webfact Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Man City sale funded diamond-mine purchase: Thaksin By The Nation Published on September 7, 2009 Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday gave a radio interview, the first since his exile, which was aired for the first time by state-run MCOT station. Thaksin revealed that his investment in a diamond mine was financed by profit from the sale of Manchester City Football Club. He took the opportunity to use his interview with show host Chom Phetpradab as a platform to clear his name. "Before the 2006 coup, rumour mongers claimed I took out 30 baggages filled with money. This is not true," he said. He said his funds were not impounded by British authorities because he had no bank accounts in England. With regard to his freedom to travel, he said none of the countries he visited had any objection or embarrassment to grant him entry. "On the contrary, these countries are annoyed by Thai authorities trying to block him," he said. He claimed that no country paid attention to his conviction related to the Ratchadaphisek land case. The case was seen as a joke because a prime minister was found guilty for giving out his identification card to facilitate his wife to buy the plot when encroachers of forest reserve were left untouched, he said. He denied reports about his ownership of a private jet or about his bodyguards. He said he had no fear for his life. When asked about his view on reconciliation, he said he was ready to talk to everyone. "If you or any taxi drivers and low-ranking policemen can have my phone number, then the powers-that-be should know how to get in touch with me," he said. He said he was willing to hold talks with the prime minister or a deputy prime minister. He said he wanted to hear what the government had to offer in order to foster reconciliation. It was necessary to find a mutual point to agree on because reconciliation is not a one-sided process, he said. Commenting on the judicial process and his conviction, he said he was doubtful about the justice system. Even though the majority of the courts are just, a small portion is not because of the outside interference beyond the government's control, he said. "What happened was meant to oust me," he said. He claimed that he was willing to step down if he was talked to "nicely". In fact he just clinged to office because he wanted to complete some unfinished tasks before his exit, he said. In concluding his interview, he denied speculation about his illness with cancer. He said he was in good health. Reacting to the broadcast of Thaksin's interview, PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey said he expected the state-run radio station to explain its action by today. Chom said he just did his duty as a journalist. Democrat MP Trairong Suwankhiri said he saw Thaksin as a pebble left inside a shoe. Thaksin can be annoying but not capable of setting back the country, he said. In gauging the sentiment, the utmost concern was about the street protests by the red shirts followed by Thaksin remaining politically active, Suan Dusit said in a survey released yesterday. A clear majority of 63 per cent wanted the government to remain in office in spite of mounting obstacles. Only about 18 per cent voiced support for a snap election. -- The Nation 2009/07/09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animatic Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) Boilerplate Thaksin, party line. He should just tattoo this on his forehead. If talked to "nicely" he would step down? Grovel and kow tow, sounds like his kind of nicely. Edited September 7, 2009 by animatic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnGnome Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin is more like a bad case of jock itch.... if we are going to compare him to annoying things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin didn't really say anything incendiary or encouraging of violence or unrest. As such, the PM's office saying the news story should not have been disseminated speaks to the mentality of the current government. Chom Phetpradab did his job and reported on what Thaksin said. The information was newsworthy and relevant. Even the detractors of Thaksin have a right to know what he has done with his money frpm the Man U sale. Perhaps the Prime Minsiter and his minions and friends in the military should reconsider that this is not what confidant secure leaders do. Nor is it considered acceptable behaviour unless one is in Syria, Iran, Zimbabwe etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnGnome Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Or athlete's foot. Yes that fits T quite well. A fungus growing in between the toes that you want to scratch, but you can't because the show gets in the way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnGnome Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin didn't really say anything incendiary or encouraging of violence or unrest. As such, the PM's office saying the news story should not have been disseminated speaks to the mentality of the current government.Chom Phetpradab did his job and reported on what Thaksin said. The information was newsworthy and relevant. Even the detractors of Thaksin have a right to know what he has done with his money frpm the Man U sale. Perhaps the Prime Minsiter and his minions and friends in the military should reconsider that this is not what confidant secure leaders do. Nor is it considered acceptable behaviour unless one is in Syria, Iran, Zimbabwe etc. I guess those repeated calls by T for a " People's Revolution", were just his way of saying "Lets get together and have a picnic! Come on, it'll be fun!"... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 can they really believe this guy !!! It tells me that all his supporters are so brainwashed they'll believe anything that comes out of his mouth. Today ... a real honest African Diamond mine . What next ....... a Nike factory in China ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnGnome Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin and Blood Diamonds. Does seem to fit him quite well.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuian Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 "Diamonds are forever" - easier to move as well - will they soon replace the 100 and 500 notes? But then ever seen the size of a 5 pointer? 1 ct is 0.2 Gr. or 100 points so how many grams are 5 points a quarter of a ct is 4.1 mm in diameter... guess the size of 5 points... well... Interesting would be the location of the new aquisition - Angola, Nigeria or Liberia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven100 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin Scamawat , your days are numbered ... you can run .... but you can't hide !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geriatrickid Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin didn't really say anything incendiary or encouraging of violence or unrest. As such, the PM's office saying the news story should not have been disseminated speaks to the mentality of the current government.Chom Phetpradab did his job and reported on what Thaksin said. The information was newsworthy and relevant. Even the detractors of Thaksin have a right to know what he has done with his money frpm the Man U sale. Perhaps the Prime Minsiter and his minions and friends in the military should reconsider that this is not what confidant secure leaders do. Nor is it considered acceptable behaviour unless one is in Syria, Iran, Zimbabwe etc. I guess those repeated calls by T for a " People's Revolution", were just his way of saying "Lets get together and have a picnic! Come on, it'll be fun!"... Stay on topic, which in this case is this specific interview. Where did Mr. Thaksin call for a People's Revolution in the interview? If he had been advocating violence, I could understand the need to prevent the dissemination. What we have here is the Prime Minister's office upset and wishing to control the media. Obviously you dislike Mr. Thaksin. Many others hate him too. However, the public have a human right to hear and read interviews like this. If the military ever removes the PM, I would support his right to a news interview as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnGnome Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin didn't really say anything incendiary or encouraging of violence or unrest. As such, the PM's office saying the news story should not have been disseminated speaks to the mentality of the current government.Chom Phetpradab did his job and reported on what Thaksin said. The information was newsworthy and relevant. Even the detractors of Thaksin have a right to know what he has done with his money frpm the Man U sale. Perhaps the Prime Minsiter and his minions and friends in the military should reconsider that this is not what confidant secure leaders do. Nor is it considered acceptable behaviour unless one is in Syria, Iran, Zimbabwe etc. I guess those repeated calls by T for a " People's Revolution", were just his way of saying "Lets get together and have a picnic! Come on, it'll be fun!"... Stay on topic, which in this case is this specific interview. Where did Mr. Thaksin call for a People's Revolution in the interview? If he had been advocating violence, I could understand the need to prevent the dissemination. What we have here is the Prime Minister's office upset and wishing to control the media. Obviously you dislike Mr. Thaksin. Many others hate him too. However, the public have a human right to hear and read interviews like this. If the military ever removes the PM, I would support his right to a news interview as well. Hey you kids, get off of my lawn... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Every Thai political thread brings out hoards of posts chucking insults at Thaksin. What these posters seemingly fail to see is that the problem is endemic and all Thai political leaders are equally corrupt and callous and almost certainly have blood on their hands or they would not have been able to rise to power. The current bunch contains many of the supporters and perpetrators of the 1992 Black May massacre with "nice boy puppet" Abhisit trotted out front and centre to make it look good. The problem is not Thaksin. The problems are much more linked to an entrenched ruling class, both red and yellow, who are above the law and will use all means including machine guns to cling on to their power and income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hammered Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) Basically it sint about what Thaksin said but a reminde rto authorites that he still has contacts and peopel in the bureacracy and cant just be disappeared. Getting on stste run meida siupposedly controlled by his enemies..... It is reshuffle time in many places and as