Former Thai PM Thaksin: "I'm Calling It Quits"

[Plus]

Middle class is only about to grow, not shrink. Besides opposition to Thaksin is more broad than that, and Thaksin's support base will erode rather quickly as more and more people do not take corruption for granted anymore. Corruption is tolerable when it doesn't affect your interests, bringing low classes into politics also means that their interest in government increases. There won't be a blank check from many of them anymore.

I don't know anyone who opposed Thaksin because it affected them financially. in my opinion it's the most ridiculous explanation. There is no, and never will be any payoff for protesting against Thaksin.

On the other hand, no one was able to articulate the exact reasons so far.

Basic idea is that for people who accepted the cout democracy is subservient to some other, higher values. Nation always talked about "checks and balances" but it's not catchy enough. Sondhi L talked about monarchy and it resonated a lot better, even though there was no percieved threat to the instituion itlself. What touched people's hearts are the value the monarchy is assosiated in Thailand, the deep belief in ultimate justice.

Are Thai people unique in this regard? I don't think so. These values might be different from nation to nation but they exist nevertheless. In stable countries they are never challenged so we don't know what their reactions would be. They have never experienced government corruption on Thaksin's scale, for example, and I'm not talking about stealing money, I'm talking about corrupting the basic principles of government. Like "we will not provide funds to provinces that voted against TRT" as a government policy. It was absolute madhouse.

[Siripon]

There was\is anger by the middle-class at the attempted smug rip-off by a man who thought he could get away with policy corruption on an unprecedented scale. The sheer cheek of it still rankles.

The army, as admitted by General Montree, have failed to convince Issan and the North of Thaksin's flaws.

It's not Thaksin they miss, it's the populist policies and attention to the rural poor- all parties must attend to this - the best legacy of Thaksin, do not ignore the poor in the future.

But how to make the policies longlasting and yet still attractive to the immediate voter-therein lies the rub.

It was amusing to see that CP made a considerable donation to the Democrat Party last month. Surely the boys are not worried that Aphisit could be PM and the investigations into CP's rubber saplings and grandson Wattana's Ua Athorn's cheap housing might proceed to their conclusion?

[Plus]

They should turn the village fund into a real bank, like Gramin of Bangladesh.

One project that works will change people's attitudes forever.

Help them to take care of themselves, plan their own lives within their own communities.

[blaze]

They should turn the village fund into a real bank, like Gramin of Bangladesh.

One project that works will change people's attitudes forever.

Help them to take care of themselves, plan their own lives within their own communities.

So then, had Thaksin come to power on a 'no free lunch for the poor' platform- and inititated a program to help middle income earners secure low interest loans, subsidized tuitions to top international schools, grants for the improvement of more well heeled neighborhoods , the PAD would still have been able to attract the numbers? Or more specifically- the same demographic?

As far as the charges levied against him in his final months, Thais are accustomed to rumors. Don't they pick and choose which rumors they accept as fact on the basis of prejudice (as most of us do- though we don't like to admit it)?

Maybe. But I wonder... people have a remarkable facility for justifying the most egregious government behavior- when that government is seen to be enriching them- or at the very least, not using their tax dollars to fund programs that won't benefit them. I'm not convinced that middle class Thais put a higher value on 'ultimate justice' than on their own well being. They don't in other countries- and I sure don't see much evidence here where official corruption is much more accepted than it would be in many countries..

[Ricardo]

The one thing we can all agree on is that General Sondhi and his cronies should quit politics, enough is enough! There will always be those who thought the Thaksin era was a good time for Thailand and those who thought it was not. No one thinks the Sondhi era is good.

Nonsense, the Sonthi era has saved Thailand from bloodshed.

What piffle.It's like saying that the Nazis who invaded Norway peacefully during WW2 saved that country fro bloodshed.

Sonthi would in many countries rightfully be facing a long spell behind bars.Actually as the Economist pointed out yesterday if the PPP wins the election that's precisely what might happen - pardon for Thaksin , removal of amnesty from new charter and than deal with the criminal junta.Not what I want but it does have a certain enjoyable irony about it.

...where Thaksin would have also been sitting for some years already.

There, your first sentence seems to make more sense now.

Yes in an ideal world they would be in adjoining cells, or even better as cell mates.Now there's an idea for a play by Harold Pinter.

Or perhaps, given Frank's new interest in helping the pretty young ladies with their singing, "Thaksin - The Musical" ?

