Thaksin lands at Suvarnabhumi and taken to court

[sriracha john]

"he kissed the ground...So now he thinks he is the Pope !"

when everyone knows that the pope was only looking for his dropped contact lens...

and Thaksin dropped a one baht coin...

[Payboy]

This post from Interman's Student...

I'm not really like him but I'm not hate him.. I think he made Thailand economic better than before.

He used tax money from Thai people in education, prove 3 provinces in south of Thailand, and etc.

But anti people look at him in one side, they said that Thaksin cheat Thailand, but he make Thailand

economic better, he cheat but we also rich or get better, i don't know why they must anti him.

They don't want him to be a prime minister, so he do, but they still anti him. He come back to Thailand

to prove his fault, al so they ready to anti him again and agian

Do they want to made Thailand like a Joker?

are you a phd student by any chance?

[Khun Jean]

All this nonsense talk about Thai economy. Thai doesn't have one. Only obstacles.

And it rides the waves of the global economy. And because of the large proportion of xports it is more resilient than other economies, otherwise the obstacles would already have ruined it.

Can not blame government for rising oil prices that in turn make everything more expensive.

And you can not credit governments either when world economy is rising and in turn economy in Thailand gets better.

[Jai Dee]

Shinawatra family visits Supreme Patriach

Thaksin Shinawatra and family went to the Chulalongkorn Hospital to visit the Supreme Patriach on Friday morning.

They left the hotel at around 9.19am and arrived at the hospital at 9.30. His bullet-proof new Holden, imported from Australia, was reportedly being driven at full speed.

Reporters were unable to follow his entourage as the hotel guards placed iron barriers to block other cars.

More from the Bangkok Post here.

[Khun Jean]

A live of looking over your shoulder awaits him. Som nam na.

I'll bet he will be in save London soon. (After the money is unfrozen).

[baboon]

A live of looking over your shoulder awaits him. Som nam na.

I'll bet he will be in save London soon. (After the money is unfrozen).

Yeah, buying football clubs and land he forbade foreigners to do in his own country. Son of a b1tch.

[sriracha john]

At least he knows where he stands...

Samak left out of the limelight

The festival-like atmosphere surrounding the return of Thaksin Shinawatra was in stark contrast to the noticeably quiet mood of PM Samak yesterday. The People Power Party Leader did not join the many cabinet members who went to greet Thaksin. He had an appointment at the Defence Ministry. On the other side of the city, Thaksin was hogging the spotlight at the airport. After a 3-hour meeting with the Defence Council, a stern-faced Samak left without stopping to speak to the media. Members of the Council, especially Army Chief Gen Anupong Paojinda, also avoided reporters. After the meeting, Samak lunched in the Tha Phrachan area before returning to Government House in the afternoon. But, unusually, his office was not the focus of attention; people were more interested in Thaksin.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/29Feb2008_news02.php

[sriracha john]

Meanwhile, other Cabinet ministers are part of the show....

Tears glisten in his wife's eyes as Thaksin tells reporters at the Peninsula hotel that he was fingerprinted like a criminal suspect when he reported to face corruption charges at the Supreme Court.

Bangkok Post

Thaksin offered finance role

Thaksin Shinawatra was offered a job as economic adviser by Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee yesterday at the same time as the former prime minister vowed to stay out of politics. The Secretary-General of the PPP said he would seek out Thaksin's opinions on economic issues especially the proposed scrapping of the 30% reserve requirement on foreign inflows. Thaksin has not responded to Surapong's offer. "I have yet to make an appointment [with Thaksin]," said Surapong, who described the ex-premier as an economic expert. Surapong also insisted that the government under the leadership of Samak would not be a mere puppet of Thaksin. "Thaksin will not pull the strings. I'd like you to observe Samak's work and let time be the judge of Samak and other Cabinet members," he said.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/29Feb2008_news01.php

Edited February 29, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

The contents of the teary-eye-inducing performance....

FORMER PM'S STATEMENT

Deposed PM Thaksin told a press conference how he felt over the last 17 months of his self-imposed exile abroad.

