Hun Sen To Thaksin : Run To Me

[bendejo]

I think Taksin is being chumped.

Whatever Hun Sen has in mind it sure isn't going to be spelled out in honest terms.

IMO, the way HS laid it on so thick about his wife crying etc makes it pretty obvious he's putting down a heavy layer of buffalo doo-doo.

Let us not forget the centuries-old animosities in the region. Does HS see some leverage for destabilizing Thailand by embracing this contentious person?

I think back in Thailand, will Taksin be viewed as some sort of traitor, and this will bring out xenophobic reactions, with many Thais cleaning their toilets with red rags made from old shirts.

If something should happen to HS, well, we'll see how many other friends he's purchased by then.

The Cambodian courts defying HS?

[basjke]

He however said he was not supporter of Thaksin. He also referred to a visit of Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy recently.

Sam Rainsy was invited to Thailand and he issued a statement against the government of Cambodia. And then the second National TV of Thailand made a comment on Cambodia, criticising myself and Thaksin.

"Sam Rainsy came to Thailand and criticised my government. I did not make any complaint about it," he said.

So if I understand this correctly it is just adults that act like 10 years old children.

The kind of my daddy is stronger then yours and I gonna show you now hehe.

Is really everyone born brainless in south east asia.

[henryalleman]

If a politician call me his eternal friend, I will expect the knife in my back any moment. Its the same as a president off a football team saying, we have all confidence in our trainer and there is no talks about firing him, and not yet 48 hours later that trainer is sacked.

[Thai at Heart]

Hun Sen, with total control over his own crappy little piece of real estate, has decided now is the time to stick the boot into the less well-entrenched Abhisit and Thailand as a whole, which he is doing at every opportunity at a time of maximum publicity.

I hope it comes back to bite him somewhere painful. The man is a very nasty piece of work, worthy of his Khmer Rouge origins.

I think that this crappy piece of real estate is of great interest to Thailand financially.

These are not insignificant investments that have been going on in Cambodia, and what better way to make friends and influence people than to be the "agent" for future investments, plus bring some potential new investors to the table.

http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?id=504&sec=2

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustr...K22576220080130

If he gets enough fingers in enough pies he may have the vast majority of large Thai conglomerates eating out of the palm of his hand. Love it or loathe it, Thailand's natural first port of call for overseas investment is Cambodia. Whilst we in the west complain about exporting jobs overseas, the loyalties of any corporation be it Thai or any other are to the $$. The easiest place for them to invest and exploit cheaper labour and production costs is Cambodia.

The next 6 months is going to make or break this standoff. Thaksin will probably hole-up in Cambodia to cock a snook back to the Dems, the Dems will struggle to get things moving, the PAD and the Reds will up the ante.

Then there is the great imponderable about what happens after .........

[hammered]

The ex Khmer Rouge Hun sen has always disliked Thailand, envy probably, so apart from the lucrative bisiness prospects Thaksin offers it's a chance to stick the knife in by offering shelter to the criminal.

Maybe Thaksin wants to go for cancer treatment, it's convenient for Rama 9 hospital doctors, but he must fear assassination, far easier in Cambodia than Dubai.

Hun Sen is defintely enjoying knifing Thailand. The Thaksin-Hun Sen relationship has come a long way since the embassy burning. One can only wonder what the latest set of business deals arer. No doubt lucrative to all.

You are right about the risks to Thaksin of living there. It is not just his obvious politcal enemies but also some of his old allies he landed in the big stuff but not being able to deliver on freeing them of serioud charges.

Dont know what to make of that cander stuff to be honest

[Publicus]

The Cambodian courts defying HS?

We agree.

[Samuian]

Mr.T. won't stop at anything!

But interesting play, how much money this must have cost him.

the judicial system in Thailand should press ahead with the case of "his stolen Life savings"

which happen to be frozen by the guardians of the constitution and the country and which officially

belong now to his little daughter Pinthongtae, who made this fortune out of some 376 Mill. which was

her little "birthday gift" or was it for graduation, plus she gave herbeloved father a little money of the

money SHE made that he could buy ManC because he was going to die of homesickness and bordom?!