Edited August 24, 2007 by Ricardo

[sriracha john]

Thaksin: Where I failed in my personal score-card

THAKSIN'S '24 Hours' of spin

So far in Mandarin only, the ex-premier plays the sympathy card and claims he's been cheated of his destiny

If one were to believe every word of our former prime minister's biographical "Thaksin's 24 Hours" - recently released in Hong Kong, but not Thailand - one would weep over the mammoth chip on his shoulder.

Oh, brother, how thou suffer! Look at the crown of thorns piercing thy temple!

As Hollywood producer Robert Evans put it in his own memoir, "There are three sides in every story: my side, your side and the truth."

By that reckoning, one would only be able to find the usual half-truths in Thaksin's seemingly self-sponsored, fleeting account - in his avowals that he represents grassroots democracy and was unfairly framed and ousted by the military.

It's not exactly the warped mirror of truth that grips the reader here, though, but the chance to delve into the psyche of Thailand's best-known politician.

"When [Thaksin] was eight a stranger ventured into his father's coffee shop one day. Upon seeing the little boy the man patted him on his head and said: 'Kid, do you know that you look like a Chinese Buddha idol? You have a bright future ahead of you'."

This encounter becomes a defining moment on a par with baby Moses being discovered by the Pharaoh's daughter or little Adolf Hitler whipped senseless by his abusive father. It's enough to propel this starry-eyed youngster upon his pursuit of money and power. For "he believes".

Yes, Thaksin does believe, though quite exactly in what, nobody knows.

Besides equating Thaksin to Buddha (if only in physique), co-authors Mak Nam, Chang Lim and Chung Kang chose not to use Thaksin's official Chinese press name. The preferred phonetic concoction means that, while the Chinese pronunciation remains "Tha-sin", the two new ideograms used translate literally as "he believes" - tha meaning "he" and sin meaning "trust" or "believe".

"Thaksin's 24 Hours" takes political spin in Thai politics to a dizzying new height.

Political biographies, authorised or otherwise, of politicians still in office abound, from Vladimir Putin and Condoleezza Rice to, more recently, Gordon Brown. It would be libellous to say that these people pay for the books to be written, but often the content is nothing but one-dimensionally docile.

Thaksin Shinawatra's book portrays the battle-weary politician as an innocent (fair enough since everyone is innocent until proven guilty in court) who woke up one fine morning in his "presidential suite" at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in the Big Apple to find his mojo stolen by the troops.

On the eve of the coup, he summons his lieutenants and "nervously" tells them of the widespread rumours of a coup in Bangkok that night.

"Not again!" mutters Pansak Vinyaratn.

Silence envelops the room, according to witnesses, until someone bursts out: "They won't succeed."

"Yes, they won't succeed," the premier says.

How nicely things come full circle. Thaksin once said that, upon arriving in the US to study criminal justice, he discovered a country where "opportunities are everywhere."

The book recounts how Thaksin, as an entrepreneur in a police captain's uniform, upon returning to Thailand, sold his beloved car to fund his first venture, a cinema, which then failed miserably.

Thaksin observed: in his life, failure often precedes spectacular success.

As much as he would like to believe in running the country as a corporation, his time as the nation's CEO only brought warped governance. A corporation thrives on meritocracy and accountability, but there was no trace of these in Thaksin's administration.

The telecom tycoon took politics beyond the traditional information media - the newspapers, television, radio and outdoor advertising - and into cyberspace, with websites and blogs and chat forums propagating his version of the "news".

Now he's incorporated some of the accumulated blog and forum comments into his book. Someone called Tutunutnut offers this "online" comment: "Once it's gone, can Thailand really have press freedom?"

A Google search yielded no "Tutunutnut" apart from this contribution to the book, nor a "Gemidise", another alleged Web surfer, who worries in the biography that Thailand's economic high-flying ended with Thaksin's ouster.

The biography includes photos of His Majesty the King sandwiched in between pictures of soldiers in tanks.

Any high-school student would understand what the authors are trying to suggest. But ever the wise prince - in a strictly Machiavellian sense - Thaksin claimed that certain people had been trying to jeopardise his relationship with His Majesty.

George Orwell put it eloquently in his dystopian epic "1984": "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."

And we know that if lies are repeated often enough, they become (the authorised version of) the truth.

- The Nation

[Plus]

People Power executive Suthin Klangsaeng ... admitted that some of the party executives elected yesterday were chosen by Thaksin. Former top Thai Rak Thai members sent a list of executives to Thaksin before the party assembly, he said. Yongyuth and Noppadon were approved by the former prime minister he said.

http://nationmultimedia.com/search/page.ne...amp;id=30046472

What is the thread title again?