"When the coup took place on Sept 19, 2006, I felt like returning to Thailand straight away the next day on Sept 20. I have the spirit of sportsmanship. I knew it was over and I accepted it. I just wanted to come back. But when everyone advised me to stay abroad for a while, I agreed. The coup makers telephoned me. I let them know that I was sportsmanlike. I accepted the fact that everything was all over. I asked them to bring reconciliation to the country. At first, I thought I would stay abroad for only two or three months at most. I was homesick. I wanted to live with my family here in Thailand. I thought I could come back soon. But there was no agreement so I finally had to stay abroad for more than 17 months, which was a very long time. The day I went abroad on a foreign mission, I was prime minister. I attended the Asem [Asia-Europe Meeting], the meeting of leaders of the Non-Aligned Movement and went to the United Nations to help campaign for Surakiart Sathirathai's bid for the post of United Nations Secretary-General. But today I am back, and I have to face allegations. I will have to have my fingerprints taken like a major suspect. I feel sad for myself and my family. However, I also feel sorry for the people who have had to suffer from political conflicts. It must be really hard for them. I want to offer my apologies. When Thai people exercised their rights to vote in the Dec 23 general election, many of them felt good when they had the opportunity to make clear their stance. As the situation has sorted itself out and democracy is right back on track, I feel the need to prove my innocence and to restore my dignity, which has been ruined unfairly."

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.net/News/29Feb2008_news13.php

Edited February 29, 2008 by sriracha john

[Jai Dee]

Thaksin cancels appointments for this afternoon

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has cancelled his appointments for the Friday afternoon because he wants to spend time with his family, spokeswoman Sansanee Nakpong said on Friday.

Thaksin has earlier scheduled to pay a visit to a senior monk at 2 pm at Buddha Monthon and preside over the opening of the foolball clinic jointly organised by Manchester City Football Club and ThaiCom Foundation at 4.30 pm.

Thaksin's ally Newin Chidchob said the former prime minister will not receive any visitors today and has ordered many favourite dishes, including beef noodle soup, for lunch at his hotel suite.

Source: The Nation - 29 February 2008

[Jai Dee]

Gamble to rebuild an empire?

Former premier may be seeking to protect his interests, rein in Samak: pundits

The cheers, and the jeers, that greeted Thaksin Shinawatra on his return to Thailand yesterday may have set the stage for him to rebuild his political empire.

Most people believe his return is not likely to trigger a political confrontation at this juncture because Thaksin is in no hurry to reclaim power.

Thaksin insists he has quit politics for good, but many believe it is only a matter of time before he attempts to make a political comeback.

Thaksin still faces two legal hurdles. First, there are still several corruption cases pending against him. These cases will take time to resolve. His assets worth between Bt50 billion and Bt60 billion are frozen, pending the investigation into the allegations of corruption against him.

Second, Thaksin along with 110 former executives of Thai Rak Thai Party have been barred from politics for five year by the Constitution Court.

But, according to a political source, Thaksin has taken a gamble by returning to Thailand to deal with the immediate problems revolving around the economy and Samak Sundaravej, the prime minister.

"The economy is about to face serious problems if it is not tackled well enough. The popularity of the government remains good. Thaksin is afraid that if the economy is not handled appropriately, the government would become unpopular and it would be difficult to reverse the situation," said the political source.

Thaksin also would like to tackle Samak head-on because it looks like the incumbent premier wants to put his own stamp on leading the country without having to listen to the People Power Party.

"Samak will find it difficult to move around now that Thaksin has come back. He hasn't yet had the time to build up his power. Thaksin just can't afford to let Samak consolidate his power," said Dr Montri Chenvidkarn, a political scientist.

Frederic Neumann, a regional economist of HSBC based in Hong Kong, agreed Samak may develop political ambitions of his own, having recently fulfilled a long-held desired to attain the top post.

"The feisty former governor of Bangkok, although hand-picked by Thaksin as leader of his political movement (presumably with the understanding of his eventual resignation in favour of his political patron) is likely to exhibit an increasingly independent streak, possibly clashing with the former premier's plans for a swift return to politics," he said.

For Thaksin to return to power, the laws will have to be changed. Neumann expects the current government to move towards an amnesty for the 111 executives of Thai Rak Thai in due course.