Yeah, yeah, the tale continuous, stage is set...

Edited October 24, 2009 by Samuian

[webfact]

VERBAL SABRE-RATTLING

Don't be a pawn, Thai PM tells Hun sen

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Published on October 24, 2009

Don't be a pawn, Thai PM tells Hun sen

Abhisit reacts strongly to latest remarks about Thaksin, including making him economic adviser.

Cha-am- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday hit back at Cambodian Premier Hun Sen, urging him to respect the dignity of Asean by focusing his attention on how to help the 10-member regional grouping reach its stated goals.

"As Prime Minister Hun Sen comes to the Asean meeting, he should help the meeting reach its goals," Abhisit said.

The statement was in response to Hun Sen's controversial announcement that Cambodia would not extradite Thaksin Shinawatra to Thailand, where the fugitive ex-PM faces criminal charges, should he seek refuge there.

Hun Sen also announced on arrival yesterday in Cha-am that he would make the ex-premier his economic adviser.

Hun Sen compared Thaksin to Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, asking rhetorically why he should not talk about his friend when everybody is allowed to talk about the detained winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Besides, said Hun Sen, millions of Thais support Thaksin and one Cambodian should not be a problem.

Abhisit urged his Cambodian counterpart to review whether his decision would benefit the national interests of the two countries or just one individual.

"Don't allow anybody to use you as a pawn," Abhisit told a press briefing, which was supposed to focus on the outcome of the Asean meeting.

Abhisit said extradition is a legal decision, which needs inputs from all parties to prove whether it is really a political case or a normal crime of corruption.

"It is a process to prove information by all parties, and we shall not make any prejudgement," he said.

Hun Sen made his public statement shortly after arriving in Cha-am to attend the 15th Asean Summit.

He cited Article 3 in the extradition treaty with Thailand, which prohibits sending any persons to face punishment for a political offence.

His statement, the strongest and most controversial yet, raised tensions that have been brewing for more than a year because of a dispute about the overlapping territory around the ancient Preah Vihear Temple.

Hun Sen defended his decision to make Thaksin an economic adviser, insisting that it should not be considered intervention in Thailand's internal affairs.

"It is not interference in Thai internal affairs but it is a political right of the sovereign state of Cambodia," he said.

Many people are talking about Suu Kyi in Burma but why are they not talking about Thaksin as a victim, he said.

Hun Sen said he had made no complaint when Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy issued a statement against his government a few weeks ago in Thailand.

Abhisit said Hun Sen should not compare Thaksin with Suu Kyi, as nobody would agree with such a comparison. It was the common stance of Asean to call for the release of Suu Kyi and Hun Sen might have wrong information about her situation, he added.

Hun Sen said he had simply offered moral support to Thaksin as a friend.

"Millions of Thai people in the red-shirt movement support Thaksin and why can't I, a friend from afar, support Thaksin. Without the coup d'้tat of 2006, such things would not have happened," he said.

Minutes after Abhisit concluded his statement, Thaksin sent a statement through Twitter, telling him not to be disrespectful to foreign leaders, including Hun Sen, and that, as the host of the summit, he should place the interest of the nation above politics.

-- The Nation 2009/10/24

[Publicus]

Hun Sen preaches about Cambodian sovereignty but HS is holding an axe to Thai sovereignty by saying the conviction of Thaksin by the courts is illegitimate and by aligning himself with a movement, the Reds and Thaksin, that seek to seize absolute control of the Thai government.

Thaksin back in power in LOS would lead to purges and unprecedented conflict. It would leave the Thai government under Thaksin indebted to HS and Cambodia in a multipicity of ways that would significantly diminish Thailand and Thai sovereignty.

What's Hun Sen done to support or assist Aung San Suu Kyi? We well know he's done absolutely nothing. And so does Hun Sen.

