Thaksin Interviews On CNN and BBC

[Crushdepth]

There is also a video of Jakrapob making a speech doing the rounds. He says things he may regret

Jakrapob has a unique ability to put both feet in his mouth simultaneously. It is *amazing* that anyone still lets him act as a spokesman for anything after his speech at the press club (the one where he says that Thaksin has 'some loyalty' to the King and simultaneously earned himself a Lese Majeste charge). He is the most incompetent PR guy I can think of.

INTERVIEWER:

Sir, there is democracy, the point that you make, but then there is also the rule of law.

You have also been accused and convicted of corruption.

How can the Thai people trust you?

I wish I'd seen this interview...what a great question.

[lannarebirth]

There is also a video of Jakrapob making a speech doing the rounds. He says things he may regret

Jakrapob has a unique ability to put both feet in his mouth simultaneously. It is *amazing* that anyone still lets him act as a spokesman for anything after his speech at the press club (the one where he says that Thaksin has 'some loyalty' to the King and simultaneously earned himself a Lese Majeste charge). He is the most incompetent PR guy I can think of.

INTERVIEWER:

Sir, there is democracy, the point that you make, but then there is also the rule of law.

You have also been accused and convicted of corruption.

How can the Thai people trust you?

I wish I'd seen this interview...what a great question.

Jakrapob is the most dangerous man in Thailand. He is Machiavelli to Thaksin's Prince. Though more evil and less pragmatic. Anything is possible, including incitement to armed insurrection, while he is still free.

[seri thai]

....."Regarding the direct firing by the soldiers into the rioting red shirted mobs, it has been made clear that the weapons fired

( contents ) are Paper made, not lethal and are used for scare tactics ONLY just like the rubber bullets used back home but less lethal I might add."... Quote.

......okay people lets have some unbiased views here. I dont work for the BBC, but i was there too (working for Foreign News)..... AND THE BULLETS WERE REAL !!!!

if anyone wants to see any of the spent cartridges that i picked up, i can post photos..... They are 5.56mm M16 Rounds, not blanks....and not made of paper (never heard anything so ridiculous !!)

it is a wonder how more people were not killed.

The red shirts went too far......

They never expected the local people to turn on them.....

Thaksin has lost face....

Abhisit is now stronger as a result....

But there are still obvious rifts in the security forces (ie Pattaya farce)

....this was only the beginning, there will be more..... outside of bangkok the reds are still strong, and if the Gvt. cracks down on their leaders....... they will claim that they are being unfairly treated, as none of the yellow shirt leaders have been prosecuted.....

....then we will see the next episode begin

If you watch the recorded segment involving the buses there were two activities visible and one less so.

1) Troops firing into the air on full auto (live ammo)

2) Troops firing ahead and re-cocking (indicating blanks with a lower charge)

3) Troops firing at reversing bus and down alley-presumably live-rounds but could be blanks to deter.

The troops looked very nervous and confused, which reflects the events of the previous days and also confusion in the rules of engagement and chain of command. (They do not adequately trained for the role) and the government or command structure may not have had the confidence to order them to shoot "fellow peasants" if you take my meaning.

I suspect the cold war training, rhetoric and ideology doesn't really cut it like it used to.

Given that someone is revving a bus up, then leaping out to drive it at you, you could be forgiven for taking it personally. At that point those in doubt probably decided which side they were on.

Edited April 15, 2009 by seri thai

[bf2002]

first , if you have not seen it, watch thaksins BBC interview where when asked if he paying the reds, and say NO then watch this video presentation he made to the reds:

particularly watch for his reaction at the 40 second marker and his fumbling afterwards

anyone who defends Thaksin and says he does not lie can watch him shoot himself in the foot right here

i have sent it to the BBC and CNN already

Don't you know that most of his supporters KNOW what is up?

What is your point here? Didn't the PAD do the same thing? And what do you call the first coup engineers? Try what they did in the US and they would be tried for treason.

It is amazing how so many foreigners (and yes, I am one too) think it is ok to screw up an elected government with an army coup because the elected government is corrupt! The last time I checked, the UK and USA governments would have been overthrown if corruption was justification for a coup...and I am an American.

In what world do you live?

Do you honestly think the BBC has not already seen this footage of yours? You found it on the net yourself.

