Thaksin Warns Of Bloodshed

[sabaijai]

Thaksin warns that coup would be bloody

The Associated Press

Friday, November 28, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand: Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has warned the army to stay out of politics, predicting bloodshed if they stage a coup.

Thaksin spoke in a videotaped interview with blogger Thomas Crampton as a four-day shutdown of Bangkok's airports by protesters has pitched his homeland deeper into a political and economic crisis.

The billionaire businessman turned populist politician was deposed by the military for alleged corruption and abuse of power in a September 2006 coup and now lives in exile.

"If the coup were to happen, there's going to be bloodshed. It's not going to be an easy coup like in the past because the people are in hardship since dictatorship came to Thailand," Thaksin said.

Thaksin, who retains a loyal following among Thailand's poor, rural majority, urged his supporters to "protect democracy."

The date and time of the interview was not known, though it was posted on Crampton's blog on Friday.

The Thai government has declared a limited state of emergency around its two besieged airports, but so far held back from using force to remove the protesters.

Army chief Anupong Paochinda has said fresh elections should be called to resolve the deadlock, a call rejected by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law. The protesters seek to oust Somchai because they charge he is Thaksin's puppet.

There have been calls by some of the press and public for the army to intervene as a way of resolving the situation. Government supporters warn that they would resist a military takeover with force.

When the tanks rolled in 2006's bloodless putsch, the reaction in Bangkok was festive. The capital's residents welcomed the action after months of street protests against Thaksin. Thaksin's allies returned to power after elections in December last year.

Crampton, a freelance journalist, used to work for the International Herald Tribune and bases himself in Hong Kong, a city frequently visited by Thaksin.

----------

On the Net:

Thaksin interview:

http://www.thomascrampton.com/thailand/exc...-on-thai-crisis

[sabaijai]

Exclusive Video: Thaksin on Thai crisis

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra today warned that the protesters blocking Bangkok’s airports must clear out or face the consequences.

He also warned that should the military launch a coup, it would be much more bloody than the previously occasions.

These came out when I had coffee today with Thaksin, who now lives in exile. He spoke passionately about this week’s events in Thailand.

Thaksin is extremely upset by the turn of events and remains closely involved. As we spoke, he took lengthy calls about the situation from two prime ministers in Southeast Asia.

In the video below, Thaksin urges all parties to obey Thai laws and warns that - unlike previous coups - attempts by the Thai military to seize power would go very badly.

Some quotes from the video:

“The airports must be reopened and the protesters must respect not only the law, but the citizens of Thailand,” Thaksin said. “If no one respects the law, then law enforcement must be done.”

“This is dangerous for the country and there will be a long term effect if the Thai people are not united,” Thaksin said. “The protesters need to leave the airports.” “Those who violate the law must be prosecuted.

“If a coup were to happen, there would be bloodshed, this would not be an easy coup like in the past. The people in Thailand now face hardship since dictatorship came.”

Thaksin urged his supporters to “protect democracy”: “If you protect Democracy you may be painful for a while, but if you allow dictatorship to take over Thailand you are going to have a nightmare for your whole life.”

Thaksin’s message to the military: “They are officials whose salary is paid by taxpayer money, so they have to do what is wanted by the whole of the Thai people, not just for minority groups. They must respect Democracy. They must play by the rules. Being neutral means you have to observe the law.”

Life in exile has surreal quality, Thaksin said. He was waiting in line for UK immigration one recent morning when Thai politicians began calling him on his mobile, lobbying for him to support their bids for power. A few days later, while outside of Britain, he learned that he could not go back to the UK. “It takes such a very strange quality sometimes, my life,” Thaksin said.

[Scott]

I think the days of mai pen lai are coming to an end.

[Insight]

I'm guessing I'm about to agree very much with the below 10 posters.

[londonthai]

I don't think this kind of public warnings do good in the present situation - from the person, who was recently sentensed with few other courts in the pipeline. He should leave the politics to the PM and cabinet. If he wants to say to somebody he just might call them

[Thaddeus]

He is definitely loosing the plot.

