By Erich Parpart

Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra blamed the Tak Bai massacre in 2004 on the security forces in the south and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan who was the army chief at the time while coming out to apologize for the atrocities committed by the security forces.

 

“Even though I did not order the massacre, but as Prime Minister, I would like to say I am sorry and apologize to the families of those who lost their loved ones,” the self-exiled former Prime Minister said late last night at his bi-weekly talk show on Clubhouse.

 

Yesterday marked the 18th anniversary of the Tak Bai massacre that saw as many 85 people who died due to suffocation and lack of food after the security forces rounded up thousands of protestors who were trying to free 6 of the village’s defence volunteers who were arrested for allegedly stealing state weapons and provide them to insurgents in the area.

 

Full story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/45390/thaksin-blames-gen-prawit-for-the-tak-bai-massacre-says-seed-to-overthrow-him-was-his-disapproval-of-militarys-handling-the-situation/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Enquirer 2022-10-26

 

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It happened under your watch, which makes you responsible. You should have taken responsibility and offered your resignation. 

Always someone to blame, it's the Thai way..............Was'nt me! Can't wait to see who Prawit blames!

Ah yes, the Tak Bai incident where the military fired their guns up to the sky and the bullets came down and killed people in the crowd.  That is what the former PM in exile gave as an excuse at the time.  Before attending an ASEAN summit shortly after he did announce that if anyone brings up Tak Bai he would walk out.

Well, now he's apologizing.  I wonder what he's working toward.

 

 

Thaksin hints at collusion behind “Tak Bai massacre”
 

Exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra / AFP

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday blamed what he described as a collusion among some military officers for the incident in the conflict-ridden south of Thailand in 2004 in which as many as 85 people died in an army operation.

 

Despite demands by human rights groups for him to be held responsible, Thaksin denied any knowledge of the incident which 78 people, mostly young Muslim youths, suffocated after being arrested at a protest site and later stacked on top of each other in the back of army trucks. Seven others were shot dead earlier while protesting in front of a police station in Tak Bai District, Narathiwat.

 

“I had nothing to do with it,” Thaksin said in his weekly interview on Clubhouse with his supporters.

 

A religious ceremony was held in Tak Bai District yesterday to mark the 18th anniversary of the incident which has been seen as a turning point for the years-long Muslim insurgency in the deep south.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thaksin-hints-at-collusion-behind-tak-bai-massacre/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-10-26

 

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Thaksin denied any knowledge of the incident

Why is he giving his opinion on something that he knows nothing about then?

Should I offer my opinion on Johannes Gutenberg's printing press, a subject that I equally deny any knowledge of?

 

Hmmm, so he brings up the incident to defame his political opponent, but IMO it would have been best to not mention it at all.  I would think only the Muslims and the most liberal of Thais care about the incident.  This would be like denouncing your buddy as a rapist, you saw it yourself while you say you were only holding her down for him.

 

OK, it has to be done:  "The operation failed because I didn't know what time it was, I promise you it will not happen again" says Prawit. ????

 

 

 

1 hour ago, SoilSpoil said:

It happened under your watch, which makes you responsible. You should have taken responsibility and offered your resignation. 

only after sacking Prawit.

But what a slime bag, denied all responsibility and actually considered it nothing of importance at the time - and people want him back in the country. 

25 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

Thaksin denied any knowledge of the incident

Why is he giving his opinion on something that he knows nothing about then?

Should I offer my opinion on Johannes Gutenberg's printing press, a subject that I equally deny any knowledge of?

 

he knew all about it but couldn't have cared less.

What about the deaths of ''''drug suspects''''' that you ordered to be killed without trial?

 

Arrogant, pathetic, corrupt killer. 

2 hours ago, bendejo said:

Ah yes, the Tak Bai incident where the military fired their guns up to the sky and the bullets came down and killed people in the crowd.  That is what the former PM in exile gave as an excuse at the time.  Before attending an ASEAN summit shortly after he did announce that if anyone brings up Tak Bai he would walk out.

 

 

 

Yes, the actual videos of the start of this massacre were on Youtube which his govt actually banned for a short while.

3 minutes ago, huangnon said:

Yes, the actual videos of the start of this massacre were on Youtube which his govt actually banned for a short while.

considered fake news because at the time the PM didn't know anything about it, apparently..... 

2 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

It happened under your watch, which makes you responsible. You should have taken responsibility and offered your resignation. 

Do you know any PM or President in the World who has quit because their Military killed civilians?
In Thailand the Military are way more powerful than any PM and they don't go away after 4 or 5 years.

Imagining Abhisit blaming Prayut for the Bangkok Massacre.

 

Lots of handwringing on this one though. Surely Prawit bears some, or the bulk of, the responsibility?

 

 

 

 

34 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

What about the deaths of ''''drug suspects''''' that you ordered to be killed without trial?

 

Arrogant, pathetic, corrupt killer. 

It wasn't only Drug Suspects who were killed they were Civilians, Police, Drug Addict's and Drug Dealers many of whom also had guns.
During a 3 month period of the war on drugs about 2500 people were killed which was about double the average amount at the time.