Amazing!

this was not for the benefit of his supporters except to show them what a dimwit he is

it was for the pleasure of his detractors

i am not interested in the past, or wether the yellows paid their supporters, you might think its important and you might think it excuses his behaviour but its not relavent to this post

the point is he lied on TV and can now be held to account for financing the 'revolution'

he said in the BBC interview with Lucy Hockings that he was not paying the protesters and was only offering moral support

the video i posted proves different and also proves what a treachorous natured person he really is.

to save himself he lied and denied his supporters in the midst of the conflict.

it was no surprise the reds ceased action within 12 hours of those interviews

they must have been demoralised by their beloved leader backpeddling and trying to save himself in front of the whole world

i would guess he also told the red leaders there will be no more money forthcoming so they better go home

he is not only a traitor to Thailand but to his own loyal supporters

if he was any kind of a man, he would have been here at the head of the march instead of sitting in a $500 a night hotel room in Dubai

as to the footage, i sent it to the BBC, CNN and Lucy Hockings

as i did to the Nation newspaper, now its on the Nation website for all to see

so it has credibility

when was your research last published in a national newspaper?

it really does not matter where it came from or where i found it

its a true account and it confirms Thaksin lied and was financing the reds despite his denials whilst at the same time trying to dissassociate himself from his loyal followers

its enough for a charge of treason to be laid at his door i think

I know what you are saying, but that is not the point for Thailand, is it?

This same legalistic mindset is what the yellows did to start with...Tit...it ain't the West....was the price to the mass of Thais worth it for their little need for vengeance...and that is exactly how they handled it.

And the democrats being "elected" by PMs IS NOT THE SAME AS BEING ELECTED BY THE GENERAL VOTE. TRT and all the yellow-shirt parties afterwards won the vote...though admittedly all parties played dirty on the elections. The Democrats came about only because of the mass protests and illegal actions of first a coup and then the PAD...there is no difference with the protests that went on/are still going on now.

As for if he is guilty...last I checked, that is up to the laws of his country, and they have all proved the only law is that of who uses more guns, money, and power...so if the reds lose, they lived and died by the same sword...

Did he lie? Most likely. Was he corrupt? Most likely....but then are you proposing most of them on both sides are not? I am sure you and I agree on that answer.

It seems like justice is being sought primarily by other corrupt individuals...and I serioulsly doubt anyone except outside observers would actually believe this is about anything but two groups fighting for power...and corruption isn't even a concern for them except as a rhetorical word to manipulate the gullible. TiT! It is NOT the West.

[Moebius87]

first , if you have not seen it, watch thaksins BBC interview where when asked if he paying the reds, and say NO then watch this video presentation he made to the reds:

particularly watch for his reaction at the 40 second marker and his fumbling afterwards

anyone who defends Thaksin and says he does not lie can watch him shoot himself in the foot right here

i have sent it to the BBC and CNN already

Classic example of "foot-in-mouth" disorder. Looks like Thaksin has already incriminated himself here and I'm sure they will throw a lot more lies around to obfuscate the slip here.

— Möe

[Tigs]

Kaiwatnok

"Regarding the direct firing by the soldiers into the rioting red shirted mobs, it has been made clear that the weapons fired

( contents ) are Paper made, not lethal and are used for scare tactics ONLY just like the rubber bullets used back home but less lethal I might add."... Quote.

......okay people lets have some unbiased views here. I dont work for the BBC, but i was there too (working for Foreign News)..... AND THE BULLETS WERE REAL !!!!

if anyone wants to see any of the spent cartridges that i picked up, i can post photos..... They are 5.56mm M16 Rounds, not blanks....and not made of paper (never heard anything so ridiculous !!)

it is a wonder how more people were not killed.

Are you ex military?.....No, I thought not

Now we see how the folly of journalists (assuming when you say 'working for Foreign News', you don't mean teaboy or sandwich maker) can escalate a situation when they display the level of irresponsibility that you have done in your post. Paper bullets as they have been termed still have a brass cartridge. The brass cartridge is required to hold the charge, that in this case propels the wodge of paper forward. You would not be able to tell the difference in the noise of the weapon whatever munition it was firing. There was one scene I remember when there was intense firing activity from the troops and the guns were indeed horizontal. Let me tell you, if they were using live rounds at that point the scene on the streets would have resembled something you would see on the inside of a butchers shop. So really it is not a wonder that the people were not killed, they were not killed because there was no lead flying at them, just paper, which I doubt would travel more than 60-80 mtrs. Had the bullets been real, the ensuing wall of lead would have taken out many many people. As a journalist I am sure you will have access to the resources to ascertain how many people were admitted to Bangkok hospitals with bullet wounds, and if they were bullet wounds were they from M16 or hand held small arm weapons that the reds were carrying. Go ahead, make yourself a name with the subsequent breaking news. I can see the headlines now 'Just about Nada, zilch, zero deaths and injuries from M16 rounds'.

Thaskin was right, there were many people killed on the streets in Bangkok on Saturday night, Sunday and Monday, what he omitted to say was that the deaths and injuries were caused as a result of heavy drinking and driving during Songkhran festivities.

[Samuian]

.....edited........

Did he lie? Most likely. Was he corrupt? Most likely....but then are you proposing most of them on both sides are not? I am sure you and I agree on that answer.

It seems like justice is being sought primarily by other corrupt individuals...and I serioulsly doubt anyone except outside observers would actually believe this is about anything but two groups fighting for power...and corruption isn't even a concern for them except as a rhetorical word to manipulate the gullible. TiT! It is NOT the West.