[MKAsok]

Pro-government mass rally to be held at Sanam Luang Sunday: Veera

Veera Musigapong, a host of Truth Today TV programme, said a mass rally of the "red-shirted people" will be held at Sanam Luang Sunday.

He said the rally in support of the government will begin at 4 pm.

He said former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will not make a phone call to address the demonstrators and the demonstrators will not move to clash with anti-government protester at the Suvarnabhumi airport.

He urged the government supporters to wear red shirt to attend the rally.

The Nation

[slapout]

With the examples of past reporting by Thai professionals???, The outlandish solutions offered to simple problems by some of the ministries ,the verbal misunderstandings between various ministries, the outright lies that have come from this man, I wonder who the escapee is listening to? It is extremely difficult to be a good leader, good general, much less a good citizen when you are several thousand miles from the scene, with the present events going on. The greatest good he could do for Thailand is crawl back in his hole with the rest of his species, lay up for the winter, come out next spring and check to see if the sun is shining on his part of the world.

[Samuian]

Thaksin said. “If no one respects the law, then law enforcement must be done.”

That is why he has become a fugitive in exile, he has chosen to escape punishment and avoid prosecution.

“This is dangerous for the country and there will be a long term effect if the Thai people are not united,” Thaksin said.

He is the cause of it all, tell his proxies to back off, his brother in law to stand down, stop the BS and everything will be fine, but his ego goes helter skelter and his love for "his" money drives him bananas!

“The protesters need to leave the airports.” “Those who violate the law must be prosecuted.

Well if he would respect the law and all his cronies there wouldn't be a PAD and no protests... it's so simple, can't he listen or does he have some disorder for not understanding the simplest things?

Edited November 29, 2008 by Samuian

[pedro01]

Why is Thaksin getting so much time in the press ?

He's a convicted criminal on the run after all - but there his words are in the Thai newspapers

Thaksin is quite obviously encouraging his followers to violently oppose the army in the event of a coup. When push comes to shove, I doubt the red shirts will do much more than run away after the first few shootings if it comes to that. I dont think the police will do much to intervene.

I think the PAD overstepped the mark, the government can't do anything about it and so naturally, the army will have to step in. There's 2 ways the army can get the PAD out of the airport. They can go in and force them out or take a trip to Chiang Mai and get Thaksins puppet out

One thing I don't understand - were the government so low on Thaksin puppets that the only one they could find/trust was a family member ? Did they really not see this as something that would spark massive protests ?

[PeaceBlondie]

I am overjoyed to hear that being exiled, being banned from the UK, being convicted of crimes, and treated like a third-class citizen has enlightened Khun Tak-SIN as to the plight of the disenfranchised minorities. There is a plane leaving for Rangoon....

[hawker9000]

Geez - doesn't he have handlers telling him to shut the f___ up?! He's not helping the PPP any more than he's helping himself!

[sabaijai]

I don't think this kind of public warnings do good in the present situation - from the person, who was recently sentensed with few other courts in the pipeline. He should leave the politics to the PM and cabinet. If he wants to say to somebody he just might call them

He might try to lead by example, ie, by heeding his own advice. "Thaksin urges all parties to obey Thai laws."

[TAWP]

...and he gave the advice to not only govern to the ones electing he politician?

"They are officials whose salary is paid by taxpayer money, so they have to do what is wanted by the whole of the Thai people, not just for minority groups."

Yes, like giving a lot of money to farmers up-north in an attempt to ruin the economy for the farmers in the south, by making them directly compete with their products? ('Luckely', the rubber-tree plans seem to have failed?)

[sabaijai]

...and he gave the advice to not only govern to the ones electing he politician?

"They are officials whose salary is paid by taxpayer money, so they have to do what is wanted by the whole of the Thai people, not just for minority groups."

Yes, like giving a lot of money to farmers up-north in an attempt to ruin the economy for the farmers in the south, by making them directly compete with their products? ('Luckely', the rubber-tree plans seem to have failed?)

He didn't do the northern farmers any favours. The village funds were loans, not grants, and the program has left many of them further in debt than they were before. Furthermore, much of the fund was skimmed by local ABT and TRT politicos in return for mobilising the vote.

