Thaksin "seeks Monkhood"

[camerata]

Here's an interesting item from Thanong Khanthong's blog at Nation Multimedia:

Thaksin seeks monkhood

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008

Phra Phrom Vajirayarn, the abbot of Wat Yannawa in Bangkok, has confirmed the rumours that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra would like to enter monkhood once he returned to Thailand. Thaksin had floated this idea in late 2007 that he would like to become a monk to pay respect to His Majesty the King, the abbot told Matichon newspaper.

Thaksin had two temples in mind. The first one was Wat Nongwaeng in Khon Kaen, the Northeast. He used to go through a ritual to remove his bad luck at this temple during his fight an asset concealment case in 2001. The other temple was Wat Rongtham Sammakhi in Chiang Mai, which is his home town.

Yet, in spite of the victory of the People Power Party at the polls, the political situation was not stable enough. Thaksin decided to cancel his trip home and enter monkhood.

You may want to refer to Thai history. In 1976, Field Marshal Thanom Kittikhachorn returned to Bangkok after an exile. He immediately entered monkhood. In the Thai beliefs, once you enter monkhood, you somehow show an act of repentance of your past sins.

The students rose to oppose Thanom's return, an event that eventually led to a brutal massacre in Thammasat University.

Is history going to repeat itself if Thaksin does indeed decide to return to Thailand and enter monkhood immediately? What would happen after that?

Noppadol Patama, one of Thaksin's key aides, would not confirm that the former premier would like to enter monkhood, saying that it was just a rumour. But he did say that Thaksin would return to Thailand in April.

* * *

And here's a picture from a local magazine to go with it:

Edited January 31, 2008 by camerata
Added date and other details

[Rajah]

The students rose to oppose Thanom's return, an event that eventually led to a brutal massacre in Thammasat University.

Is history going to repeat itself if Thaksin does indeed decide to return to Thailand and enter monkhood immediately? What would happen after that?

Who was one of the guys killing the "communist students" with his own hands? Samak the new prime minister. Footage from the massacre clearly shows him.

Edited January 31, 2008 by Rajah

[Lilawadee]

This is a week old news, and already back then Thaksin's spokesperson has denied this rumor.

Made for a nice magzine cover though.

[onlooker]

Who was one of the guys killing the "communist students" with his own hands? Samak the new prime minister. Footage from the massacre clearly shows him.

No it doesn't. Samak wasn't part of any mobs or in the armed forces at that time he was a Deputy Interior minister in the Democrat Government.

His involvement was limited to stirring up trouble via radio broadcasts which encouraged the mobs that attacked the university. It was after Oct 76, when he got promotion to Interior Minister, when he claimed the title of the most hated civilian in Thailand by his crackdown on any student leader who spoke out of turn.

On the other hand the nice man, Gen Surayud - the last PM, personally led a group of 16 soldiers into the Royal Hotel which was a temporary field hospital during the 1992 coup. Here, his soldiers beat and kicked people. News reports from the BBC and CNN at the time show soldiers walking on top of those who were made to lie on the floor.

[adjan jb]

2008 - Thaksin enters monkhood.

2010 - He sells it.

[Ricardo]

This is a week old news, and already back then Thaksin's spokesperson has denied this rumor.

Made for a nice magzine cover though.

So who do you believe, Thaksin's spokesman & lawyer, or a monk who knows Thaksin ?

[kat]

This has shades of Thanom Kittikachorn's return as a monk in 1976. At first I thought it was a joke.

[Lilawadee]

So who do you believe, Thaksin's spokesman & lawyer, or a monk who knows Thaksin ?

I believe it was probably discussed, as one of the scenarios of Thaksin's return.

But in the end it's Thaksin's call what he wants to do; first he'll have to attend to some court cases, so I don't think that would mix well with a stint as a monk anyway.

Also note that it's in no way similar to Thanom; he committed a coup, and responsible for the slaughter of innocent protesters. Thaksin is the one who got ousted, remember, not the one committing a coup.

[sriracha john]

Peoples Power Party Deputy Secretary-General Nopadol Battama affirmed that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will return to the nation as he proclaimed in a recent press conference.

Nopadol also dismissed rumors that Thaksin expressed the urge to enter the monkhood as a type of penance to the kingdom. He said that the former premier has never mentioned expressed such a desire but did avow to return to Thailand in April.

Mr. Nopadol said such a rumor was probably started to encourage confusion on the matter and exploit time of political uncertainty.

So, now apparently there was some substance to the rumor denied by Thaksin's lawyer, who also incidentally is assigning blame for the rumor to a temple abbot. Nice one, Noppadope.....

Meanwhile, the exiled former prime minister had a yearning to enter the monkhood when he wanted to return to Thailand late last year, Phra Phrom Vajirayarn, the abbot of Wat Yannawa in Bangkok, said yesterday.

"Thaksin wanted to be ordained as a way of showing his respects to His Majesty the King on his 80th birthday," the abbot said.

The abbot confirmed rumours on Monday that Thaksin would like to become a monk once he returns to Thailand.

The abbot said Thaksin had two temples in mind.

The first one was Wat Nongwaeng in Khon Kaen, in the Northeast. He used to go through a ritual to remove bad luck at this temple when he was fighting his asset concealment case in 2001. The other temple was Wat Rongtham Sammakhi in Chiang Mai, his hometown.

"But because of changing circumstances, Thaksin could not carry out the plan," the abbot said.

The abbot denied Thaksin would be ordained at his temple, but said he was close to the former premier's family who often visit the temple.

"I don't think Thaksin will enter the monkhood for the time being," he said.

- The Nation

The Nation

Matichon

Edited January 31, 2008 by sriracha john

[kat]

Well, I said "shades" of Kittikachorn. Both left under duress and turbelence, which were different by degrees, but still considered turbulent and controversial. Both were in exile, and if Thaksin returns as a monk for the King, both will have used the monkhood as a way to "cleanse" their reputation and try to "recoup" what they have lost. Secondly, there are violent coups, there are the "party" or "friendly" coups, and there are "coups" by proxy, that can easily use "democracy as a tool", isn't it?

Anyway, I have my opinion and you have yours. This isn't a science debate, and there are obvious shades of grey and shades of the same, although you may prefer to focus on black and white.

[lannarebirth]

He seems to know his loyal following very well. He can laugh in their face and they just eat it up.

[sriracha john]

*quotes corrected*

So who do you believe, Thaksin's spokesman & lawyer, or a monk who knows Thaksin ?

I believe it was probably discussed, as one of the scenarios of Thaksin's return.

But in the end it's Thaksin's call what he wants to do; first he'll have to attend to some court cases, so I don't think that would mix well with a stint as a monk anyway.

Also note that it's in no way similar to Thanom; he committed a coup, and responsible for the slaughter of innocent protesters. Thaksin is the one who got ousted, remember, not the one committing a coup.

He was, however, responsible for the slaughter of innocent people.

On the other front, some disreputable Thais run into the monkhood for a stint for precisely that exact reason.... avoiding court cases.

Edited January 31, 2008 by sriracha john