Sound like you are defending a murder case with "people get shot every day!"

The movement of the red shirts lost the plot completely, their leader betrayed them,

as he betrayed his fellow country people and his "beloved country"...

He has lost!

None of this comes anyhow even a little close to equal anything the PAD and it's leaders did!

5 Busses, 3 Gastanktrucks, 2 Dead and many injured...

the Citizen of this country turned against the mob - how much more they could loose?

[hammered]

Kaiwatnok

"Regarding the direct firing by the soldiers into the rioting red shirted mobs, it has been made clear that the weapons fired

( contents ) are Paper made, not lethal and are used for scare tactics ONLY just like the rubber bullets used back home but less lethal I might add."... Quote.

......okay people lets have some unbiased views here. I dont work for the BBC, but i was there too (working for Foreign News)..... AND THE BULLETS WERE REAL !!!!

if anyone wants to see any of the spent cartridges that i picked up, i can post photos..... They are 5.56mm M16 Rounds, not blanks....and not made of paper (never heard anything so ridiculous !!)

it is a wonder how more people were not killed.

Are you ex military?.....No, I thought not

Now we see how the folly of journalists (assuming when you say 'working for Foreign News', you don't mean teaboy or sandwich maker) can escalate a situation when they display the level of irresponsibility that you have done in your post. Paper bullets as they have been termed still have a brass cartridge. The brass cartridge is required to hold the charge, that in this case propels the wodge of paper forward. You would not be able to tell the difference in the noise of the weapon whatever munition it was firing. There was one scene I remember when there was intense firing activity from the troops and the guns were indeed horizontal. Let me tell you, if they were using live rounds at that point the scene on the streets would have resembled something you would see on the inside of a butchers shop. So really it is not a wonder that the people were not killed, they were not killed because there was no lead flying at them, just paper, which I doubt would travel more than 60-80 mtrs. Had the bullets been real, the ensuing wall of lead would have taken out many many people. As a journalist I am sure you will have access to the resources to ascertain how many people were admitted to Bangkok hospitals with bullet wounds, and if they were bullet wounds were they from M16 or hand held small arm weapons that the reds were carrying. Go ahead, make yourself a name with the subsequent breaking news. I can see the headlines now 'Just about Nada, zilch, zero deaths and injuries from M16 rounds'.

Thaskin was right, there were many people killed on the streets in Bangkok on Saturday night, Sunday and Monday, what he omitted to say was that the deaths and injuries were caused as a result of heavy drinking and driving during Songkhran festivities.

Thank you for that explanation from a military point of view. I have been wondering how soldiers were firing direct and yet none of the internationalor local footage showed any dead bodies or blown off bits of limb. As we saw at the Oct 7 event it is pretty impossible for it not to be seen, filmed or photographed.

It does now seem that the red claims of hundreds dead are part of a meme that has no evidence to back it up. It is starting to get a bit worrying that they without evidence started making this claim from very early on. One hopes they didnt pre-prepare statements. It certainly seems they used it to build hatred and fervour.

I await the claims that the Thai military are now so efficent that they can in the middle of a riot spirit away dozens of bodies unseen by foreign media in attendance filming footage or that they could censor everyone somuch that the likes of CNN and BBC wouldnt have leake dit out by now.

It seems the reds were fooled by an old military dispersal tactic.

It may well be that in th future one or two more regrettabledeaths may come out but it seems highly unlikely that red claims of indiscriminate shootings which they seemingly were using to try and further their uprising/riot will be seen as anything but baseless exaggeration for political advantage.

[Jai Dee]

Times say PM Abhisit defeats Mr.Thaksin in media battle

The Times declares Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva winner of the media battle with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying that Mr.Abhisit "seemed reasonable, patient and articulate while Thaksin, his exiled antagonist, was shrill and unconvincing" during his interview with CNN on April 13th.

Despite the magazine’s criticism that the Abhisit administration embarrassed the country by postponing the ASEAN Summits in Pattaya due to a red-shirt protest, it said the government was successful in preventing Thailand from descending into anarchy and redeeming the country’s image in the eyes of the foreign press.

The Prime Minister’s phone-in after CNN’s interview with Mr.Thaksin successfully clarified the latter’s allegations that Mr.Abhisit’s government used force to disperse red-shirt protesters, resulting in deaths and injuries. Mr.Abhisit also rebutted the allegation that his administration was undemocratic by saying that the Democrat-led administration had ascended to power in the same way as the administrations of the now-defunct People Power Party.

However, The Times believed that there was a tough job awaiting Mr.Abhisit in terms of the government’s operations to tackle the remaining red-shirt rallies throughout the country as well as suspicions on the protest dispersal in the capital Bangkok.