The only moderating factor to HS and Thaksin thus far is that it's only been talk. But provocative and dangerous talk it is.

[animatic]

Hun Sen preaches about Cambodian sovereignty but HS is holding an axe to Thai sovereignty by saying the conviction of Thaksin by the courts is illegitimate and by aligning himself with a movement, the Reds and Thaksin, that seek to seize absolute control of the Thai government.

Thaksin back in power in LOS would lead to purges and unprecedented conflict. It would leave the Thai government under Thaksin indebted to HS and Cambodia in a multipicity of ways that would significantly diminish Thailand and Thai sovereignty.

What's Hun Sen done to support or assist Aung San Suu Kyi? We well know he's done absolutely nothing. And so does Hun Sen.

The only moderating factor to HS and Thaksin thus far is that it's only been talk. But provocative and dangerous talk it is.

Spot on.

These men have no consideration whatsoever for the Thai populace,

they are just chess pieces on their money driven power-plays.

[hammered]

Something that hasnt been looked at is what deals in the pipline did the coup stop?

[animatic]

Oil, communications, minerals, lumber. For a start.

[Samuian]

Oil, communications, minerals, lumber. For a start.

Mega Development of the area on Cambodian soil!

Cambodian border casinos - AFP, February 17, 2002

Banned from most forms of gambling in their own country, cashed-up Thais are frittering away tens of millions of dollars every year at gaudy border casinos. After roaring up the highway from Bangkok, they park their luxury German or Japanese sedans in tightly guarded car parks opposite miserable frontier towns like Poipet, in Cambodia...

"Legally speaking we might be in Cambodia, but practically speaking it is in fact Thailand," said one of the casino managers.

Just about everyone milling around the Holiday Palace, the Golden Crown Casino and the Star Vegas is Thai and the only currency accepted is the baht.

Border casinos open again - April 17, 2003

Does any reader have a photo of these casinos? The one-kilometer-long gambling strip, with its well-watered and immaculately manicured lawns, luxury hotels, air-conditioned shopping centers, massage parlors and brothels, has seven casinos, with an eighth under construction. "More than 1,000 Thais cross the border every day," said Wanchai Topan, police chief in Aranyaprathet district of Thailand's Sa Kaew province, just across from Poipet...

New bets on Thai casinos - Casino City Times, June 27, 2005

As reported by the Australian: "The prospects for Australia's gaming tycoons of new opportunities in Thailand have improved, with the Thai Government pushing for a referendum on legalising casinos.

"The moves follow a series of raids on illegal casinos last week, prompting Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to call for a debate on the issue.

"…Mr Shinawatra said a vote on the issue could be held at the next election.

But then... who knows, there where times when Thais where stopped from gping to gamble in Casinos on Cambodian soil.....

The Nation, December 23, 2003

"Beware! You may lose your money out there, and even if you win and bring back a lot of money, your cash could be seized. The videos will record your movements," Thaksin said.

..was it just a deal to save him face?

Money mining is the most direct way to unknown wealth and riches...

[steven2]

Minutes after Abhisit concluded his statement, Thaksin sent a statement through Twitter, telling him not to be disrespectful to foreign leaders, including Hun Sen, and that, as the host of the summit, he should place the interest of the nation above politics.

-- The Nation 2009/10/24

a reasonable comment.

[rixalex]

Minutes after Abhisit concluded his statement, Thaksin sent a statement through Twitter, telling him not to be disrespectful to foreign leaders, including Hun Sen, and that, as the host of the summit, he should place the interest of the nation above politics.

-- The Nation 2009/10/24

What a laughing stock Thaksin has become. Just when you thought his comments had hit a ludicrous low, he manages to stoop that bit lower.

[petaling]

Seems that Hun Sen is competing with Thaksin for that Laughing Stock Award:

Excerpt from Los Angeles Times article, dated October 24, 2009, on the ASEAN Summit:

One example is the split between Cambodia's prime minister, former Khmer Rouge commander Hun Sen, and Abhisit, an Oxford-educated economist born in England.