[gharknes]

why are these threads still alive, is every post here directly related to the original topic, my point here is every time i open "Thai news clippings" it is the same few news items that remain at the top and have done for a very long time, having threads of 300 or more off topic posts on these news items is a waste of time, "on topic" posts related to the news item is fine but to create these monster threads in this section of the forum is impractical, is a visitor here going to read through hundreds of off topic posts just to make an on topic comment about a news item

May I suggest to the moderstors and forum members that if you wish to discuss something unrelated to these news items that you start a new thread in the General Topics section, this would greatly help reduce the clutter in the news section. e.g. If you want to discuss "Thaksin" start a thread in the "general discussion" section titled as such.

I understand it is difficult to moderate this but to be fair "off topic posts" in other areas of the forum are of ten not tolerated.

I like to read news related topics and visit this area on every visit to the forum but it is difficult to find the lastest news because of all these old out of date off topic monster threads that seem to dominate here for months.

and yes - I have just posted an off topic post on this thread

My simple request is - please can everyone keep posts "on topic" and directly related to the posted news item, this would make this area of the forum "News" a much more pleasant and practical experience.

Edited August 27, 2007 by gharknes

[sriracha john]

...sure doesn't sound like he's "calling it quits"

Ex-MPs from PPP 'off to visit Thaksin'

About 70 former members of Parliament who recently joined the People Power Party (PPP) are planning to fly to London shortly to visit ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a source said yesterday.

Even though political veteran Samak Sundaravej, who announced he was a nominee of Thaksin, has taken over as PPP leader, it seems the real chief is the deposed premier.

The 70 PPP members, who are former MPs from Thaksin's now disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, have reportedly bought a package tour to England on Sept 10 in order to meet the former premier and seek funds for the general election.

Earlier, Thaksin was reported to have met with former MPs from the Northeast, including Newin Chidchob and anti-coup leader Veera Musigapong. Small groups of five to 10 politicians had earlier called on Thaksin, who has lived in exile since being ousted in the coup just under a year ago.

Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama insisted yesterday the former premier was neither involved in the PPP administration nor promoting the party's executives. :D

"Almost all of his assets have been frozen. The former premier refuses to give interviews to the media and is not trying to destroy the security of the government. It cannot be proven whether he is pulling the wires at [the PPP]," Noppadon said.

- The Nation

================================================================================

actions speak volumes, Noppadope....

[Tony Clifton]

He still hypocritically talks about reconciliation while adding more feces into the boiling pot to stir. Me thinks he's about to tip over into the same pot up to his lips and another bunch of his zombies will follow him into it.

I bet he already sees himself at the airport, a triumphant comeback with his hands in the air, like an Appolo astronaut on a ticker tape parade. He is constantly pushing it way too far than he should and will now for sure never ever be forgiven for trying ,once again, to manipulate the electoral process from abroad while he is not even allowed to touch a ballot of his own in the first place.

He's now on a very dangerous "Can't vote? Will disrupt." mode.

[sriracha john]

Thaksin vows to stay out of politics

The ousted prime minister does not wish to support or become involved with the People's Power Party, his lawyer maintains.

But Thaksin Shinawatra wants to see efforts at national reconciliation "bear some fruit" in a general election, according to Noppadol Pattama, legal adviser to the Shinawatra family.

Mr. Thaksin had resolved not to provide financial or moral support for, or interfere with the affairs of the People's Power Party led by outspoken former Bangkok governor and veteran politician Samak Sundaravej, said Mr. Noppadol, a deputy secretary general of the party which has been alleged by some to have been secretly endorsed by the deposed prime minister.

Mr. Noppadol, who spoke with Mr. Thaksin by telephone Wednesday, quoted the leader of the dissolved, once-ruling Thai Rak Thai party, as saying he had no intention either to strengthen or undermine the stability of a post-election government.

The former prime minister had merely preferred to see a fair and clean election and hoped the race to parliament will not be swayed by any unbecoming party, according to the deputy People's Power Party secretary general.

Mr. Noppadol said Mr. Thaksin had not interfered in the naming of 37 executives of the People's Power Party or pulled the strings of the new party as though it were a political proxy.

The legal adviser confirmed Mr Thaksin's decision to stay away from Thailand's political ongoings, especially during the running up to the December 23 election. Mr. Thaksin, who has been residing in England since last year's coup d'etat, only preferred to see national reconciliatory bids put to work and, for that reason, decided not to give interviews with any foreign media, such as Reuters and CNN, in that country.

