------------------------

Seven years ago, Thaksin was a telecom operator, already a billionaire. He won the elections with populist policy reminiscent of Juan Peron of Argentina and Ferdinand Marcos of the Phillippines. He overpromises most of the things and always comes up with new flashy projects to distract people while he and his cronies rob Thailand.

During the time that he's a prime mister, he:

1. Cheats in elections. Ballot stuffing, intimidation, buying votes are standard practices of his administration. He always proclaims that he is the democratically elected PM, but "election thief" would be a more accurate description.

2. Changes various laws to thwart the check-and-balance procedures so he can do things with impunity by putting his own people in the various independent auditing agencies that are supposed to watch corruptions.

3. Dominates the boards of various telecom, energy, logistics state enterprises with his men and makes those enterprises that compete with his business much weaker so that he could either take them over or destroy them.

4. Signs various FTAs (free trade agreements) with various countries without disclosing the terms in the parliament (so that the terms can be reviewed by the public) before the deals are done. It seems that for all the FTAs, he has the signing countries buy his regional telecome services, especially the service involving IPStar (a broadband geosynchronous satellite he owned.)

5. Tries to setup various special economic zones with laws that greatly benefit his and his friends' businesses, effectively create sub-countries within Thailand.

6. Allows rampant human right violations to happen. In the south, where a large fraction of the population is Muslim, there are a lot of police-state intimidation actions and killings of civilians. Under his "war-on-drug" pretext, thousands of people were killed without due process. No meaningful investigation into their deaths was performed. A prominent civil-right lawyer was kidnapped and disappeared when he raised this human right issue.

7. Practices extreme cronyism. His friends and relatives are put into various positions to control and benefit from all business.

8. Hides his assets against the laws. Most likely to do insider trading and manipulate the stock market.

9. Distorts the free operation of news media. News organizations and people who reported unfavorable news about him or his business got sued for billions of baht. News organizations who reported his propagandas got lavished with lots and lots of ads money from him and his cronies. Free broadcast TVs were controlled by his administration.

I could go on and on, but I think any one of the above should disqualify him from his office already.

An excellent summary. I agree wholeheartedly

[The Skipper]

Censoring CNN?

Goes to show the new group is at least as bad as Taksin, probably much worse.

I've been coming here since 1990, seen a few administrations .. can say Taksin accomplished more than the other Leaders and certainly no more corrupt than them. I think less corrupt, as he was a multi billionaire communications tycoon before elected.

Overall, things were much better with him around.

[wimster]

Thanks Haddo.

As several reported already, Taxhim's "interview" reveals no news.

Weird was the comment at the end of the interview : "we have learned that the leaders in Thailand have censored this interview by running the World Sports program again". CNN already announced before the interview: "...and for those of you in Asia, World Sports is next". A re-run of a program broadcasted 30 minutes earlier... So they KNEW.

In retrospect I don't understand why CNN did this interview anyway. To piss of people here or did they get paid for it?

Of course I don't agree with the censoring. That makes me feel like I live in Myanmar (or China). Democracy anybody?

The censorship issue is on the front of BKK Post today though (good!).

We all lost, as cnn.com and bbc are being censored...can not access their sites.

Let's see how long that will take.

for those of you in Thailand who couldn't see it, you can watch it here<a href="

target="_blank">

</a>

[slimdog]

In retrospect I don't understand why CNN did this interview anyway. To piss of people here or did they get paid for it?

Of course I don't agree with the censoring. That makes me feel like I live in Myanmar (or China). Democracy anybody?

That was the news..

A lot of people are going to be reading and talking about the interview, and the fact that it was blocked. When they see the transcipt or the "Youtube" footage, they are going to be asking exactly why it was blocked..

The Bangkok post stated in todays paper:

Access to both CNN and BBC websites was impossible this morning to most Bangkok Internet users. The sites seemed to have been "filtered" by the official Thai censoring body. The irony was that neither featured any news of the Thaksin interview, although numerous other websites did.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories.php?id=116053

Edited January 16, 2007 by slimdog

[John K]

In retrospect I don't understand why CNN did this interview anyway. To piss of people here or did they get paid for it?

Knowing Thaksin he paid CNN because he wants to be private and only people who want to be in politics fight for air time.

[Axel]

Politics by censorship? Are they afraid of Thaksin?

Just ignore or switch off the TV, if you don't like it, guess in military academy they do teach where to find the switch.

[TAWP]

Censoring Thaksin is sad, outright censoring BBC and CNN is a scandal.

[chuchok]

Censoring CNN?

Goes to show the new group is at least as bad as Taksin, probably much worse.

I've been coming here since 1990, seen a few administrations .. can say Taksin accomplished more than the other Leaders and certainly no more corrupt than them. I think less corrupt, as he was a multi billionaire communications tycoon before elected.

Overall, things were much better with him around.

I dunno how anybody can guage corruption etc.He is certainly no saint at all,but I tend to agree with you.