[h90]

...and he gave the advice to not only govern to the ones electing he politician?

"They are officials whose salary is paid by taxpayer money, so they have to do what is wanted by the whole of the Thai people, not just for minority groups."

Yes, like giving a lot of money to farmers up-north in an attempt to ruin the economy for the farmers in the south, by making them directly compete with their products? ('Luckely', the rubber-tree plans seem to have failed?)

the rubber tree plants have failed due to corrupt. They used small branches instead of seeds. That's much cheaper, looks like a rubber tree but does not work. Again Sondhi and ASTV found it out and it is proofed to be true.

[seri thai]

Thaksin spoke in a videotaped interview with blogger Thomas Crampton as a four-day shutdown of Bangkok's airports by protesters has pitched his homeland deeper into a political and economic crisis.

The date and time of the interview was not known, though it was posted on Crampton's blog on Friday.

Crampton, a freelance journalist, used to work for the International Herald Tribune and bases himself in Hong Kong, a city frequently visited by Thaksin.

http://www.thomascrampton.com/thailand/exc...-on-thai-crisis

Seems to be having trouble getting his English language message across. Looking for a journalist who doesn't ask penetrating questions?

Why not just post a rant on Youtube? Does a docile journalist boost credibility?

Why not just buy Youtube?

[Artisi]

Hopefully it will be thaksin blood that is shed

[BigBuddha]

Thaksin said. “If no one respects the law, then law enforcement must be done.”

That is why he has become a fugitive in exile, he has chosen to escape punishment and avoid prosecution.

Due to PAD supported judges who are corrupt as well and fear for them to be exposed of their wicked corruption practices...you must be naive or dumb to not understand politics...it's easy to convict someone who has no way to defend being in Exile. when he returns a lot of dirty laundry will be revealed of the other side and this is what most of the other power greedy people fears the most...do you think that PAD leaders are holy and free from corruption....you will soon be surprised if it comes to opening up the cans of worms...corruption in Thailand is just a word that is branded bad....but actually it is just the way of life ...not just in Thailand but in most countries of the world...either very obvious or under the surface...it is all a way of life...unconscious living...unaware living....

“This is dangerous for the country and there will be a long term effect if the Thai people are not united,” Thaksin said.

He is the cause of it all, tell his proxies to back off, his brother in law to stand down, stop the BS and everything will be fine, but his ego goes helter skelter and his love for "his" money drives him bananas!

It is so lame scapegoating him...when he was in power Thailand was running well and prosperous....just see yourselves what the few leaders of PAD dogs are up to now...When they get the power in their hands it will be like giving a toddler the steering handle of a Jumbo Jet....hold on to your seats then....just listen and hear how these low skunks are talking and what language they are using....at least there was law and order prosperity when Taksin was in power....corrupt or enriching himself is beyond the point for most of the people in Thailand....corruption and big money greed only affect the other rich, money greed minority of PAD leaders who didn't get their share of the CAKE of corruption ....and cowardly they are using the poor dumb educated people of Thailand as human shields under the excuse of fighting corruption and pro-democracy...sad,sad..hope they don't become cannon fodder...

“The protesters need to leave the airports.” “Those who violate the law must be prosecuted.

Well if he would respect the law and all his cronies there wouldn't be a PAD and no protests... it's so simple, can't he listen or does he have some disorder for not understanding the simplest things?

Who has set up the law the law can only be the law when it is not fluctuating through corrupt judges who are supporting undemocratic PAD dumb ass sheep ready to be used as cannon fodder for the big money boys who are just as corrupt as Thaksin...except Thaksin had the reign...so choose which corrupt political selfish leaders you want to choose....I prefer to choose the lesser of evil so long there is order from the chaos ,and the majority of the people of Thailand can live harmoniously...under a "democracy" or dictatorship..it is only a bundle of thoughts ...so long as the people can live normally then nothing really matters....let the big money greedy boys fight among themselves...but leave the rest of the people in Thailand in peace.

[hammered]

...and he gave the advice to not only govern to the ones electing he politician?