Source: National News Bureau of Thailand - 15 April 2009

[noahvail]

Kaiwatnok

"Regarding the direct firing by the soldiers into the rioting red shirted mobs, it has been made clear that the weapons fired

( contents ) are Paper made, not lethal and are used for scare tactics ONLY just like the rubber bullets used back home but less lethal I might add."... Quote.

......okay people lets have some unbiased views here. I dont work for the BBC, but i was there too (working for Foreign News)..... AND THE BULLETS WERE REAL !!!!

if anyone wants to see any of the spent cartridges that i picked up, i can post photos..... They are 5.56mm M16 Rounds, not blanks....and not made of paper (never heard anything so ridiculous !!)

it is a wonder how more people were not killed.

Are you ex military?.....No, I thought not

Now we see how the folly of journalists (assuming when you say 'working for Foreign News', you don't mean teaboy or sandwich maker) can escalate a situation when they display the level of irresponsibility that you have done in your post. Paper bullets as they have been termed still have a brass cartridge. The brass cartridge is required to hold the charge, that in this case propels the wodge of paper forward. You would not be able to tell the difference in the noise of the weapon whatever munition it was firing. There was one scene I remember when there was intense firing activity from the troops and the guns were indeed horizontal. Let me tell you, if they were using live rounds at that point the scene on the streets would have resembled something you would see on the inside of a butchers shop. So really it is not a wonder that the people were not killed, they were not killed because there was no lead flying at them, just paper, which I doubt would travel more than 60-80 mtrs. Had the bullets been real, the ensuing wall of lead would have taken out many many people. As a journalist I am sure you will have access to the resources to ascertain how many people were admitted to Bangkok hospitals with bullet wounds, and if they were bullet wounds were they from M16 or hand held small arm weapons that the reds were carrying. Go ahead, make yourself a name with the subsequent breaking news. I can see the headlines now 'Just about Nada, zilch, zero deaths and injuries from M16 rounds'.

Thaskin was right, there were many people killed on the streets in Bangkok on Saturday night, Sunday and Monday, what he omitted to say was that the deaths and injuries were caused as a result of heavy drinking and driving during Songkhran festivities.

Excellent response, and I'll second it. I'm not ex-military, but I was a recreational shooter for years - not hunting, just paper targets; but over the years one learns a lot, and your description of a blank was good.

One small point - since we have pictures of soldiers firing horizontally at the crowd, where are the pictures of the butcher shop, as you called it? Certainly whoever took the pictures of the soldiers could have easily swung the camera around and showed the carnage, had there been any.

[Tigs]

noahvall

One small point - since we have pictures of soldiers firing horizontally at the crowd, where are the pictures of the butcher shop, as you called it? Certainly whoever took the pictures of the soldiers could have easily swung the camera around and showed the carnage, had there been any.

Eeeeeeexactly!!

Where are all those photos? Journos love those types of photos, funny that isn't it!

[TAWP]

....."Regarding the direct firing by the soldiers into the rioting red shirted mobs, it has been made clear that the weapons fired

( contents ) are Paper made, not lethal and are used for scare tactics ONLY just like the rubber bullets used back home but less lethal I might add."... Quote.

......okay people lets have some unbiased views here. I dont work for the BBC, but i was there too (working for Foreign News)..... AND THE BULLETS WERE REAL !!!!

if anyone wants to see any of the spent cartridges that i picked up, i can post photos..... They are 5.56mm M16 Rounds, not blanks....and not made of paper (never heard anything so ridiculous !!)

Uh, you do know that even blank bullets have real casings?

It's called blank since there isn't a real bullet in the weapon (one favored for raining uses a wooden projectile that gets splintered at the exit of the barrel with the help of a 'blank fire mussle attachment' and also makes sure the proper amount of pressure is maintained inside the barrel behind the bullet for allow for a proper cycling of the slide. But I digress...

You cannot, unless you know weapons(*), tell from a casing what kind of ammo it fired.

*: This include knowing the color-coding, in those cases the casing is marked. Blue means blank, but this might be restricted to NATO (western) forces.

[Samuian]

....."Regarding the direct firing by the soldiers into the rioting red shirted mobs, it has been made clear that the weapons fired

( contents ) are Paper made, not lethal and are used for scare tactics ONLY just like the rubber bullets used back home but less lethal I might add."... Quote.

......okay people lets have some unbiased views here. I dont work for the BBC, but i was there too (working for Foreign News)..... AND THE BULLETS WERE REAL !!!!

if anyone wants to see any of the spent cartridges that i picked up, i can post photos..... They are 5.56mm M16 Rounds, not blanks....and not made of paper (never heard anything so ridiculous !!)

Uh, you do know that even blank bullets have real casings?

It's called blank since there isn't a real bullet in the weapon (one favored for raining uses a wooden projectile that gets splintered at the exit of the barrel with the help of a 'blank fire mussle attachment' and also makes sure the proper amount of pressure is maintained inside the barrel behind the bullet for allow for a proper cycling of the slide. But I digress...