Before arriving at the summit Friday, Hun Sen, the longest-serving leader of an ASEAN nation, sent an unmistakable salvo Abhisit's way by offering political asylum to Thailand's fugitive former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.

Hun Sen called Thaksin his "eternal friend" and compared him to Myanmar's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Edited October 25, 2009 by petaling

[marshbags]

EDITORIAL

Hun Sen shows lack of class and tact

By The Nation

Cambodian premier's provocative remarks won't help Asean or bilateral relations

You can take the man out of the jungle but you cannot take the jungle out of the man, or so the saying goes. At this moment, that could be said about mercurial Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after the verbal sparring of the last few days.

"Millions of Thai people, the red shirts, support Thaksin [shinawatra, ex-PM]. Why, as a friend, can't I support Thaksin? Without the 2006 coup these things would not have happened," said Hun Sen shortly after arriving in Cha-am for the annual Asean Summit.

Throwing caution and discretion to the wind, the Cambodian leader argued further: "Many people talk about Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar [burma], why not talk about Thaksin? That cannot be referred to as interference."

Perhaps the Cambodian premier thought he was still leading some Khmer Rouge faction, and did not think that as prime minister of his country there was a need to be considerate to others' feelings, much less diplomatic protocol.

For a man with nearly three decades of regional experience, one would have thought that he would exhibit better diplomatic manners than what one has seen so far.

His provocative recent statements really ripped at the heart of so many Thais at a time when the country is bogged down with internal strife. One wonders what Hun Sen would have got out of rubbing more salt on open wounds.

Sadly, he has permitted himself to be part of a cheap ploy by fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra to steal the spotlight from a major international event that brought together leaders from 16 Asian and other nations, including India, Australia and New Zealand.

Thaksin had the audacity to tell Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to show some manners by not putting domestic politics over regional concerns. What else could one expect from Thaksin?

But what is Hun Sen's motivation? Is he desperate for attention and recognition at an international gathering after being in power for nearly three decades but with nothing much to show for it?

Holding on to power by any means and turning his once war-torn country into his personal playground would not count for much in terms of achievements in this day and age. Under his rule, Cambodia continues to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. We think the Cambodian people deserve better.

But then again, what else can you expect from a man who is doing his best to obstruct the UN tribunal from putting more members of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime on trial?

Is it because the Cambodian leader does not want the tribunal to reach too far as some of his Cabinet members might be named? After nearly 2 million deaths, a lot of people have blood on their hands, so it seems.

Hun Sen knows better than anyone about realpolitik when he staged a coup in early 1997 that delayed Cambodia's admission into Asean. Deep down, he still resents Asean and its treatment of his government.

Incidentally, it was the Thai government that was instrumental in helping him and Cambodia's return to the Asean fold and eventually the grouping's membership.

Moreover, he should be reminded that the current Thai government came through a parliamentary process, not because of the 2006 coup.

One also wonders what was Hun Sen's logic in comparing Thaksin with Burmese pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi. Is he bereft of any sense of proportion? Comparing Thaksin to Suu Kyi is an insult to the millions of Burmese people who are suffering at the hands of the ruling junta.

The Asean Summit should have been an occasion to consolidate among members. But instead, it has been sidetracked into trivial personal issues.

General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who has a penchant to stir the hornet's nest, should be condemned for internationalising a domestic issue for his own benefit. Giggling at reporters while talking on the phone with Thaksin, Chavalit showed how puerile he could be, or perhaps how low the former premier and Army chief could stoop. It's hard to fathom his behaviour, except that desperate situations call for desperate acts.

Perhaps it would be better for Hun Sen to keep his friendship with fugitive Thaksin, and their mutual admiration, in the closet. It could be a case of twisted minds thinking alike.

What he has done is not only harmful to the Thai-Cambodian relationship but also Asean's reputation and solidarity.

But, maybe, he just doesn't care.