"The pending corruption cases may prove more difficult to dispose of, but, eventually, we expect these cases to be laid to rest as well. This opens the door for new elections to be held next year, which may see the return of Thaksin to the premiership, along with a comfortable parliamentary majority," he said.

"But, for the time being, Thailand should enjoy a period of relative political calm as various legal complications help restrain political ambitions."

A Democrat executive, who asked not to be named, said Thaksin might want his fortune back.

"Thaksin might try to get his money back by filing a complaint to the court that the military coup was illegal and that as a consequence all the legal obligations that follow should be declared illegal too. This legal tactic was used to nullify the orders issued by coup-leaders in the past," he said.

But the Democrat executive said Thaksin would not choose this path, at least in the immediate future because he does not need to use the money now.

Thaksin's concern is how to manage the People Power Party and the overall political conditions. If he could manage it, other problems would be resolved later - including the cases in the judicial process.

One renowned university law lecturer said Thaksin might have a motion submitted to the Parliament to nullify the law establishing the Asset Examination Committee (AEC), which has been probing his assets.

If this comes about, the cases under the AEC might be transferred to the attorney-general.

The second way to nullify the AEC is to have someone file a petition to the court. The petition will ask for nullification of the coup and its legal obligations.

"Yet doing so might make him look cunning and destroy his image with the public. On the other hand, the AEC's term will end soon anyway. Why can't he wait?" the law lecturer said.

However, the military establishment may yet show greater determination to keep Thaksin out of the game for good. The pending legal cases against Thaksin and against House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat over alleged election fraud, might be played out and set up the country for another clash.

"The return of Thaksin will create waves, but expect the former premier to lay low for the time being. Thailand is not quite out of the woods yet politically, but we expect a period of relative calm to persist for the remainder of the year," Neumann said.

From the Political Desk of The Nation - 29 February 2008

[Insight]

Spokespersons for ex premier affirm the latter's non-aggressive presence in the nation

Affirms the wot wot wot?

[trader1]

Yeah, buying football clubs and land he forbade foreigners to do in his own country. Son of a b1tch.

care to clarify that, Baboon?

[sriracha john]

Thaksin granted bail at the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court approved bail for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after posting the bond worth Bt8 million.

As a condition of his temporary release, the high court banned him from travelling abroad unless receiving a prior approval by the court.

It also set March 12 as the date for Thaksin to report for hearing on his charges relating to the Ratchadapisek land case.

It's mighty big of Mr. Big to condescend to the Supreme Court's order....

Thaksin to Stay in the Country Until His Court Hearing Completes

Deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who arrived home yesterday after residing abroad for seventeen months in a self-imposed exile, indicated yesterday that he will be staying in the county until March 12th, the date his first court hearing on charges relating to the Ratchadapisek land purchase scandal is expected to be completed.

Banned party executive of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party Pongthep Thepkanchana (TRT Banned #10), who served as Justice and Energy Ministers during the Thaksin administration, said yesterday that his former party leader has no plans to travel abroad prior to the completion of his first court hearing on charges involving the Ratcahdapisek land case.

Prior to his return to the country, the deposed Prime Minister told foreign reporters during a press interview that he plans to attend a match of his Manchester City Football Club in London on March 15th, which is three days after his first hearing finalizes.

If Thaksin was to travel abroad next month, it would be his first overseas trip since his return to the country for just two weeks.

- Thailand Outlook

[trader1]

Yeah, buying football clubs and land he forbade foreigners to do in his own country. Son of a b1tch.

care to clarify that, Baboon?

I think it is pretty clear. We, as British citizens cannot legally own land or the majority of a business in Thailand, while this odious little man can own whatever he wants in Britain.

Laws many of us exiled Britons would be more than happy to see reciprocated towards Thais.

The quote from Baboon says that Taksin forbade foreigners buying land. From my memory, of 20+ years visting Thailand, those laws preceeded Taksin. Am I wrong?

[tuky]

I am not a political commentator, I have no political allegiance myself, however I must say that if Thaksin was as concerned for the Thais as he makes out then he would/should not have returned for a very long time.

