Thaksin Condemns Times Online For False Reporting

[ff978472]

Some farangs may not understand why this interview considered offensive.

It looks like a normal opinion for the westerners.

But for a Thai, it reveals what Mr. T think about the monarch.

Any Thai (except the red shirts) will know in seconds what he think.

[Old Man River]

^^ OMR Oddly, no, since under LM previsions no publication may be made of the offending remarks until the case has been completed, and then only if the case fails can the remarks be published.

Regards

/edit chevrons/

Thinking back to previous cases, you are correct.

While no direct quotes, enough of this will make its way into Thai language to leave no doubt about what he allegedly said. This one is just too big to fall by the wayside. For example, Kasit has already said the Foreign Ministry will issue a statement to the foreign media to set the facts straight and this can be translated into Thai. If worded correctly, and I am sure it will be, it won't be too hard to read between the lines.

[rsy]

Looks like the article may well have been blocked. The transcript is still there, but can't access the article.

Just to confirm the article now clicks over to w3.mict.go.th

Regards

Coming through fine on Maxnet for both article and transcript.

[brahmburgers]

Let's play Thaksin toothpaste game. It's a new form of solitaire. Never a dull moment when you're on your own and need some entertainment.

One person squeezes the tube, then the same person tries to squeeze it back in to the tube.

Suggest; don't play it on your mother's rug, and be sure to have plenty of handy wipes nearby.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

If they slap him with LM, then enough of his comments will be translated into Thai language and reported by the Thai media. This may well be his undoing in the northeast.

No they won't. Typically LM cases are behind closed doors, with nothing being made public. Then the only result the media hears is that someone got XX years in jail for saying something that was deemed to be LM.

Given that this is Thaksin they may tread a little more carefully.

[Terminator]

Looks like the article may well have been blocked. The transcript is still there, but can't access the article.

Just to confirm the article now clicks over to w3.mict.go.th

Regards

Coming through fine on Maxnet for both article and transcript.

and through proxies also

[A_Traveller]

Looks like the article may well have been blocked. The transcript is still there, but can't access the article.

Just to confirm the article now clicks over to w3.mict.go.th

Regards

Coming through fine on Maxnet for both article and transcript.

My current connexion is True in CBD Bangkok and is, as is usual, slow enough to see the ICT trip<sigh>

Regards

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Just to confirm the article now clicks over to w3.mict.go.th

This may be one case of censorship where actually also Thaksin's side will be happy to see it blocked! Would be even better if the Times withdraws the article and apologizes. (While keeping the full interview, that was excellent)

Perhaps also the journalist can shed light on how the article came about.. did he write it, or someone less familiar with Thai politics back at the head office?

[moo9]

Mr. Thaksin at his best. Selfish and arrogant statements, blaming all but still denying his own wrong doings.

Can you imagine that an ex Prime Minister of a Western country become economic advisor of a neighboring country? He passed the red line and all this will decrease his support, hopefully (it did already according to a poll).

This jerk is not acting in the interest of Thailand anymore (maybe he never did).

I am not a supporter of any political side, but now it is time for him to shut up finally.

[Thai at Heart]

I bet the Times has never had so many hits from Thailand in one day.

I very much doubt that the 12 page transcript will make it into the local media. The television and newspapers will interpret it as they see fit, which when LM is mentioned, is to agree with the government of the day that it is LM.

As far as I know, anyone can bring an LM case?

Some busybody has probably been to the cop shop already.

End of debate, end of story, another case for Thaksin to fight.

[justanothercybertosser]

If they slap him with LM, then enough of his comments will be translated into Thai language and reported by the Thai media. This may well be his undoing in the northeast.

No they won't. Typically LM cases are behind closed doors, with nothing being made public. Then the only result the media hears is that someone got XX years in jail for saying something that was deemed to be LM.

Given that this is Thaksin they may tread a little more carefully.

Not if you follow news sources such as Prachatai. Then you will be as well informed on lese majeste cases as you can be.

[A_Traveller]

WTK ^^^ Apologise for what, representing Thaksin's sentiments and statements in a condensed form? Please do show me where the article misrepresents Khun Thaksin.

Regards

Edited November 9, 2009 by A_Traveller

[Thai at Heart]

Mr. Thaksin at his best. Selfish and arrogant statements, blaming all but still denying his own wrong doings.