20 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

Imagining Abhisit blaming Prayut for the Bangkok Massacre.

 

Lots of handwringing on this one though. Surely Prawit bears some, or the bulk of, the responsibility?

 

 

 

 

I think Abhisit was always just a puppet PM it was the Military who did the shooting.
PM's in Thailand don't seem to have much control of the Military unless of course they become the PM.

In Thailand Generals never loose their power even when they retire.

 

 

Edited October 26, 20223 yr by monkfish

A Thaksin Thread, how unusual.

He gets great press coverage.

Not bad for a criminal fugitive.

Amazing Thailand.

5 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

It happened under your watch, which makes you responsible. You should have taken responsibility and offered your resignation. 

Does everything that has happened in the last 8 years make Prayuth responsible? Should he take full responsibility and resign?

 

Should every general who called military coups since 1932 have taken full responsibility and resigned?

 

TBF if you blame Thaksin for what the army did at Tak Bai then every general who has made a coup must accept the responsibility.

 

Also remember that though Thaksin was the legally elected PM, he too, could not control the military.

5 hours ago, Orinoco said:

A Thaksin Thread, how unusual.

He gets great press coverage.

Not bad for a criminal fugitive.

Amazing Thailand.

you could nearly believe that Thaksin is a fan of Aseannow

2 hours ago, billd766 said:

Does everything that has happened in the last 8 years make Prayuth responsible? Should he take full responsibility and resign?

 

Should every general who called military coups since 1932 have taken full responsibility and resigned?

 

TBF if you blame Thaksin for what the army did at Tak Bai then every general who has made a coup must accept the responsibility.

 

Also remember that though Thaksin was the legally elected PM, he too, could not control the military.

It is a "Thaksin thread" where and how does being fair come into it?

 

We must condemn him, whether it was his doing or not, and ignore ( or even in some cases justify) the equally if not more egregious actions of those who overthrew his (elected) government (s) and seized power for themselves!

8 hours ago, 2baht said:

Always someone to blame, it's the Thai way..............Was'nt me! Can't wait to see who Prawit blames!

Some guy named Girard Perregaux.......

...Like A Bad Medical Condition....

6 hours ago, Neeranam said:

What about the deaths of ''''drug suspects''''' that you ordered to be killed without trial?

 

Arrogant, pathetic, corrupt killer. 

Perfectly acceptable in the Philippines under Duterte yet it was wrong here.  I believe at the time the war on drugs was going on in many places.

3 hours ago, billd766 said:

Does everything that has happened in the last 8 years make Prayuth responsible? Should he take full responsibility and resign?

 

Should every general who called military coups since 1932 have taken full responsibility and resigned?

 

TBF if you blame Thaksin for what the army did at Tak Bai then every general who has made a coup must accept the responsibility.

 

Also remember that though Thaksin was the legally elected PM, he too, could not control the military.

Exactly, and as soon as he left the country for a UN meeting he was deposed by a coup. So all of those who committed the coup at that time should be responsible and have resigned as well 

9 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

It happened under your watch, which makes you responsible. You should have taken responsibility and offered your resignation. 

 Sorry, my post was off topic, so I rubbed it out.

Edited October 26, 20223 yr by possum1931

Pawatch needs to be woken up to get the message ..... 

39 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Perfectly acceptable in the Philippines under Duterte yet it was wrong here.  I believe at the time the war on drugs was going on in many places.

And just like Duterte's war on drugs, Thaksin's war on drugs 'conveniently' served as a way to get rid of any pesky political opposition.

The fact that innocents were also executed during his house cleaning war on drugs didn't matter to him.

The same can be said of the Tak Bai Massacre, he showed no remorse.

 

I really cannot believe that people can try justify and support any monster that orders the executions of innocent citizens.

 

8 hours ago, billd766 said:

Does everything that has happened in the last 8 years make Prayuth responsible? Should he take full responsibility and resign?

 

Should every general who called military coups since 1932 have taken full responsibility and resigned?

 

TBF if you blame Thaksin for what the army did at Tak Bai then every general who has made a coup must accept the responsibility.

 

Also remember that though Thaksin was the legally elected PM, he too, could not control the military.

Yes, you are right. Your last sentence, however, should not serve as an excuse. It happened under his watch, and he needed to take responsibiliy out of respect for the families of those killed. And that is what he didnt do, actually his bully boy Samak made some disrespectful and erronous remarks to cover his derriere.

20 hours ago, SoilSpoil said:

It happened under your watch, which makes you responsible. You should have taken responsibility and offered your resignation. 

And look where Prawits sitting now?

12 hours ago, Bert got kinky said:

And just like Duterte's war on drugs, Thaksin's war on drugs 'conveniently' served as a way to get rid of any pesky political opposition.

The fact that innocents were also executed during his house cleaning war on drugs didn't matter to him.

The same can be said of the Tak Bai Massacre, he showed no remorse.

 

I really cannot believe that people can try justify and support any monster that orders the executions of innocent citizens.

 

Would you mind listing the the political opposition that Thaksin got rid of during his war on drugs