Thaksin Calls For National Unity

[george]

Thaksin calls for national unity

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra called national unity and asked for both confronting sides to bury their hatchets for a better future for the country.

"I want to see unity among people in the country. I don't want to see the plenty conflicts going on," Thaksin said.

He said the poor would suffer the most from the ongoing political rivalry. "More importantly, the country will be damaged," he added.

"I am nothing; the country is the big issue. I hope Thai people will forgive one another and restore peace in the country."

The exPM said he hoped that some day people who disliked him would have a good understanding towards him.

"Today I want everyone to know that I hold no grudges against people who did bad to me," Thaksin said, adding that both rival sides should reconcile as birthday presents for Their Majesties the King and Queen.

When asked to comment on the recent violent clash, he said both sides should better save their energy to help the country struggle its problems.

Thaksin was speaking on the eve of his 59th birthday, when friends, supporters and politicians loyal to him offered their good wishes at the Shinawatra Building.

The wellwishers included former executives of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party, members of the current Cabinet, MPs from the ruling People Power Party, and Thaksin's former classmates from the Armed Forces Preparatory School.

More than 100 redclad Thaksin supporters sang "Happy Birthday" and a folk song called "Prod Chuay Kan Raksa Kon Dee" (Please Save a Good Man).

Thaksin presented to his wellwishers as a souvenir, copies of a hardcover book "Thailand on the World Stage", which contains a collection of his speeches given at international forums between 2003 and this year.

He told reporters yesterday that his intention was to stay out of politics and to do his business overseas after all his legal cases were settled.

Thaksin is going to mark his birthday today (July 26) at home with his family, according to his sister Yingluck Shinawatra.

-- The Nation 2008-07-25

[TAWP]

Of course he doesn't hold a grudge...he is still stinking rich!

[Slip]

LOL- I wonder how much of a grudge he'll harbour if he ends up doing a 10 stretch?

[sgtpeppers]

hmmm. the truth is the exact oppsite of what he says, so... the story might be better understood as follows.

Thaksin calls for national unity

"I do not want to see unity among people in the country. I want to see the plenty conflicts going on," Thaksin said.

"I am everything; the country is the small issue. "

"Today I want everyone to know that I hold big grudges against people who did bad to me," Thaksin said, adding that both rival sides should reconcile as birthday presents for Their Majesties the King and Queen.

I don't know who he thinks he is, but it is worth noting that it is his Birthday coming up... not HM K&Q.... unless he thinks....

[Plus]

Calls for unity after show of force? It's call for capitulation.

How come he doesn't condemn killings done in his own name? Quietly enjoying the moment, like some of our TV posters?

PAD now has legitimate reason to call for justice and restoration of law and order in the country. Thaksin wants the killers to be forgiven. How's that supposed to work?

[Tony Clifton]

Thaksin should shut the f*&^ up.

HE is the cause of this division and madness.

Instead of pretending, once again, to be calling for unity, he should instruct his violent mobs to stop.

But, since they often neither have an answer or the brains to reply to PAD, violence is the way to shut the mouths that speak the truth. What they are doing now is pushing it to the limit with the help of the government. Then they ll act all surprised when some of them are found hanging from telephone poles or floating down the khlong.

[willy1957]

Thaksin calls for national unity

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra called national unity .

That is easy when you are rich. It is the same like some rich say money isn't important. If you visit Phrae for example there you find extreme poverty, and people who have no job or a future,many of them alchoholists,so what do those people have on words like unity? Unity can only be there when there is a decent social security. I know people with 500 baht pension in month, what do they have on words like unity?Politicians like Thaksin and others should study the European politics and their systems to protect the most fragile groups of the community.There can't be unity when the rich keep everything for themselves.Before anyone should ask...no I am not a communist,but only social behaviour can save a nation or let it grow to a human community where not only the very rich can feel well

[ratcatcher]

I call for National Unity............................ to the death

[blaze]

Thaksin calls for national unity

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra called national unity .

That is easy when you are rich. It is the same like some rich say money isn't important. If you visit Phrae for example there you find extreme poverty, and people who have no job or a future,many of them alchoholists,so what do those people have on words like unity? Unity can only be there when there is a decent social security. I know people with 500 baht pension in month, what do they have on words like unity?Politicians like Thaksin and others should study the European politics and their systems to protect the most fragile groups of the community.There can't be unity when the rich keep everything for themselves.Before anyone should ask...no I am not a communist,but only social behaviour can save a nation or let it grow to a human community where not only the very rich can feel well

Do you know much about the TRT programs which were, at least superficially, designed to provide some short term relief to the poor. Or at the very least, to acknowledge (for what ever nefarious reasons) that the poor in THialand have legitimate grievances.