You cannot, unless you know weapons(*), tell from a casing what kind of ammo it fired.

*: This include knowing the color-coding, in those cases the casing is marked. Blue means blank, but this might be restricted to NATO (western) forces.

yep, this is so!

They are "blanks" no tip, bullet, projectile whatever, just a cardboard or plastic "lid" to keep the gun powder inside the casing!

[SNGLIFE]

He was elected by the people in free and fair elections as were his proxies after he left the country. Like him or not, that is how a democracy is supposed to work! If there were another election today, he would STILL win by a landslide and PAD knows it. PAD remaining in power is an affront to the will of the people. You can call that many things, but democracy is not one of them.

Get over it.

[Tigs]

He was elected by the people in free and fair elections as were his proxies after he left the country. Like him or not, that is how a democracy is supposed to work! If there were another election today, he would STILL win by a landslide and PAD knows it. PAD remaining in power is an affront to the will of the people. You can call that many things, but democracy is not one of them.

Get over it.

I take it you use red for effect SNGLIFE do you wear red clothing as well? Think I will try a more neutral colour, more naturaaaal perhaps, I don't want to be associated with the wrong types if I use yellow, and heaven forbid blue!

First point where do you get your info from concerning 'free and fair' elections? Both sides are as bad as each other, but make no mistake, votes were paid for, that much is beyond any doubt. There is absolutely no way in a hundred years that Thaksin will now win anything in Thailand, maybe the egg and spoon race at the local school, but that will be all. His own redshirts have now turned their back. PAD is not in power, and last time I checked under the Thai constitution the MPs vote for the PM not the people. Get over it! The situation seems far more legite than the UK having Brown thrust upon them. What happened to the post of deputy PM that we had been paying Prescott for all those years (thank god it wasn't him though). Thaksin is finished and his greed has been the master of his own undoing. God it must hurt soooooooooo much knowing you have 76 billion in Thailand and now he has more chance of platting fog than getting it back. You gotta laugh.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Tigs

[samtam]

Dubai King asked not to welcome Thaksin

BANGKOK: -- A Muslim community in Bangkok said Tuesday that its residents will petition to King of Dubai not to welcome fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra because he is leader of red shirted protesters who stage violence in Thailand.

Manit Saengthong, leader of Darrulaman Mosque community, said that the community opposed the violence instigated by the red shirts during the past days.

Some of the protesters invaded and destroyed properties of a mosque, Manit said.

"We will submit a petition to King of Dubai through United Arab Emirates ambassador of Thailand, requesting the King not to allow Thaksin to enter the country and use it as a springboard to attack Thailand," Manit said.

The request will also be for other Muslim countries, he added.

Thaksin is known for his close relationship with Dubai businessmen. He usually talked to the media while he stayed in Dubai.

-- The Nation 2009-04-14

I wish the Nation wasn't so sloppy in its reporting. There is no "King" of Dubai. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the "Ruler of Dubai", and he is an Emir, as Dubai is an emirate.

[Scrubber]

The current government have cleared the streets with minumum bloodshed and I admire them for that.

Just wait 'til all the dead bodies of the protesters start turning up and then people will start to understand that the poor people of Thailand have always been treated the same way just so that the rich and poweful (ie. Prem, etc) can maintain their precious status quo.

[lannarebirth]

The current government have cleared the streets with minumum bloodshed and I admire them for that.

Just wait 'til all the dead bodies of the protesters start turning up and then people will start to understand that the poor people of Thailand have always been treated the same way just so that the rich and poweful (ie. Prem, etc) can maintain their precious status quo.

No need to wait. Post everything you know now. Post it here, there's no censorship. Wherever our sympathies may lie, we're all interested in the truth I hope. Post your truths, photos, links, whatever.

[Tigs]

The current government have cleared the streets with minumum bloodshed and I admire them for that.

Just wait 'til all the dead bodies of the protesters start turning up and then people will start to understand that the poor people of Thailand have always been treated the same way just so that the rich and poweful (ie. Prem, etc) can maintain their precious status quo.

No need to wait. Post everything you know now. Post it here, there's no censorship. Wherever our sympathies may lie, we're all interested in the truth I hope. Post your truths, photos, links, whatever.

Yeah come on Scrubber,why wait? We and the entire international community are waiting. I imagine as there were almost as many photographers as soldiers in bangkok there is absolutely no shortage of proof of these incidents. The soldiers were almost tripping over journo's at one point. Where are all these dead bodies going to turn up from> Songkhran RTA's by any chance. Now after you have seen the turn of events, it is your chance to be a winner. What is the correct answer to the following question?

Thaksin wanted to stage a revolution because:

A. He feels sorry for the poor of Thailand and wanted to return to power to help them out of poverty after 1000 years of abuse?