The last thing Thailand needs at this point in time is the return of Thaksin even as a normal citizen, Thailand needs many years now to normalise politics and society and his return will only destabilise Thailand as a country.

He should not have returned, guilty or not, successful or not, Thailand is far better off without him.

"Thaksin auk bai"

[sriracha john]

Apparently TRT Banned #10 and TRT Banned #111 have become the spokesmen for TRT Banned #1...

I guess having the current Foreign Minister to continue performing that role had become too obvious and flagrant an impropriety...

Thaksin's Spokesman: Thaksin Can Take on Economic Advisor Role to Government

The ousted premier’s spokesman assures he has the right to take on an economic advisor role to the government as long as there is no official appointment.

Just one day after his return to Thailand, ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra (TRT Banned #1) already had a full team of spokesmen to speak on his behalf and fend off unpleasant questions.

Pongthep Thepkanchana (TRT Banned #10), former Justice Minister and a politically banned executive of the Thai Rak Thai party, started his job as Thaksin’s spokesman, together with former Channel 7 news anchor and politically banned Thai Rak Thai executive, Sansanee Narkpong (TRT Banned #111), after Thaksin’s first press conference yesterday.

Once Thaksin finished his speech, Pongthep and Sansanee fielded questions for him. Pongthep revealed this was because Thaksin had bared his heart so what was left to say are unimportant details.

Pongthep assured that Thaksin will not get involved in politics and will focus his attention on his educational foundation and developing his Manchester City football team, of which he will have to make a lot of trips abroad. *Very presumptuous of him in light of the Supreme Court's bail condition to the contrary*

On this issue of having Thaksin act as economic advisor to the government, Pongthep assured it can be done as long as there is no official appointment that will violate the ban on political participation that Thaksin faces.

Pongthep also commented on the speculation that Thaksin’s legal team will submit a complaint to have the Constitution Court review the establishment of the Assets Examination Committee, saying this is a viable method of defence for Thaksin, but he does not know if it will be done. *accuse your accusers*

Pongthep added that Thaksin still has no plans to meet with Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. :D *Samak REALLY knows where he stands now*

- Thailand Outlook

Edited February 29, 2008 by sriracha john

[sriracha john]

Army Chief Denies Sniper Guns Missing

The Army Commander in Chief denied reports of him trying to schedule a meeting with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who returned to Thailand for the first time in 17 months yesterday. The Army Chief also denied sniper guns are missing from the Army’s armory.

Army Commander in Chief General Anupong Paochinda denied two sniper guns are missing from the Army’s armory.

Reports were rife yesterday, upon the return of the self-exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, that sniper guns went missing from Army’s armory. Security protocol adopted for the former premier yesterday was one of the tightest ever employed for a former prime minister or current cabinet members.

General Anupong said there is, in fact, no need to investigate the issue because the guns are not missing. He declined to comment if the allegation of missing guns is part of an effort to fuel the rumor of an assassination attempt against Thaksin.

The Army chief also denied the report that he plans to meet with Thaksin or other members of Pre Cadet class 10. Both General Anupong and Thaksin are alumni of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School class 10.

General Anupong accompanied Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in an official visit to Laos to introduce himself as the new Prime Minister of Thailand.

- Thailand Outlook

[Axistar]

"Before boarding the plane in Hong Kong, Thaksin told reporters, ``I believe in the Thai justice system, especially the court system. Normally in justice systems everywhere, a person is innocent until proved guilty.''" - or is rich enough to bribe his way out .........

[thedude]

Yeah, buying football clubs and land he forbade foreigners to do in his own country. Son of a b1tch.

care to clarify that, Baboon?

I think it is pretty clear. We, as British citizens cannot legally own land or the majority of a business in Thailand, while this odious little man can own whatever he wants in Britain.