much as his opponents try to sideline his influence in the bureacracy, he will try to show he still has it. Edited to add: It is also importnat for him to show his allies this too. Many politicos can be on any side and if they think one os being sidelined they become likely to move house. Games games games Edited September 7, 2009 by hammered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insight Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 SA Diamond Mine Owners Facing Investigation, Clean-Up Headline from Johannesburg Enquirer, Sept 2010. Obviously completely speculative Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plus Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Without seeing it or reading transcript it's difficult to judge, but my impression is that the interview was just a promotional piece for Thaksin. No difficult questions, no probing, no follow ups, no mention of calls for people's revolution, for example, and why his kids have left the country while he was asking reds to bring THEIR kids to the fight. Just because it was done in a interview format doesn't mean it as an honest journalistic effort. The govt has all the rights to ask why the state media is used to promote Thaksin in the run up to the scheduled anti-government offensive (Sept 19 demo). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesjdaly Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Oh yes! The champion of the poor! Private jet Premier league football club Diamond mine Private Mediterranean island Billions in cash and assets (and I don't mean Mickey Mouse currency) hoarded away; some frozen Thousands of rai of prime land What have I overlooked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thai at Heart Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 It is a limited company of which the government owns 77%. Since the government are the people, if it is acting in terms of making revenue for it's shareholders, surely broadcasting this is in the interest of it's shareholders? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noithip Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) "Diamonds are forever" - easier to move as well - will they soon replace the 100 and 500 notes?But then ever seen the size of a 5 pointer? 1 ct is 0.2 Gr. or 100 points so how many grams are 5 points a quarter of a ct is 4.1 mm in diameter... guess the size of 5 points... well... Interesting would be the location of the new aquisition - Angola, Nigeria or Liberia? Maybe Swaziland? It's one of the few real democracies to make business with... Thaksin with King Mswati III (one of the last absolute monarchs in the world) Or maybe Thaksin is about to start a pro-democracy movement there? Maybe he read the book "Three Options for Diamond Buying in Africa"... http://www.scribd.com/doc/18991424/Three-O...ica-updated-809 Edited September 7, 2009 by noithip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonbridgebrit Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin didn't really say anything incendiary or encouraging of violence or unrest. As such, the PM's office saying the news story should not have been disseminated speaks to the mentality of the current government.Chom Phetpradab did his job and reported on what Thaksin said. The information was newsworthy and relevant. Even the detractors of Thaksin have a right to know what he has done with his money frpm the Man U sale. Perhaps the Prime Minsiter and his minions and friends in the military should reconsider that this is not what confidant secure leaders do. Nor is it considered acceptable behaviour unless one is in Syria, Iran, Zimbabwe etc. Well, apart from the money being a Man City sale (it was NOT a Man U sale), this post makes sense. We have the right to know what any leader/ex-leader has to say. If I was good at making money, well, maybe I can make a profit from selling a football club and use it to purchase a diamond mine. I admit I'm not though !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oberkommando Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Oh yes! The champion of the poor!Private jet Premier league football club Diamond mine Private Mediterranean island Billions in cash and assets (and I don't mean Mickey Mouse currency) hoarded away; some frozen Thousands of rai of prime land What have I overlooked? The fact that he actually did improve the lives of millions of Thailand's poor, almost halved the amount of people living beneath the poverty line and did more for the poor of this country than any other government, person or institution before him. Things have been on a downward spiral since his removal in 2006, except unemployment, drug use and crime, all of which are markedly on the increase. I'd also like to point out his private jet was paid for out of his own pocket, unlike the Thai 'Air Force One' which certain influential people didn't want him to have. Guess where those two aircraft ended up and who is using them now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAWP Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 You claim it and yet we have seen it to actually be true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnGnome Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Oh yes! The champion of the poor!Private jet Premier league football club Diamond mine Private Mediterranean island Billions in cash and assets (and I don't mean Mickey Mouse currency) hoarded away; some frozen Thousands of