B. He wanted to get himself or his cronies back into power so that he could lay his hands on 76 BILLION worth of frozen assets, inorder that he could tell the poor of Thailand as he disappears he doesn't really give a toss about them or the redshirts or anyone else infact?

Answers on a postcard please. 60 seconds to answer.......................

[scorecard]

Here is the transcript from the CNN interview....

I've added my comments, each line is started with three asterisks (***) (because I don't know how to change the font or something similar), love to hear other comments.

INTERVIEWER:

Mr Thaksin, thank you very much for being with us. You have called for a revolution,

and you are saying you may head back to Thailand when you feel ready.

When do you think that is?

THAKSIN:

Well I just would like to encourage the Thai people who really want to see the true democracy in Thailand

because we have been deceived that we already have the true democracy but it is actually the democracy for few.

We want to see democracy for all, and that is the reason why the people they are now gathering.

They want to, they come with bare hand, they want to ask for democracy peacefully.

But I don’t know how it/is end up this way. It is a very, very <<can’t understand>> situation.

*** During taxsins reign he said publically that "democracy is not important for Thailand". He also very deliberately and very openly destroyed the pillars of democracy, intimidated the judiciary, initimidated the press / controlled the press so that they they were affraid to report him or his government (read leeches and thugs) in any negative way. He also, without hesitation, supervised the death of 2,500 people, including small children, in his 'war on drugs' (culminating in his big bang claim that 'Thailand is now free of drugs" and in this campaign not one 'mr big' was prosecuted or assassinated.

INTERVIEWER:

The difficulty in understanding that idea that you are presenting right now the idea of democracy in Thailand

is that there was democracy when the last government was ousted in December

because they were and a court found them guilty of electoral fraud for buying votes.

Where is democracy in that?

So there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what the Thai people really want.

THAKSIN:

Do you know in Thailand many institution is <intervened??> by the elite groups and it is not true democracy.

Many independent agency have no responsibility directly to the people,

and they can sack the politicians that come directly from people, and the unjustice or double standard is there.

That is the reason why the Thai people are not happy. T

hey have been watching double standards for three years and double standard is really injustice.

*** Well, what can you say to this rubbish? Total twisting of the reality of the situation. "They can sack the politicians that come directly from the people". Two comments: 1). 'Directly from the people", total rubbish, come from vote buying is more to the point! 2). Injustice. Well let's have a look at the taxsin years - judiciary intimidated for the benefit of taxsin and what he calls the elites (but in reality for the benefit of taxsins leeches and thugs. What about Chalerms son? Judiciary too afraid to find him guily of first degree murder. And the election commission members convicted for corruption and sent to jail.

They have been watching it for three years, and the suppression of the red shirts is really the extreme example for the double standard.

They are trying to come out.

INTERVIEWER:

When do you plan to go back to Thailand? Are you ready to possibly face jail time?

THAKSIN:

Well, you know I am ready to go when the timing is right, but now I like to see the peaceful protest for the democracy.

*** "When the timing is right." Meaning when I've been able to BUY my way back into Thailand with the promise of amnesty and BUY the cancellation of the 12 other serious corruption charges against me. And, taxsin in the last few days, has said so many time that he's going to (in the very near future) arrive and lead the red shirts to victort, but where is he?

know they are all innocent people, they come with bare hand,

and they are asking for the true democracy and justice but they got undemocratic ways back and also with a lot of usual suppression.

If you can notice what happening in Pattaya and what is happening in front of the Ministry of Interior and what is going on this morning

and the Thai <<<place/police??>>> now has intervened completely they cannot speak the truth

so now even the spokesman of the army is coming to lie to the people

that they are not using the true bullet they are using blank bullet, and they shot to the sky but they aim horizontally.

They shot the people so many people dying and many people injured they hospitalize at least sixty of them.

Now there is still going on suppression.

*** Total twist (hoping that it makes him look good) of the facts. No hesitation to say things which are simply untrue.

INTERVIEWER:

Sir, there is democracy, the point that you make, but then there is also the rule of law.

You have also been accused and convicted of corruption.

How can the Thai people trust you?

THAKSIN:

No no no no. No no. I think.

I have been ousted by military coup, they set up the committee who are comprised in my political opponents

and then the process that they are doing is really unconstitutional. it is one <<party???>> system.

I think the system is not really democratic. So that is the reason why the people are asking for true democracy.

*** Again, total twist of the real facts and the actual realities of the situation.

It is not just democracy under the control of some elite groups or military, you know,

or the president of privy council intervenes everything.

*** Well mr taxsin, to be honest and it pains me to say this, I'm actually rather glad the military (guided by whoever) condusted a coup to get rid of you. In fact it frightens me to think where we would be today is we were still under your dictatorship, along with your open nepotism (close relatives in the top positions in both the army and the police, one army relative promoted by five ranks to jump to the top. Sounds a bit like the start of another dictatorship similar to Burma.)

Even during my administration he intervene in even at the military appointments and reshuffle.