-- The Nation 25-10-09

Ref url:- http://nationmultimedia.com/2009/10/25/opi...on_30115156.php

Edited October 25, 2009 by webfact
Post fixed and member informed //WF

[awd]

Asean's reputation and solidarity.... what the heck are they talking about?

[bendejo]

Taksin never had any respect for ASEAN. Remember a few years ago he showed up at a meeting and said "if anyone brings up Tak Bai I'm walking out" ?

And I thought the Silicon Valley CEOs were arrogant!

[mythBuster]

I wonder if Thaksin still has his "AIS" division in Cambodia or if it has been sold with his Thai division. The crying part seems a bit overdone to me. Fact is however that Thaksin met a shameful and undeserved end. The fact that rich and powerful people seem to be able to stop a democracy, which is undeniable work in progress, in order to be ensured of ongoing opportunities to enrich themselves is sad. Most Asian countries do have kangaroo courts and military strongmen who consider themselves better, more equipped and more important than a street sweeper. maybe it is not the poor that are is guided and misinformed but the rich. Fortunately the world is like a wheel, those who are on top right now, will sooner or later go under.

[LawnGnome]

Fact is however that Thaksin met a shameful and undeserved end.

Yes, lets all cry for the rich billionaire whose corruption increased his families net work 400 percent while he was in power. Cry me a river....

The fact that rich and powerful people seem to be able to stop a democracy, which is undeniable work in progress, in order to be ensured of ongoing opportunities to enrich themselves is sad.

You summed up what Thaksin did perfectly. I couldn't have put it better myself.

Fortunately the world is like a wheel, those who are on top right now, will sooner or later go under.

Thankfully - Thaksin fell under the wheel, before he stole the kitchen sink too.

[Publicus]

I wonder if Thaksin still has his "AIS" division in Cambodia or if it has been sold with his Thai division. The crying part seems a bit overdone to me. Fact is however that Thaksin met a shameful and undeserved end. The fact that rich and powerful people seem to be able to stop a democracy, which is undeniable work in progress, in order to be ensured of ongoing opportunities to enrich themselves is sad. Most Asian countries do have kangaroo courts and military strongmen who consider themselves better, more equipped and more important than a street sweeper. maybe it is not the poor that are is guided and misinformed but the rich. Fortunately the world is like a wheel, those who are on top right now, will sooner or later go under.

How comforting.

The meek shall inherit the earth? If they ever do, there won't be much left of it I'm afraid.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Publicus

[seri thai]

Hun Sen, with total control over his own crappy little piece of real estate, has decided now is the time to stick the boot into the less well-entrenched Abhisit and Thailand as a whole, which he is doing at every opportunity at a time of maximum publicity.

I hope it comes back to bite him somewhere painful. The man is a very nasty piece of work, worthy of his Khmer Rouge origins.

I think that this crappy piece of real estate is of great interest to Thailand financially.

These are not insignificant investments that have been going on in Cambodia, and what better way to make friends and influence people than to be the "agent" for future investments, plus bring some potential new investors to the table.

http://www.asianewsnet.net/news.php?id=504&sec=2

http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustr...K22576220080130

If he gets enough fingers in enough pies he may have the vast majority of large Thai conglomerates eating out of the palm of his hand. Love it or loathe it, Thailand's natural first port of call for overseas investment is Cambodia. Whilst we in the west complain about exporting jobs overseas, the loyalties of any corporation be it Thai or any other are to the $$. The easiest place for them to invest and exploit cheaper labour and production costs is Cambodia.

The next 6 months is going to make or break this standoff. Thaksin will probably hole-up in Cambodia to cock a snook back to the Dems, the Dems will struggle to get things moving, the PAD and the Reds will up the ante.

Then there is the great imponderable about what happens after .........