Some on this board do not recognize that for many of the poor in this country, malnutrition is a reality=- and malnutrition lives next door to starvation. And in the same house as diminished IQ, substance abuse, and despair--

Of course not every body believes in any assistance to the poor (watch the US Fox News)---short term or long term. They have taken the term 'populist' to be perjorative (among those that figured that FDR was a commie, that Tommy Douglas was Satan's seed)- but that's their right. ASnd don't dare suggest European 'socialism' ...

Sadly, these social Darwinists livein a country where the majority IS poor- so there is no alternative for them (the reactionaries) but to take to the streets- Because under a truly functioning democracy- at its best- they would still be the losers.

Edited July 25, 2008 by blaze

[blaze]

Thaksin should shut the f*&^ up.

HE is the cause of this division and madness.

Instead of pretending, once again, to be calling for unity, he should instruct his violent mobs to stop.

But, since they often neither have an answer or the brains to reply to PAD, violence is the way to shut the mouths that speak the truth. What they are doing now is pushing it to the limit with the help of the government. Then they ll act all surprised when some of them are found hanging from telephone poles or floating down the khlong.

One man is the cause of the divisions?

The social divisions?- the economic divisions? =the educational divisions? The divisions of opportunity?

Who do you think you are talking to?

For many of the poor in this country that man represents nothing more than the symbol (unwarranted in your view- but who cares!) of hope in the face of an uncaring, exploitative ruling class. They may be right or wrong to pin their hopes on Thaksin or his proxies- but to suggest that Thaksin created these divides... no- they have been brewing for a long time- and will continue to brew until some kind of functioning democracy takes root- it may not salve the suffering of the poor- but until it does, local gangsters such as those that commanded the horrible events in Udon- will continue to have a dispossed and angry populace at their disposal.

Edited July 25, 2008 by blaze

[wasabi]

Does anyone thing Thaksin did a fair amount of good while PM? In my Thai language class today the teacher felt he had made mistakes but did more for promoting investment in the country than most. She mentioned his imporvement of infrastructure with projects like the Sky Train, MRT and the airport as accomplishments of his. I have no idea if this is true or not! I'm just curious what others think.

[sriracha john]

Does anyone thing Thaksin did a fair amount of good while PM? In my Thai language class today the teacher felt he had made mistakes but did more for promoting investment in the country than most. She mentioned his imporvement of infrastructure with projects like the Sky Train, MRT and the airport as accomplishments of his. I have no idea if this is true or not! I'm just curious what others think.

a good thumbnail assessment from when he was still in office...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Thaksin-Shin...&hl=thaksin

Thaksin Shinawatra, How Do You Feel About Him?

btw, any further announcements in his birthday message about how the Billionaire Benefactor Grand Humanitarian Foundation is going since he's quit politics and all and is entirely focused on helping the poor and down-trodden?

[willy1957]

Does anyone thing Thaksin did a fair amount of good while PM? In my Thai language class today the teacher felt he had made mistakes but did more for promoting investment in the country than most. She mentioned his imporvement of infrastructure with projects like the Sky Train, MRT and the airport as accomplishments of his. I have no idea if this is true or not! I'm just curious what others think.

That is possible, because Thaksin was always respected in the western world,but on the other hand he collaborated with the criminal junta of Miyanmar on a deal to get people from there doing the dirty work for even less salary than the Thai people.So, I think Thaksin earned a lot of cash on all those projects, and the poor did not benifit from it.It is also true that some people don't function in neither system,but that doesn't mean they don't need or deserve help in a certain way. In belgium you have the duty to go to the elections and that is good, because politicians are not intrested in people who doesn't vote, for the simple reason they can't change their position for good or worse.I think people and not only Thais have to come up for their rights, that is what we did in the early 20th century, and if you don't nothing changes

[A_Traveller]

Does anyone thing Thaksin did a fair amount of good while PM? In my Thai language class today the teacher felt he had made mistakes but did more for promoting investment in the country than most. She mentioned his imporvement of infrastructure with projects like the Sky Train, MRT and the airport as accomplishments of his. I have no idea if this is true or not! I'm just curious what others think.

Oddly the birthday book out today does not include his speeches from 2001 & 2002 I believe, which were broadly {at least at foreign venues} supportive of foreign investment, though the speeches internally were far more nationalistic and insular in tone. Sky Train was running before he even took office, MRT was being built though was delayed owing to the 97 crash, and the airport was sped up though the project is the subject of much discussion over the apparent level of corrupt practices the acceleration permitted.

Regards