The intervene is there.

*** Well mr taxsin, why are you surprised, you attempted to promote your lackies into high ranking posiitons. I'm glad someone tried to stop you.

INTERVIEWER:

So sir, what are you prepared to do right now?

THAKSIN:

I would like to urge every party that come together peacefully, not just by using force.

You know war never ended war before, and violence beget violence.

I don’t think that is the right approach.

*** After he's deliberately and openly incited violence he tries to say that vioilence is not the way ahead. And he thinks the listeners / the Thai public will just accept his assestion that he wants to promote a non violent appraoch. How insulting to the Thai public.

And you trying to lie to the whole world, you are trying to lie the people,

but you know in Thailand we have a saying that when the elephant die you cannot cover it with a small lotus leaf.

It is impossible. You are trying to cover everything.

You trying to saying that you use the police like a control, actually is army, it’s from the division one and the division two.

So that is, they shot the people. They aim the M16 to the people, in the horizontal level and many people dying.

*** Well mr taxsin, there are now many hospital staff/doctors who say that red shirt people have not been admitted or treated with gun shot wounds (except for wounds inflicted by angry members of the public who battled the red shirt people on the streets of Bangkok).

If you can see the pictures that I show, they shot at the heart of the man and the man dead.

*** So taxsin shows a picture of a red shirt with some blood, but no evidence whatever of how the man was injured.

And then they even take the dead bodies on the military truck and then take them away. Just trying to conceal everything.

*** By now several agencies have investigated this claim and say there is no evidence whatever of this happening. (It's also interesting to know that during the 1992 coup there was evidence of this happening. Taxsin has obviously remembered this from 1992 and has resureceted this, hoping it will enhance his claims.)

I want everyone to come together peacefully

*** From the man who has spent the last 24/36 hours seriously/deliberately inciting violence. WOW!

INTERVIEWER:

Okay sir thank you very much, we appreciate your time

[blackman]

He was elected by the people in free and fair elections as were his proxies after he left the country. Like him or not, that is how a democracy is supposed to work! If there were another election today, he would STILL win by a landslide and PAD knows it. PAD remaining in power is an affront to the will of the people. You can call that many things, but democracy is not one of them.

Get over it.

you need to get over it singhalife

you backed the wrong horse

Thaksin is now part of Thailands colourful history and becoming more politically irrelavent every day

todays polls tell us that Abhisit would win by a landslide and for the record thaksin never won by a landslide, he only got just over 50% of the vote having paid out millions of baht in taxpayers money to get that much by buying votes and employing thugs to get it

[blackman]

The current government have cleared the streets with minumum bloodshed and I admire them for that.

Just wait 'til all the dead bodies of the protesters start turning up and then people will start to understand that the poor people of Thailand have always been treated the same way just so that the rich and poweful (ie. Prem, etc) can maintain their precious status quo.

9 million people in Bangkok, 100,000 additional protesters, 10,000 army, 5000 extra police, 1000 of the worlds media and thousands of tourists

nearly everyone on that list will have a camera to hand, be it mobile phone, digital, video or movie.

yet with all that, no one has yet produced a single picture of a dead body as a result of army or police action never mind one being hauled away by the army in total secret to some as yet undiscovered location

can you imagine how many of thailands junior reporters and members of the worlds media are looking for the story that will make their career ?

one picture with evidence would be worth millions of baht to somebody

so scrubber where are the bodies buried and wheres the evidence ?

[BonniesBoys]

Khunp

Khun Taksin will need to be abut more convincing at his next trial if he hopes to salvage any dignity at all. The world is a witness to his twisted crimes against Thai brothers and Thai children. Shame on you Mr T, Sham on you.

[stub]

''i would love those bewilderd souls who have defended mr T's honour over the last few days to get a look at it and watch them try to defend it''

the amount given out by the governement was 2000baht not 500baht

1st attempt

whos next?

And by claiming 500 Baht, he is belittling it. He is a politician spinning, not a news reporter.

a bit like you spinning it here then Stub?

Exactly. Well done.

[SNGLIFE]

He was elected by the people in free and fair elections as were his proxies after he left the country. Like him or not, that is how a democracy is supposed to work! If there were another election today, he would STILL win by a landslide and PAD knows it. PAD remaining in power is an affront to the will of the people. You can call that many things, but democracy is not one of them.

Get over it.

you need to get over it singhalife

you backed the wrong horse

Thaksin is now part of Thailands colourful history and becoming more politically irrelavent every day

todays polls tell us that Abhisit would win by a landslide and for the record thaksin never won by a landslide, he only got just over 50% of the vote having paid out millions of baht in taxpayers money to get that much by buying votes and employing thugs to get it

Quite the contrary, I do not have any interest whatsoever who or which party runs the country. However, I am interested in the democratic process just as I would be for any democratic country. In Thailand, the process has clearly been usurped at one point or another by both parties. Notwithstanding that, the process should be allowed to proceed.