Thai Sino/Siamese business elite are investing in Cambodia whilst the military are still holding on to their trusty blue-chip Burmese investments. This is because Cambodia/Vietnam are the new tigers on the block (They've had their Maoist revolutions already) The military started investing their US$ in Myanmar in the 60's and 70's (Who haven't had a revolution, only military coups...) when it looked like the second line of defense in case the Americans pulled out and have generally kept up their "dealings" there.

So to simplify I think a referendum is needed - Vote red/brown for Greater Cambodia or yellow/green for Greater Burma?

[petaling]

Thaksin says he will visit: sources

The Phnom Penh Post, 29 October 2009

DEPOSED Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has told supporters he plans to travel to Cambodia, a Thai opposition source and media reports said Wednesday.

Speaking to members of the Puea Thai Party – known as the Red Shirts – by video conference Tuesday, Thaksin announced plans to travel to Cambodia following an invitation from Prime Minister Hun Sen to serve as his economic adviser, said a woman identified as a Puea Thai member, but who refused to give her name.

“Thaksin said he would fly to Cambodia soon to thank Hun Sen,” the Bangkok Post quoted another anonymous Puea Thai official as saying.

Bangkok says it would seek extradition if Thaksin – ousted in a 2006 coup and self-exiled to avoid jail on corruption charges – sought refuge in Cambodia.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Koy Kuong said the government has had no official communication with Thaksin recently, but that a visit to Cambodia was plausible. “I think it could be true, because so far, Prime Minister Hun Sen has given the green light to [Thaksin],” Koy Kuong said.

The source said, however, that Puea Thai was unsure such a visit would be prudent.

“We don’t agree with the idea of Thaksin going to Cambodia.… He’s caused so much trouble for the country recently that he needs to fix before he goes to Cambodia,” she said.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/200...it-sources.html

[Scott]

He sure knows how to taunt the current government.

Thaksin is one person that I really wouldn't want to be my enemy.

[Publicus]

He sure knows how to taunt the current government.

Thaksin is one person that I really wouldn't want to be my enemy.

What says friend you aren't already on his list, likely among the top 25% simply on the basis of guilt by association. If Thaksin returns it'd be because he seizes power so a lot of us will be paddling up the Meekong and dashing about under the shady palms.

I hope TVF has a standby MOE.

[koosdeboer]

Tweeting from Fugitiveland http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/thailan...-skype?page=0,0

Thailand's ex-premier is on the run. And he wants the Twitterati to know about it.

By Patrick Winn - GlobalPost

Published: November 2, 2009 06:35 ET

BANGKOK, Thailand – To hear the Thailand’s ruling government tell it, Thaksin Shinawatra is the kingdom’s most meddlesome fugitive.

Since fleeing Thailand last year, the self-exiled, billionaire ex-premier has zig-zagged the globe while stirring anti-establishment supporters from afar. He has incessantly needled the ruling party through in-country proxies, sarcastic Tweet messages and Skype video calls, broadcast at political pep rallies that sometimes turn violent.

His sanctuaries have included Hong Kong, London, Liberia and Dubai. Each new hideout spurs new extradition threats from the government. But if Thaksin pulls off a recent promise to visit Cambodia — right in Thailand’s backyard — the government’s repeated promises to catch him may begin to appear hollow.

Many experts already suspect authorities prefer Thaksin as a fugitive rather than a prisoner.

“The best way to diminish Thaksin’s popularity is not to make him a martyr, but rather to allow him to make a fool of himself via Skype as often as he wishes,” said Federico Ferrara, assistant political science professor at the National University of Singapore.

Imprisoning Thaksin, he said, would be “highly destabilizing,” sparking huge rallies and endless requests for release.

Thaksin has repeatedly promised supporters he’ll someday come home to Thailand. This week, the Thai government was rankled by his plans to visit the neighborhood.

At an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit this week, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen went on the offense for Thaksin and publicly offered to build him a Cambodian home.

Moreover, he pondered hiring him as a political advisor and even compared him to Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and political prisoner in Burma. Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup after five years of rule, is also a “victim” of politics, Hun Sen said.