"They are officials whose salary is paid by taxpayer money, so they have to do what is wanted by the whole of the Thai people, not just for minority groups."

Yes, like giving a lot of money to farmers up-north in an attempt to ruin the economy for the farmers in the south, by making them directly compete with their products? ('Luckely', the rubber-tree plans seem to have failed?)

He didn't do the northern farmers any favours. The village funds were loans, not grants, and the program has left many of them further in debt than they were before. Furthermore, much of the fund was skimmed by local ABT and TRT politicos in return for mobilising the vote.

Having a conversation with northen onion growers is always of interest when getting onto the point of who signed the agreement with China that ruined their business.

[neverdie]

Sorry, I just knocked myself out when i fell out the back of my chair listening to the THAKSIN video.....what a classic example of the pot calling the kettle 'black'.

The should place all of the political so called 'leaders' together on a high-jacked ship somewhere around the Somalia coastline and let them duke it out so the rest of thailand can return to some sort of order .

No one is driving the big bus at the moment, so i doubt anyone would notice that there is no government cronies actively trying to stuff things up further.

[rayw]

WELL TELL THE BLOODY EVIL AND CROOKED TOXIN C*NT TO TELL HIS BROTHER IN LAW WHO HE DOUBTLESS CONTROLS TO STAND DOWN AND CALL NEW MONITORED AND INTERNATIONALLY OBSERVED ELECTIONS AND PREVENT ANY BLOODSHED.

If this Government really does have the will of the majority here then they will be re-elected and this time without buying and rigging votes and then we should be able to move on, for a full normal term, prosperously with a fully accepted Government whichever side get elected. Of course and very sadly there will this time be bloodshed if a coup takes place, but unless the above happens what choice is there other than to meekly just accept the corrupt present dubiously elected government who won't do the honourable thing. Any bloodshed will be firmly on Thaxsin and the current Government's hands as only they have the power to stop this and do the honourable thing and face the will of the people fairly and honestly this time !!! I cannot see why this does not seem to make sense to some folk, though most I am sure will agree with it, as where is the fault with it other than the lack of will by the corrupt elitists in power ? I may not personally agree with all of PAD's political principles BUT what choice do they have in the current circumstances as somebody has to stand up to what is a blatantly unacceptable dubiously elected Government, so we should be asking the Governement to comply and stand down not the PAD folk surely whether or not we are personally put out by their actions, so put the blame where it truly lies and not with the PAD folk.

Thaksin warns that coup would be bloody

The Associated Press

Friday, November 28, 2008

BANGKOK, Thailand: Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has warned the army to stay out of politics, predicting bloodshed if they stage a coup.

Thaksin spoke in a videotaped interview with blogger Thomas Crampton as a four-day shutdown of Bangkok's airports by protesters has pitched his homeland deeper into a political and economic crisis.

The billionaire businessman turned populist politician was deposed by the military for alleged corruption and abuse of power in a September 2006 coup and now lives in exile.

"If the coup were to happen, there's going to be bloodshed. It's not going to be an easy coup like in the past because the people are in hardship since dictatorship came to Thailand," Thaksin said.

Thaksin, who retains a loyal following among Thailand's poor, rural majority, urged his supporters to "protect democracy."

The date and time of the interview was not known, though it was posted on Crampton's blog on Friday.

The Thai government has declared a limited state of emergency around its two besieged airports, but so far held back from using force to remove the protesters.

Army chief Anupong Paochinda has said fresh elections should be called to resolve the deadlock, a call rejected by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law. The protesters seek to oust Somchai because they charge he is Thaksin's puppet.

There have been calls by some of the press and public for the army to intervene as a way of resolving the situation. Government supporters warn that they would resist a military takeover with force.

When the tanks rolled in 2006's bloodless putsch, the reaction in Bangkok was festive. The capital's residents welcomed the action after months of street protests against Thaksin. Thaksin's allies returned to power after elections in December last year.

Crampton, a freelance journalist, used to work for the International Herald Tribune and bases himself in Hong Kong, a city frequently visited by Thaksin.