Laws many of us exiled Britons would be more than happy to see reciprocated towards Thais.

i think the most cursory bit of research will reveal that the law forbiding foreign ownership of land goes back to way way before thaksin ever appeared on the political scene. if you choose to be against him, at least try to be informed about what you are against. are these the very same people decrying the "uneducated" thai masses who support him?

you will find that many countries have the same rules forbidding foreign ownership of land, especially poorer countries which have large populations and relatively cheap land.

if foreigners were allowed to buy land in thailand, would there be any thai's left in Bangkok or Phuket or Pattaya? i am not saying i agree with the law, but it has its basic premise in protecting overt price inflation and making locals foreigners in their own land. there are of course innovative policy solutions but truthfully the government bureacracy (and not Thaksin) is averse to implimenting anything more complex than the most primitive and tested policy, its not like they will win any votes for this anyway, quite the contrary in fact. Far from being protectionist, Thaksin's previous administration was in fact far more global and pro-liberalisation than any former govt in this country, to blame him for your not being able to buy land only shows up your own ignorance on where his policies stood. fact is, people who don't like him will blame him for everything, this was the same guy being accused of selling 'national assets' to foreigners.

Edited February 29, 2008 by thedude

[kmart]

The quote from Baboon says that Taksin forbade foreigners buying land. From my memory, of 20+ years visting Thailand, those laws preceeded Taksin. Am I wrong?

No, but Thaksin and his party stood on Nationalist policies and many times used these laws for political gain and to curry favour with the Thai electorate.

Not to mention the Thaksin administration brought in many of the new laws curtailing rights for foreigners including the new FBA draft.

So the hypocrisy of his position remains regardless if Thaksin was responsible for the laws 20 years ago.

Oh, boohoo. If Thailand ever became a level playing field, there wouldn't be any foreigners here anyway.

[thedude]

The quote from Baboon says that Taksin forbade foreigners buying land. From my memory, of 20+ years visting Thailand, those laws preceeded Taksin. Am I wrong?

No, but Thaksin and his party stood on Nationalist policies and many times used these laws for political gain and to curry favour with the Thai electorate.

i'm curious, what exactly were these 'nationalist polices'? are you suggesting that as a politician he played the nationalist card to gain favour with his electorate? oh my.

Not to mention the Thaksin administration brought in many of the new laws curtailing rights for foreigners including the new FBA draft.

are you spreading falsehoods on purpose, are you really working for The Nation? the FBA draft was initiated by the Junta government that overthrew Thaksin's administration. was Thaksin so short of bad policies that you have to borrow them from another government?

So the hypocrisy of his position remains regardless if Thaksin was responsible for the laws 20 years ago.

overall a very poor argument.

[Tony Clifton]

Army Chief Denies Sniper Guns Missing

The Army Commander in Chief denied reports of him trying to schedule a meeting with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who returned to Thailand for the first time in 17 months yesterday. The Army Chief also denied sniper guns are missing from the Army’s armory.

Army Commander in Chief General Anupong Paochinda denied two sniper guns are missing from the Army’s armory.

Reports were rife yesterday, upon the return of the self-exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, that sniper guns went missing from Army’s armory. Security protocol adopted for the former premier yesterday was one of the tightest ever employed for a former prime minister or current cabinet members.

General Anupong said there is, in fact, no need to investigate the issue because the guns are not missing. He declined to comment if the allegation of missing guns is part of an effort to fuel the rumor of an assassination attempt against Thaksin.

The Army chief also denied the report that he plans to meet with Thaksin or other members of Pre Cadet class 10. Both General Anupong and Thaksin are alumni of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School class 10.

General Anupong accompanied Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in an official visit to Laos to introduce himself as the new Prime Minister of Thailand.

- Thailand Outlook

This was all a rumour planted by Thaksin's team yesterday morning at the airport.

This is exactly why he kept mentioning he feared for his life before his arrival.

Welcome back to Thaksin theatrics and trickery in drawing sympathy with yet another imaginary assassination attempt.

He'll get what he's asking for someday.

[thedude]

Army Chief Denies Sniper Guns Missing

The Army Commander in Chief denied reports of him trying to schedule a meeting with ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who returned to Thailand for the first time in 17 months yesterday. The Army Chief also denied sniper guns are missing from the Army's armory.

Army Commander in Chief General Anupong Paochinda denied two sniper guns are missing from the Army's armory.

Reports were rife yesterday, upon the return of the self-exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra, that sniper guns went missing from Army's armory. Security protocol adopted for the former premier yesterday was one of the tightest ever employed for a former prime minister or current cabinet members.