These slights were widely interpreted as payback for an ongoing Thai-Cambodia land ownership dispute that has riled fierce nationalism on both sides and occasionally turned bloody. Bitterness between the countries runs even deeper, dating back to alleged Thai government sympathies to communist Khmer Rogue leaders who led mass killings in Cambodia during the 1980s.

“I don’t want (Hun Sen) to be a victim or a pawn for somebody that undermines the interests of this country,” said Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at a press conference. “I’m sure that when he’s better informed, he’ll change his mind.”

But Thaksin now insists he’s Cambodia-bound. He even Tweeted his thanks to Hun Sen, who has assured the ex-premier that Cambodia will disregard extradition requests.

Actually extraditing and jailing Thaksin would surely enrage his supporters, a largely rural, working-class faction known as the “red shirts.” Many of them believe Thaksin was the first Thai politician to challenge old-money elites and fight on their behalf.

The powers behind the coup that toppled Thaksin in 2006, however, insist he is incorrigibly corrupt. Last year, courts sentenced him to two years in prison for using political power to secure a Bangkok land deal for his wife.

Page 2 of 2

By keeping Thaksin on the run, he remains a “fugitive” that “helps the government portray the ‘red shirts’ as illegitimate by association,” said political professor Kevin Hewison, director of the Carolina Asia Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The government appears to crank up its Thaksin hunt each time his supporters become active, Hewison said.

Imprisoning Thaksin, he said, would just stir even more problems for the government. “He'd likely become an imprisoned symbol for opposition,” Hewison said. “Do they want that? No. He is less of a threat, and a declining star for the red shirt supporters, if he is at a distance.”

Authorities likely set the stage for Thaksin’s escape themselves, Ferrara said, by allowing the ex-premier to attend the 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Beijing. Thaksin was then on trial for fraud and a guilty verdict was widely assumed. Judges granted him leave, Ferrara said, expecting him to flee.

He has acquired up to six passports – secured from countries including Montenegro and Nicaragua, his political backers said – to traverse the globe and evade capture. Keeping up the appearance of a vigorous chase has helped the Thai government cement Thaksin’s “fugitive” image, Ferrara said.

“Thaksin can only be discredited as a ‘fugitive’ if someone is actually pursuing him,” he said.

“Otherwise he would be merely an ‘exiled politician,’ something that has a much more favorable connotation because it hints at the possibility that the government might either not have the goods on Thaksin or the stomach to lock him up.”

[LawnGnome]

In truth, the absolute best way to marginalize Thaksin is to not talk about him. If he is not getting attention, he will probably explode. Each day he is in exile, it becomes harder and harder for him to come back. In case people forget, the Democrat's first budget spending of their term will start to kick in pretty soon. This is the worst case scenario for ol squareface.

[hammered]

In truth, the absolute best way to marginalize Thaksin is to not talk about him. If he is not getting attention, he will probably explode. Each day he is in exile, it becomes harder and harder for him to come back. In case people forget, the Democrat's first budget spending of their term will start to kick in pretty soon. This is the worst case scenario for ol squareface.

The Saxena case is taking the oxygen from all others in terms of meida exposure. Some of the Thaksin leaning blogs and forums are trying to push the arrests for SET manipulation cases but with little traction as yet. Maybe time for some red or PTP drama as they dont usually like being out of media limelight

[Yoshitaka]

Cambodia Names Thailand’s Thaksin Economic Adviser, Xinhua Says

By Mark Tannenbaum

Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Cambodia’s government has named Thaksin Shinawatra, the exiled former prime minister of Thailand, as an economic adviser, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a statement today from the Cambodian government.

Thaksin was also appointed to serve as a private adviser to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the report said. The appointment was made on Oct. 27, Xinhua said.

Thaksin, ousted in a 2006 coup, is wanted in Thailand after being sentenced to a two-year prison term last year for abuse of power. Thailand and Cambodia are neighbors that have clashed in the past year over border disputes.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...id=a1Q5CyJoA1a0