----------

On the Net:

Thaksin interview:

http://www.thomascrampton.com/thailand/exc...-on-thai-crisis

[hammered]

Thaksin looked kind of tired or drugged on that video to me. I cant help but think for eefect he should have done it on BBC or CNN. Maybe the only way round the Mumbai coverage was a blog appearance.

[esprit]

Hopefully it will be thaksin blood that is shed

Fine so long as it is not less than 8 pints

[BlackJack]

ANYONE come to mind when you read the below:

Identifying a Pathological Liar

Pathological liars, or "mythomaniacs," may be suffering from histrionic personality disorder or narcissistic personality disorder. The following comments basically reflect a pathological liar who has the characteristics of histrionic personality disorder.

Some characteristics:

1. Exaggerates things that are ridiculous.

2. One-upping. Whatever you do, this person can do it better. You will never top them in their own mind, because they have a concerted need to be better than everyone else. This also applies to being right. If you try to confront an individual like this, no matter how lovingly and well-intentioned you might be - this will probably not be effective. It's threatening their fantasy of themselves, so they would rather argue with you and bring out the sharp knives than admit that there's anything wrong with them.

3. They "construct" a reality around themselves. They don't value the truth, especially if they don't see it as hurting anyone. If you call them on a lie and they are backed into a corner, they will act very defensively and say ugly things (most likely but depends on personality), but they may eventually start to act like, "Well, what's the difference? You're making a big deal out of nothing!" (again, to refocus the conversation to your wrongdoing instead of theirs).

4. Because these people don't value honesty, a lot of times they will not value loyalty. So watch what you tell them. They will not only tell others, but they will embellish to make you look worse. Their loyalty is fleeting, and because they are insecure people, they will find solace in confiding to whomever is in their favor at the moment.

5. They may be somewhat of a hypochondriac. This can come in especially useful when caught in a lie, for example, they can claim that they have been sick, or that there's some mysteriously "illness" that has them all stressed out. It's another excuse tool for their behavior.

6. Obviously, they will contradict what they say. This will become very clear over time. They usually aren't smart enough to keep track of so many lies (who would be?).

Here are some ways to tell someone is a pathological liar contributed by another WikiAnswers Contributor:

* They lie about even the smallest things. For example, saying "I brushed my teeth today," when they didn't.

* They add exaggerations to every sentence.

* They change their story all the time.

* They act very defensively when you question their statements.

* They believe what they say is true, when everyone else knows it isn't.

Here's an alternate "checklist":

* Lies when it is very easy to tell the truth.

* Lies to get sympathy, to look beter, to save their butt, etc.

* Fools people at first but once they get to know him, no one believes anything they ever say.

* May have a personality disorder.

* Extremely manipulative.

* Has been caught in lies repeatedly.

* Never fesses up to the lies.

* Is a legend in their own mind.

[Lithobid]

“The airports must be reopened and the protesters must respect not only the law, but the citizens of Thailand,” Thaksin said. “If no one respects the law, then law enforcement must be done.”

-ahem

[hammered]

Apart form pointing out the utter hipocricy of Thaksin on talking about respecting Thai law we should pay attention to his warnings of bloodshed as we know for a fact that he has proven previous history in this area and so should be taken seriously.

[Artisi]

Lets face some real facts: the cause of this current problem is squarely on the shoulders of one person, Mr ex PM and convicted criminal Thaksin - remove him from the scene and the problem will quietly fade away in next to no-time. He has promoted, financed and ensured that the problem has been ongoing and will remain ongoing while ever he has any of his cronnies in the chair and while he is allowed to roam the world as a convicted criminal snubbing his nose at the Thai courts and Thailand itself and now preaching "everyone should obey the laws" - what an absolute hypocrite.

[johnwills]

Well the talk here is about a mass protest from the reds in Bangkok, the rice is nearly in so many will be sat twiddling their thumbs for a few months so they will have time to attend. The numbers they are throwing around here are hard to believe (up to 1 million), but even 10% of that would be a sizeable number. Lets hope this is resolved before all the rice is harvested.

[chuck_s]

thai will listen to any blabbering idiot. Convicted or not convicted.