rai of prime land What have I overlooked? The fact that he actually did improve the lives of millions of Thailand's poor, almost halved the amount of people living beneath the poverty line and did more for the poor of this country than any other government, person or institution before him. Things have been on a downward spiral since his removal in 2006, except unemployment, drug use and crime, all of which are markedly on the increase. I'd also like to point out his private jet was paid for out of his own pocket, unlike the Thai 'Air Force One' which certain influential people didn't want him to have. Guess where those two aircraft ended up and who is using them now? Well, considering that most of his "enhanced assets" came about because he willfully changed telecommunication laws to benefit his own company, thereby quadrupling his own wealth, the argument could be made that the Thai people actually paid for that plane too. If he had gone about his job with a good heart and without the sticky fingers, we might indeed be singing the praises of St. Thaksin. But as it is, he fell victim to the old mantra "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oberkommando Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Well, considering that most of his "enhanced assets" came about because he willfully changed telecommunication laws to benefit his own company, thereby quadrupling his own wealth, the argument could be made that the Thai people actually paid for that plane too.If he had gone about his job with a good heart and without the sticky fingers, we might indeed be singing the praises of St. Thaksin. But as it is, he fell victim to the old mantra "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely". He was never in "absolute power". Should we assume those who clearly are in absolute power, are also absolutely corrupt too? By looking at their assets and wealth, I would conclude so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumonster Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) I'd also like to point out his private jet was paid for out of his own pocket, astute deal leasing computers to the Thai police force - must have saved the Thai people a lot of money Edited September 7, 2009 by stumonster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricardo Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Thaksin revealed that his investment in a diamond mine was financed by profit from the sale of Manchester City Football Club.So the recent claim in a phone-call to supporters in a noodle-shop, by someone claiming to be Mr Thaksin, that the government had taken "all my life-savings" are now agreed to be untrue ? Thanks Heavens ! But who was that impertinent person, who made that outrageous claim, then ? .... snip for brevity ... He said he had no fear for his life. So all those past claims, that he feared for his life if he were to return to Thailand, are also now denied, from the horses mouth ? my comments in red above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesjdaly Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) ............"The fact that he actually did improve the lives of millions of Thailand's poor, almost halved the amount of people living beneath the poverty line and did more for the poor of this country than any other government, person or institution before him."........... Who do you mean by institution? Edited September 7, 2009 by jamesjdaly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patklang Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Every Thai political thread brings out hoards of posts chucking insults at Thaksin.What these posters seemingly fail to see is that the problem is endemic and all Thai political leaders are equally corrupt and callous and almost certainly have blood on their hands or they would not have been able to rise to power. The current bunch contains many of the supporters and perpetrators of the 1992 Black May massacre with "nice boy puppet" Abhisit trotted out front and centre to make it look good. The problem is not Thaksin. The problems are much more linked to an entrenched ruling class, both red and yellow, who are above the law and will use all means including machine guns to cling on to their power and income. Excellent post and 100% correct mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 Please take note of Forum rule #29 29. To not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording. This time I leave it as it is. Please do not alter OP with replies. Otherwise posts will be deleted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noithip Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) ............"The fact that he actually did improve the lives of millions of Thailand's poor, almost halved the amount of people living beneath the poverty line and did more for the poor of this country than any other government, person or institution before him."...........Who do you mean by institution? We all know what he means! No point to list all the things this "institution" was doing for the poor since it would take forever to just write a list. But that is the problem, people tend to forget and be ignorant to what is so obvious... Thankfully Thaksin is selling the Sustainabilty Program to African Leaders... did he develop that one? Edited September 7, 2009 by webfact Do not flame members Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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