The country was certainly run alot better when he was here.These guys might have their hearts in the right place,but they are making more cock ups since Dunkirk.

They are also following Thaksin in his anti-foreigner stance,infact they are probably worse in this respect.

[sriracha john]

(In reference to the New Year's Eve bombings)

"I’m not the kind of person to do anything behind the back of others," Thaksin told the Wall Street Journal. "It’s not my style."

[JacknDanny]

Censoring CNN?

Goes to show the new group is at least as bad as Taksin, probably much worse.

I've been coming here since 1990, seen a few administrations .. can say Taksin accomplished more than the other Leaders and certainly no more corrupt than them. I think less corrupt, as he was a multi billionaire communications tycoon before elected.

Overall, things were much better with him around.

If you really believe that Thaksin was no more corrupt than other administrations, then you have either been stuck in a time warp, had your head buried in the sand, else those dogs barking incessantly in your neighbourhood have sent you prematurely insane

[JacknDanny]

(In reference to the New Year's Eve bombings)

"I’m not the kind of person to do anything behind the back of others," Thaksin told the Wall Street Journal. "It’s not my style."

[chuchok]

Censoring CNN?

Goes to show the new group is at least as bad as Taksin, probably much worse.

I've been coming here since 1990, seen a few administrations .. can say Taksin accomplished more than the other Leaders and certainly no more corrupt than them. I think less corrupt, as he was a multi billionaire communications tycoon before elected.

Overall, things were much better with him around.

If you really believe that Thaksin was no more corrupt than other administrations, then you have either been stuck in a time warp, had your head buried in the sand, else those dogs barking incessantly in your neighbourhood have sent you prematurely insane

Define corruption then? What's the difference between somebody scamming $50 or $1000.Just the amount.90% of them are corrupt.

[hammered]

Personally I dont see the big deal with this interview. It pretty much repeats what has been said before including the retirement from politics. A denial of bombings and claims to have never done anything to hurt the country. I dont know about the bombings. On the hurting the country we will see as the court cases come to conclusion. And even if I have my opinion on his corruption and extra judicial killings I do not expect him to admit them or even want to discuss them on international TV.

CNN do these little interviews or Q and A sessions with people who have been in the news quite often, so I dont see this as Mr. Thaksin trying to use the media.

Censorship is hurting the current government. I wonder if they would have been better to just allow CNN and BBC to report it in Thailand, and then done some kind of expose via an investigative report of extra-judicial killngs, changing the rules for his own advantage and corruption on Thai TV that linked in repeatedly to his claim never to have hurt the country. In my experience to try and ban something from saying something rarely if ever works. However, witty and hard hitting responses to what is said can be effective in dissipating the effect. It is also more informative to the public too. All in all what Mr. Thaksin said is of course his view and his propoganda if you like, and it may even be divisive. However, to ban it is to just multiply the effect as the gossip goes around. Responding to it effectively would have been a better idea if the authorities didnt like what was said imho.

[JacknDanny]

I owe gratitude to our people. I do everything for the good of the country and the people."

Well pay your taxes and give back everything you have raped and pillaged you F#CKING CROOK

[JacknDanny]

Censoring CNN?

Goes to show the new group is at least as bad as Taksin, probably much worse.

I've been coming here since 1990, seen a few administrations .. can say Taksin accomplished more than the other Leaders and certainly no more corrupt than them. I think less corrupt, as he was a multi billionaire communications tycoon before elected.

Overall, things were much better with him around.

If you really believe that Thaksin was no more corrupt than other administrations, then you have either been stuck in a time warp, had your head buried in the sand, else those dogs barking incessantly in your neighbourhood have sent you prematurely insane

Define corruption then? What's the difference between somebody scamming $50 or $1000.Just the amount.90% of them are corrupt.

Chuchok, you are quite right. Corruption is rife and ALL recent administations have been corrupt in some way ( maybe the only exception being Chuan Leekpai, although no doubt parts of his Govt were)

But Thaksin took it to another level!!!

He wasnt only corrupt, he was "in your face" corrupt. Nver in the vials of Thai history has there been levels of corruption as there were under Thaksin. I think most Thais accept a certain level of corruption, but it got to a stage where Thaksin was just plain taking the P#ss

[cclub75]

Last night at 7 PM, CNN website was unreachable (access from Internet cafe in BKK).

Meanwhile, other sites in Europe and USA were OK...

And CNN was OK... through a web proxy.

[sriracha john]

Censoring CNN?

Goes to show the new group is at least as bad as Taksin, probably much worse.

I've been coming here since 1990, seen a few administrations .. can say Taksin accomplished more than the other Leaders and certainly no more corrupt than them. I think less corrupt, as he was a multi billionaire communications tycoon before elected.

Overall, things were much better with him around.

If you really believe that Thaksin was no more corrupt than other administrations, then you have either been stuck in a time warp, had your head buried in the sand, else those dogs barking incessantly in your neighbourhood have sent you prematurely insane

Define corruption then? What's the difference between somebody scamming $50 or $1000.Just the amount.90% of them are corrupt.