General Anupong said there is, in fact, no need to investigate the issue because the guns are not missing. He declined to comment if the allegation of missing guns is part of an effort to fuel the rumor of an assassination attempt against Thaksin.

The Army chief also denied the report that he plans to meet with Thaksin or other members of Pre Cadet class 10. Both General Anupong and Thaksin are alumni of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School class 10.

General Anupong accompanied Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej in an official visit to Laos to introduce himself as the new Prime Minister of Thailand.

- Thailand Outlook

This was all a rumour planted by Thaksin's team yesterday morning at the airport.

Sources please, Mr Clifton, or are you just speculating?

This is exactly why he kept mentioning he feared for his life before his arrival.

When was he last quoted as saying this? Wasn't that in response to when Gen Sonthi said he couldn't guarantee his safety if he returned? And this was many months ago possibly before Gen Anupong took over?

Welcome back to Thaksin theatrics and trickery in drawing sympathy with yet another imaginary assassination attempt.

He'll get what he's asking for someday.

Welcome back to the anti-Thaksin propoganda machine.

[jumnien]

Today's Bangkok Post has a great editorial titled, "The politics of Thaksin's homecoming". A must read.

"The military junta that ousted him is in disgrace." These are very sweet words indeed and so true. Finally, the student-massacreing military men are out of power and the only man who has dared to oppose them is back in this lovely country. Good times lie ahead! Happy days are here, again!

[steveromagnino]

Today's Bangkok Post has a great editorial titled, "The politics of Thaksin's homecoming". A must read.

"The military junta that ousted him is in disgrace." These are very sweet words indeed and so true. Finally, the student-massacreing military men are out of power and the only man who has dared to oppose them is back in this lovely country. Good times lie ahead! Happy days are here, again!

The BKK Post pro Thaksin????

Who woulda ever thought 55555555555555555

[MrSnrang]

I think he should have been allowed to serve out his last term of office. as it were, the coup and PAD have yet to prove any guilt on the part of thaksin.

NONE! only heresay. and a lot of jealousy.

GO THAKSIN!

:D

Dang, don't you read the news? He concealed money, used his position in order for his family to buy land at under market value, sold a Thai telecommunication company to a foreign country, etc, etc, etc. I guess some folks just ain't gonna accept the facts.

accept the facts?

"sold thai tele company to foreign counry." so, what about the telenor sale to norway? what was that? and how about the samart sale to a malaysia company? what was that? these two transactions happened before thaksin even attempted to sell shin to singapore.

"use his position to buy land at under market value." hey. the property was put up for bid. do you know how bids work? do you know what an auction is?

"conceal money." if he concealed the money, then, how were the coup able to locate the money?

idiot. like I said... heresay. and a lot of jealousy.

thaksin went to a major international legal firm for their professional recommendation on the sale to singapore. and they gave him the ok.

http://bdo-thaitax.com/publications/pub_ta...us_2006_mar.pdf

accept the facts. yeah. right. why don't you?

So why did he flat-out lie about selling his company the day before he went to Singapore to sell it?

I don't know about this event. but I do know this. ..what thaksin did - selling shin to singapore was not a precedence. in other words, he was not the first to sell a thai telecom to another country. that being the case, he shouldn't be found guilty of any crime connected to selling a thai telecom.

I have watched the newspapers on what happened when dtac was sold to telenor of norway. and nowhere have I found the thai owner of the dtac being punished for selling the thai telecom to a foreign country.

do you know who owned dtac before it was sold?

I won't tell you because I want you to do the research.

Besides the fact that he lied about it. When Bill Clinton lied about his affair with Monica Lewinski people were calling for him to be impeached.

I don't care what they have to do to keep him out of politics. We don't need another lying prime minister in this world. He's head of a nation <deleted>. You don't lie to the public about selling a huge corporation tax-free.

[traveller5000]

Today's Bangkok Post has a great editorial titled, "The politics of Thaksin's homecoming". A must read.