Besides, Mr. Noppadol said, Mr. Thaksin has repeatedly announced that he would not return to Bangkok until after the December election and dismissed allegations that he might ever set up a government in exile overseas. Neither had the former prime minister hired lobbyists to persuade the European Union to propose monitoring Thailand's general election.

The legal adviser added that Mr. Samak, the People's Power Party leader who had earlier called himself a

''nominee'' for Mr. Thaksin, is merely a straightforward person who would be easily prone to criticism.

However, he said, the People's Power Party leader would gain more popularity than antagonism and

would eventuallly land victories for the new party in the election.

- MCOT

================================================================================

So Thaksin saying Samak is not a nominee and Samak saying he is a nominee... and Noppadope saying that Samak is a "straightforward" person for saying so..... Noppadope is calling Thaksin a liar.

Thanks for the clarification, Noppadope.

[hammered]

It is quite foolish to think Thaksin will not be meddling in Thai politics until at least a deal/onclusion has been reached over all the court cases. It is all power play stuff. Even after a deal/conclusion he may well carry on.

[younghusband]

It is quite foolish to think Thaksin will not be meddling in Thai politics until at least a deal/onclusion has been reached over all the court cases. It is all power play stuff. Even after a deal/conclusion he may well carry on.

I suppose that one could take the view having been ousted by an illegal military junta, he has every right to participate or "meddle" as you prefer to describe it.

[hammered]

It is quite foolish to think Thaksin will not be meddling in Thai politics until at least a deal/onclusion has been reached over all the court cases. It is all power play stuff. Even after a deal/conclusion he may well carry on.

I suppose that one could take the view having been ousted by an illegal military junta, he has every right to participate or "meddle" as you prefer to describe it.

Whatver word one wants to slot in, the fact is he will remain a player and to think this is not so is wrong. People can have different opinions on whether or not tht is justified.

[Plus]

He might have the right to meddle, but why lie about it? Why is this "I quit" bullshit repeated over and over?

Now 60 PPP executives and MPs are going to fly to London for a little conference dubbed sighseeing trip and that clown Noppadone still insists that Thaksin has quit.

In fact Noppadon't name on PPP's list has been confirmed by the "retired" Thaksin himself.

Could somebody sue him for a gazillion baht for lying?

[hammered]

He might have the right to meddle, but why lie about it? Why is this "I quit" bullshit repeated over and over?

Now 60 PPP executives and MPs are going to fly to London for a little conference dubbed sighseeing trip and that clown Noppadone still insists that Thaksin has quit.

In fact Noppadon't name on PPP's list has been confirmed by the "retired" Thaksin himself.

Could somebody sue him for a gazillion baht for lying?

The next election is all about short term political advantage. Whoever wins will have the opportunity to interfere in whatever state institution it wants including the courts. There lies a good reason why the PPP proxy party wants to win. Whoever, wins gets the opportunity to enact a whole raft of mega populist policies therein lies why everybody but the PPP needs to win so they can show they can out TRT the ex-TRT.

There are also the usual bonuses of winning too such as giving your business chums a bunch of government mega projects.

One reason for the I quit stuff will be not to embarrass his host country, but more to the point politically it makes him appear above the current fray at least on a surface level. It is also advantageous if he loses or decides to stop funding the electopral campaign plus it gives him the opportunity to a deal if wanted, or with a big victory he could announce in a dignified manner "I wanted to retire but you the people have asked for me to return how can I say no" It gives him options to maintain the retired stance.

[sriracha john]

Before and After

Honey-bun #1 Mai replaced by Honey-bun #2 Lydia

A little snuggle-time

Thaksin and Lydia

All in the Family

Thaksin, Lydia, and Panthongthae

Singer denies sexual affair with Thaksin

Pop singer Saranrat Wisutthithada or Lydia denied having any sexual relationship with ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Friday. "I'm confirming 100% that I had nothing to do with him," she said, referring to the affairs. Her response came after Thaksin revealed in a book called, "Thaksin, Where Are You?" that he is a good friend with the 20-year-old singer, and that they like to sing karaoke and play golf together. Saranrat also denied rumour that her family was in debt to Thaksin so she was sent to him as part of the deal. "The reputation of my family has been serious damaged by the news and speculation about my affairs with him,'' she said. The popular singer is scheduled to launch a book about herself entitled "Lydia, Here I Am" on Friday afternoon to explain to public about what she called "father-daughter"

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=121433

===========================================================

Bold-face type above looks a lot like a Bill Clinton quote....