When considered on a national scale... the difference can be (just to use your example figures) whether it takes 50 years for the country to recover from the damages done or a 1,000 years.

[John K]

One of the things that is becoming increasingly obvious is, Thaksin unlike many Thais actually thinks things out to the end and not just the first few steps. This is reflected in the difficult time the Thais are having in pinning things on him, at the least it is very frustrating.

The problem the new government is having is when they try to undo what Thaksin has done they are encountering booby-traps set by Thaksin. Touch anything and it comes unraveled and make you look bad and lose face. An example is the new business laws and other changes that worry investors. I made a brief mention of this on another thread but in another light.

Thaksin has set things in a way that unless the Thais decide to think things out more than just the initial steps, Thaksin will become more and more attractive as the man that can. I truly hate to compliment Thaksin in anyway but this is simply brilliant by playing the Thai trait of not thinking things out to conclusion against them.

The reason for the censorship of Thaksin and banning him from Thailand is he will simply do things to help things along in his favor causing the government to have a more difficult time than they are already having. The bombs, the burning schools and the other things are all to make the government look bad. It is a bit like cutting the head off a chicken, the body may run around for a while but it will eventually stop. The metaphor is a bit crude but nevertheless accurate.

[Tony Clifton]

A coward. Will do an interview with CNN outside the country while he only accepted an interview here ONCE with Sorayud, a partisan. Never agreed to a live debate, unless it was behind closed doors.

[John K]

A coward. Will do an interview with CNN outside the country while he only accepted an interview here ONCE with Sorayud, a partisan. Never agreed to a live debate, unless it was behind closed doors.

Good point Thaksin hand picked the questions.

[Grover]

A coward.

Indeed. And four lousy minutes ?

He must like the sound of his own voice on air, because what he said for those four lousy minutes ain't worth diddly swat.

[cclub75]

Thaksin has set things in a way that unless the Thais decide to think things out more than just the initial steps, Thaksin will become more and more attractive as the man that can. I truly hate to compliment Thaksin in anyway but this is simply brilliant by playing the Thai trait of not thinking things out to conclusion against them.

It's true that with people who are able to make such comment with such a flawed logic (but so typically thai) (see above)... he can assume that he will win the fight. Easily...

Council for National Security chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin said he did not order the cable TV provider UBC to censor ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra interview with CNN.

"I didn't order it," said Gen Sonthi in an interview on Channel 3 on Tuesday morning. He said, however, that the censorship might occurred because CNS had asked media "cooperation" to refrain from airring news about Mr Thaksin and his cronies last week.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=116058

[A_Traveller]

The simple situation is that the junta are using, what might be best described as 'traditional' techniques to deal with an issue which, appears to beyond their understanding.

1. By continuing to give credence to the idea that Thaksin has some 'power' to affect political matters here, guess what, it becomes a self fulling prophesy.

2. Since they are inconsistent in their approach to dealing with him {and the whole melange that was/is TRT} they reduce the ability of the investigations to obtain evidence {Witness mindset:- I'll keep my head down, just in case he/it comes back}

3. The issue with Thaksin was that the dinosaurs believed that he would be politically naive and manipulable. They however had forgotten the second law of politics, "He who pays the piper calls the tune" Once in place at the head of the disparate set of factions he offered them a simple deal, "Do what I say, when I say and you will receive the country's munificence. Do not, and I, metaphorically, will cut you off at the knees."

4. His foci were to aggrandise his and his cronies business empires and present to the greater populous a set of policies, designed to engender support, irrespective of their viability in the long term {10 years+}

5. By shamelessly manipulating the levers of state he was able to meet these two requirements, though the potential for damage was ignored.

6. By appealing to the constituency outside Bangkok and ensuring despite all the publicity that no meaningful structural changes which would benefit them took place he expected to keep the Bangkokians happy {lucre} and the countryside content {30 baht health scheme, village loans*}

* The loans were the most pernicious of the policies, where it was made clear to individuals that they would take the loan {thereby ensuing the had access to other schemes} A few wise heads put the money in a tin and never used it. Others did not.

7. He had an opportunity to, for example, force through structural changes in education which over the term(s) of his government would have made a real impact on the country, but he chose not to do these things.

8. Instead, the country gave sustenance to the factions, he built up his empire and then with breathtaking arrogance {in part based on the actions of the courts on his asset concealment case} he sells out paying no tax. An irony here, is that if he had on the day of the sale announced a, say poverty reduction or educational trust funded by the non paid tax he would probably still be PM.

Finally it always struck me that the coup occurred after the finding by the court that the 'TV' case could not go forward. To paraphrase the late Lord Denning "however so high, the law is above you ... but not in Thailand"

Regards

[sriracha john]

Thaksin's preferred method of interacting with the media:

To a media question he didn't like, Mr Thaksin held up a cross sign.

BBC