New elections is the best solution to resolve the current state of affairs. It's a mess and a do-over (again) is in order. I do not know where YOU live, but the rural MAJORITY clearly backs Thaksin's party. The yellows are the minority and every election thus far has proved that they do not have the votes to retain power after a new election. Those are the facts. Get over it.

...and yes, the red is for effect because I do agree with their position that new elections should be held. Beyond that, I really don't care.

[Plus]

Everyone of the MPs in the current parliament was elected by people. During the campaign not a single party was affiliated with pro-Thaksin PPP, they all offered a "third choice" - not with Thaksin, not with Democrats. After the election PPP arm twisted them into a coaltion (which didn't make them or their voters Thaksin supporters in any way), after the court ruling last December Democrats arm tiwsted them into a different kind of coaltion.

Of course it would be nice to have another elections to see how the things changed since 2007, but it's not a time for curiosity, nor there's any problem with legislative work - the government functions with full support of the parliament. Street politics have the potential to paralise the govt and force the elections but that threat is over.

So, why exactly should we have new elections now? There's a reason they hold them every four years, and there are reasons why they could be held earlier, none of which exist now. So why?

[ballpoint]

Quite the contrary, I do not have any interest whatsoever who or which party runs the country. However, I am interested in the democratic process just as I would be for any democratic country. In Thailand, the process has clearly been usurped at one point or another by both parties. Notwithstanding that, the process should be allowed to proceed.

New elections is the best solution to resolve the current state of affairs. It's a mess and a do-over (again) is in order. I do not know where YOU live, but the rural MAJORITY clearly backs Thaksin's party. The yellows are the minority and every election thus far has proved that they do not have the votes to retain power after a new election. Those are the facts. Get over it.

...and yes, the red is for effect because I do agree with their position that new elections should be held. Beyond that, I really don't care.

Why do so many Thaksinistas feel they have to declare that they have no interest, or really don't care, but then take the trouble to rant and rave in multicoloured bold and / or capitalised posts? You insult our intelligence. Do you really think we'll all go "hey, this guy is a neutral, and he loves square heads, maybe I should learn to love Thaksin too"? It's a little pathetic, as are your claims that the rural MAJORITY clearly backs Thaksin's party. Maybe they'd back an after-hanging party held for him, but he'd no longer get a majority in parliament. The rural majority will usually vote for the same people they always have. In the past elections, those people had moved to the TRT and then the PPP. Now, many are in the Phumijai party, and so that party will get a lot of seats, the democrats will continue to do well in the South and Bangkok, leaving the PTP out in the cold.

And by the way, I do care.

[seri thai]

He was elected by the people in free and fair elections as were his proxies after he left the country. Like him or not, that is how a democracy is supposed to work! If there were another election today, he would STILL win by a landslide and PAD knows it. PAD remaining in power is an affront to the will of the people. You can call that many things, but democracy is not one of them.

Get over it.

you need to get over it singhalife

you backed the wrong horse

Thaksin is now part of Thailands colourful history and becoming more politically irrelavent every day

todays polls tell us that Abhisit would win by a landslide and for the record thaksin never won by a landslide, he only got just over 50% of the vote having paid out millions of baht in taxpayers money to get that much by buying votes and employing thugs to get it

Quite the contrary, I do not have any interest whatsoever who or which party runs the country. However, I am interested in the democratic process just as I would be for any democratic country. In Thailand, the process has clearly been usurped at one point or another by both parties. Notwithstanding that, the process should be allowed to proceed.

New elections is the best solution to resolve the current state of affairs. It's a mess and a do-over (again) is in order. I do not know where YOU live, but the rural MAJORITY clearly backs Thaksin's party. The yellows are the minority and every election thus far has proved that they do not have the votes to retain power after a new election. Those are the facts. Get over it.

...and yes, the red is for effect because I do agree with their position that new elections should be held. Beyond that, I really don't care.

Thailand-The worlds first marxist/maoist democracy. Now that I'd like to see!

erm, no actually that's irony

[Loaded]

yet with all that, no one has yet produced a single picture of a dead body as a result of army or police action never mind one being hauled away by the army in total secret to some as yet undiscovered location

can you imagine how many of thailands junior reporters and members of the worlds media are looking for the story that will make their career ?

one picture with evidence would be worth millions of baht to somebody

so scrubber where are the bodies buried and wheres the evidence ?

True, but I also haven't seen bodies of the 2 bystanders who were shot by redshirts either. I saw their funerals and I'm confident the official story of their deaths is accurate but I didn't see images of their bodies just after they were killed. For sure, if they exist, Thai papers would have printed. I don't believe any version of events here and Abhisit and his government are just as likely to kill (Newin's blueshirts) than Thaksin's.

[andrewfr]

Does anyone have a link to, or copy of, Jim Clancy's CNN interview with Thaksin? It was one of the best.