Lydia prefers the new style of microphones while performing.

While Thaksin is old school...

[sriracha john]

Popular young Thai singer denies being mistress of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin

BANGKOK, Thailand: A popular young Thai singer denied Friday that she had any sexual relationship with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, but said she calls him "Dad" because of the moral support he gives her.

Saranrat Wisutthithada, a 20-year-old Thai pop singer better known by the stage name Lydia, made the denial to TV Channel 3 as she prepared to launch a book about herself, "Lydia, Here I Am."

"I am confirming 100 percent that I had nothing to do with him," she said, referring to sexual affairs.

Thai newspapers have been printing gossip items in the past few weeks intimating that Lydia had sexual relations with the 58-year-old Thaksin.

"The reputation of my family has been serious damaged by the news and speculation about my affairs with him," she said.

She denied that her family was in debt to Thaksin and sent her to him as a way of making good on their deal, and likewise insisted that her new house was not purchased by the former prime minister.

Thaksin is married with three children. He was prime minister in 2001-2006 before being ousted in a coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. In exile since then, he recently bought the Premier League soccer team Manchester City and now resides in London.

Speculation about Lydia'a relationship with Thaksin arose after a book about Thaksin's life in exile was published earlier this year, with a chapter about "Thaksin-Lydia: the close friends of different ages."

It said that Lydia had frequently been seen at Thaksin's side since he fell out of power, and quoted Thaksin as saying that he enjoyed singing karaoke and playing golf with her.

- Associated Press

Edited September 7, 2007 by sriracha john

[John K]

Moral support? Isn’t there some sort of prerequisite to have morals before you can give moral support?

[Plus]

She should have known.

Dance with the devil?

What else peolpe were supposed to think of her?

I once said that I doubt they had sex and was laughed off. That's the popular mood, nothing she can do about it now.

[John K]

Dance? Yes no doubt. Just being associated with Thaksin now is enough to ruin people. I guess you could say the PPP/TRT are people who’s souls Thaksin has already taken and they are looking for whatever soulless people look for.

On another note: I was noting that this weekend is 1 year from the time Thaksin actually left Thailand. What a difference a year can make.

[sriracha john]

Singer Saranrat "Lydia" Wisutthithadato shows her debut book, "Lydia…Here I am!" in a press conference on Friday. Lydia is reported to be a close friend to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Nation

[sriracha john]

"Lydia … Here I am!" book cover

I'm not Thaksin's gig: Lydia

After a long wait, the public has finally heard from singer Saanrat "Lydia" Wisutthithadato, who stated emphatically: "I'm not Thaksin's gig, 200 per cent." *Her certainty has doubled in less than 24 hours*

Lydia, 20, who has been in the limelight since it was revealed that she is a close friend of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, told a press conference yesterday that she is certainly not his 'gig' but that the former PM is her father's friend.

The singer released her book "Lydia … Here I am!" yesterday and met the press for the first time since the news broke about her relationship with Thaksin.

It has not gone unnoticed that the title looks very much like a follow-up to the recent book on Thaksin titled, "Thaksin, Where are you?" - in which Lydia's name is mentioned.

But she was keen to clarify that the title simply meant "Here I am!" *phenomenal coincidence*

Lydia did not link the two books, but said her title implied that "I am here to tell everything." However, she admitted there was some duplicated content in the two works.

The singer has been the subject of gossip thanks to her closeness to the man of her father's generation. Some say she is the "dream daughter-in-law" of Thaksin, *not likely to occur, given his only son's preferences* while others questioned whether she was Thaksin's potential 'gig'.

Although Lydia has striven to clear her name amid the gossip, she wants the public to judge her through the words in her book. She thinks the gossip has been unfair and wants to put the matter straight. It has to be politically correct, as Lydia asked Thaksin for advice about her book before it went to print - and Thaksin read the draft the young singer sent.

"He knows I am launching my book today," she said.

Although Thaksin could not be present for his 'daughter's' important day, his son Panthongtae sent a bouquet of flowers to congratulate her.

In the book, Lydia talks about the light-hearted conversations with Thaksin, like what they eat and how they are doing today. She also confirms that the ousted PM phoned her the morning after the September 19 coup and told her that 'father' had lost his job. According to Lydia, she called him her 'second dad' and he called her 'daughter'.

Lydia portrays Thaksin as a man with a good sense of humour, despite his being ousted in the coup.