"The military junta that ousted him is in disgrace." These are very sweet words indeed and so true. Finally, the student-massacreing military men are out of power and the only man who has dared to oppose them is back in this lovely country. Good times lie ahead! Happy days are here, again!

hey what are you on about? The military junta that ousted Thaksin didn't massacre anyone.

there is always at least one "special person" in the soi.

[sriracha john]

hmmm.... decisions, decisions on where to post this....the Samak thread or the Thaksin thread.... guess I'll go with the real PM thread...

Thaksin is not 'the real PM,' Thai premier tells US envoy

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told a senior US envoy Friday that Thaksin Shinawatra will not run his government from behind the scenes, now that the deposed premier has returned from exile.

Samak met Friday with Christopher Hill, the US pointman for East Asian affairs, just one day after Thaksin staged a dramatic homecoming after nearly a year and a half in self-imposed exile.

Although Thaksin has publicly vowed "never, ever" to return to politics, he has already played a critical role in ensuring Samak's victory in elections held in December.

Many analysts say Thaksin will try to keep Samak on a tight leash.

Samak, a charismatic but combative right-winger, has bristled at suggestions that he is Thaksin's puppet, and told Hill that he holds the reins of government, according to his spokeswoman Suparat Nakbunnam.

"Today the critics say that the real prime minister has returned to Thailand, but today is my day as prime minister," Samak told Hill during their meeting, according to the spokeswoman.

Hill met with Samak just hours before he made his first official visit overseas as head of government, travelling to neighbouring Laos.

Hill also gave Samak a message to deliver from the United States to the ruling military junta in Myanmar, Thailand's neighbour and a key trading partner, she said.

Suparat declined to give details of the message, but said Samak was likely to visit Myanmar next week.

Thaksin's homecoming to crowds Thursday eclipsed Samak's profile as prime minister, sparking widespread speculation in Thai media that Thaksin was returning to keep the premier under his thumb.

Although Thaksin personally tapped Samak to lead his supporters in the last elections, the two have a prickly history.

They both served as deputy prime ministers during the late 1990s, and bickered so intensely that the revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej publicly scolded them.

- AFP

It's just a guess, but I'm guessing the American Assistant Secretary of State did not give this type of message to Samak to pass along to the Burmese junta:

Noppadope's agenda...

New approach to Burma, says Noppadon

Thailand has no choice but to put national economic interests before human rights concerns in dealing with Burma, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said yesterday. The Samak government would do whatever it takes to turn the economy around as quickly as possible. "In the past, we had constructive engagement and flexible engagement, but they never took us anywhere. Now, we will adopt another approach, neighbour engagement. We will talk to them in a friendly manner on subjects that they are comfortable with,'' said Noppadon. Noppadon said he feels sorry for Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but was not able to help her. "I'll steer Thailand's foreign policy in a way that will benefit its people and businesses and protect the country's interests. He planned to transform Thai embassies into business centres , offering a one-stop service if possible. Team Thailand would be set up, comprising experts from various fields like commerce and labour, to give advice and promote investment abroad. To facilitate the effort, Noppadon planned to carry out a major reshuffle of diplomats. The Campaign Committee for Human Rights yesterday warned the government against making unfair transfers and said it had received reports that some high-ranking diplomats were potential targets for transfer by the new government. They included Kitti Wasinond, the Ambassador to Britain, who was said to have provided the CNS with in-depth information about the movements of the London-based supporters of Thaksin. Krit Garnjana-Goonchorn, the Thai Ambassador to the USA, is likely to be another target. When Mr Krit was Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary under the Surayud government, he approved the withdrawal of Thaksin's diplomatic passport.

Continued here:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/26Feb2008_news12.php

Edited February 29, 2008 by sriracha john

[rixalex]

Today's Bangkok Post has a great editorial titled, "The politics of Thaksin's homecoming". A must read.

"The military junta that ousted him is in disgrace." These are very sweet words indeed and so true. Finally, the student-massacreing military men are out of power and the only man who has dared to oppose them is back in this lovely country. Good times lie ahead! Happy days are here, again!

I think i now see J.K.Rowling's inspiration for the character Wormtail. Hadn't you better be scurrying back to your master? Best not displease the great one now. Maybe your loyalty will be rewarded with another forum writing mission, who knows.