The book features snapshots, taken by Panthongtae. They include Thaksin pushing a supermarket trolley, having a snack on a footpath and posing with Lydia, the so-called Queen of R&B. All photos were taken after the coup.

Sceptics believe the singer has launched the book to boost her popularity and is simply using the relationship as a marketing ploy. But Lydia said defiantly that she had already prepared to write the book a year ago - long before news about her and Thaksin had spread.

Originally the book was meant to be about "her life and the entertainment world", but she decided to add a third part on her relationship with the ousted PM after rumours about their alleged affair emerged.

"It's not that I try to support him or want to promote his return. I just want to clear my name. I know nothing about politics and I have been close to him and the family for a year now. I also call Khunying [Pojaman] "Mae" [mother]." *Mae Uen?*

Lydia said she spent most of her time singing karaoke or teeing off with Thaksin when he was stressed, rather than talking about politics.

Asked if he wants to come back to the Kingdom, Lydia said: "Yes, I think he'd like to return."

The press conference held at Zen received plenty of attention from the press and high-society people. Lydia was accompanied by her family.

Panthongtae's business partners in his How Come Entertainment came to support Lydia, while close male friend Matthew Dean gave her flowers.

The book is published by Poema Book, a subsidiary of RS Publishing, which is her music label, and was written by Pavitra Kasemnet, who interviews Lydia at length. The 208-page book costs Bt195.

- The Nation

[Tony Clifton]

She also confirms that the ousted PM phoned her the morning after the September 19 coup and told her that 'father' had lost his job. According to Lydia, she called him her 'second dad' and he called her 'daughter'.

I'd love to hear a psychiatrist elaborating on that.

Edited September 7, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[John K]

She also confirms that the ousted PM phoned her the morning after the September 19 coup and told her that 'father' had lost his job. According to Lydia, she called him her 'second dad' and he called her 'daughter'.

I'd love to hear a psychiatrist elaborating on that.

It does not sound true, Thaksin never accepted he was out for over a month. If you remember he was running around making appointments with heads of state of other countries as if he was still PM.

[hammered]

I guess the book will sell well.

[sriracha john]

'Lydia' denies having affair with Thaksin in new book

In a move that political observers said was crafted to keep ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra in the public eye, singer Saranrat "Lydia" Wisutthithada, a young singer who is rumoured to be romantically linked with the deposed leader, launched her first book yesterday, and denied all the speculation. She said her relationship with Thaksin appeared in the third and final part of her book, Here I Am, which made its debut yesterday. She admitted that she was close to Thaksin but not in a romantic way. Saranrat said she only had respect for Thaksin, who she called "father". On the front cover of Saranrat's book, there is a photo of Thaksin embracing her. However, she "confirmed 200% that the rumour about her secret affair with Thaksin is false". "I want to write about it because many people misunderstand our relationship," she said. Saranrat said her book was not a public relations stunt for the ousted leader and it had nothing to do with Lt Sunisa's book, despite the parody title. "The book has nothing to do with politics or publicity for Thaksin and I don't have financial support from him for my book," she said. She also said the rumours that she was pregnant *Thakky, you ol' rascal you* and that Thaksin bought her a house were untrue. She sidestepped a question that the ousted leader wanted her to become his daughter-in-law. In Thaksin, Where Are You? the ex-leader said Saranrat was also close to his son, Panthongtae. She also said she was the one who consoled the ousted premier when he was under stress after the Sept 19 coup.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/08Sep2007_news02.php

===============================================================

I imagine she would be well-suited to console someone under stress...

except for Panthongtae, who wouldn't be interested..... but then Lydia side-steps that in her publicity tour...

Edited September 8, 2007 by sriracha john

[Ricardo]

She also confirms that the ousted PM phoned her the morning after the September 19 coup and told her that 'father' had lost his job. According to Lydia, she called him her 'second dad' and he called her 'daughter'.

I'd love to hear a psychiatrist elaborating on that.

It does not sound true, Thaksin never accepted he was out for over a month. If you remember he was running around making appointments with heads of state of other countries as if he was still PM.

I recall him claiming to have spoken to 'my good friends' Bush & Blair, but was it ever established, whether he had actually met with them ?

[A_Traveller]

I recall finding contemporaneously that he did see Blair for @ 15 minutes for a cup of coffee, but I don't think he met with Bush.

Regards

[John K]

I recall finding contemporaneously that he did see Blair for @ 15 minutes for a cup of coffee, but I don't think he met with Bush.

Regards

I am not so sure about that... the last half dozen posts or so clearly suggest Thaksin did meet with bush.