Can you imagine that an ex Prime Minister of a Western country become economic advisor of a neighboring country? He passed the red line and all this will decrease his support, hopefully (it did already according to a poll).

This jerk is not acting in the interest of Thailand anymore (maybe he never did).

I am not a supporter of any political side, but now it is time for him to shut up finally.

Most western Ex-Pm's just get employed by Carlyle Group.

Far more worrying than Tony Blair advising the French, or GW advising the Canadians. I am not sure they would want their advice anyway, unless it includes how to screw up financial systems to need monstrous bail outs.

They are never going to shut him up and he knows he probably has time on his side. There has been too much spilt milk. Let's hope to God the Dems get their act together and win the next election because all bets will be off if Thaksin finds a legal avenue back into the country. I'm not saying that because I like the Dems, I just don't think Thailand could survive such an upheaval.

[TAWP]

If only letting the last sentence remain...

Suggest; don't play it on your mother's rug, and be sure to have plenty of handy wipes nearby.

Suddenly your message changed tone...

[awd]

Just a thought. I think this interview in The Times will be reported in the Nation and the BKK Post. When was the last time they did an interview with Thaksin. Wouldn't that be a newsstory worth reporting? I don't recall an in depth interview with Thaksin for quite some time by Thai journalists.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Mr. Thaksin at his best. Selfish and arrogant statements, blaming all but still denying his own wrong doings.

Can you imagine that an ex Prime Minister of a Western country become economic advisor of a neighboring country?

Yes, of course.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

WTK ^^^ Apologise for what, representing Thaksin's sentiments and statements in a condensed form? Please do show me where the article misrepresents Khun Thaksin.

In the focus of the article. The article makes it seem like Thaksin set out to make a statement about the future, whereas the interview was actually very balanced, and covered all aspects of this tenure in politics, the coup, and the period afterward.

The editor surgically removed any and all context, as well as the numerous praises and high regard displayed throughout the interview.

Edited November 9, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Publicus]

quote]

To be honest all newspapers have a history of sprucing things up if it means selling a few more papers. The Times in fairness though is one of the better papers in The UK, and really there is no political motivation for the times to try and push a certain angle of the story. My understanding is that the journalist is respected and has a track record of reporting in Asia.

Yes, the media often spruces things up, but that isn't about that. Thaksin isn't saying his comments were taken out of context, but rather that The TimesOnline lied. He is saying he never said anything like this. Hence, either The TimesOnline lied in their story or he is lying. There is no middle ground on this.

I very much doubt that The Times lied, that is my opinion.

Mine too and I'm confident of it.

Would for example The Times Asia Editor invent the statement regarding assassination? Those words had to come from Thaksin or the Times upon listening to the voice transcript would have to fire their Asia editor immediately. Same for the many Thaksin statements other forumists are citing as a possible basis of LM charges.

It's also likely the Times exercised an old option of establishment journalists to clean up the interviewee's English as Thaksin's English is much better in this interview than in many other interviews he's granted. There's a school of belief in traditional and established journalism that a newspaper is obligated to clean up the English of people they quote lest the newspaper itself be regarded as equally as illiterate as some of its interviewees. It is thus possible Thaksin and the Times may have some differences over certain wordings and phrasings, but Thaksin is presented as having iterated and reiterated so many statements of a certain nature (LM) the Times couldn't possibly have invented the statements nor could it have have tidied up Thaksin's English quite so sloppily or recklessly.

Someone's lying in this and I'm sure we know who it is. It's the usual suspect himself, now trying to take on the foreign devil farangs at Times of London, the capital of a country that gave him the boot.

[Thai at Heart]

quote]

To be honest all newspapers have a history of sprucing things up if it means selling a few more papers. The Times in fairness though is one of the better papers in The UK, and really there is no political motivation for the times to try and push a certain angle of the story. My understanding is that the journalist is respected and has a track record of reporting in Asia.

Yes, the media often spruces things up, but that isn't about that. Thaksin isn't saying his comments were taken out of context, but rather that The TimesOnline lied. He is saying he never said anything like this. Hence, either The TimesOnline lied in their story or he is lying. There is no middle ground on this.

I very much doubt that The Times lied, that is my opinion.

Mine too and I'm confident of it.

Would for example The Times Asia Editor invent the statement regarding assassination? Those words had to come from Thaksin or the Times upon listening to the voice transcript would have to fire their Asia editor immediately. Same for the many Thaksin statements other forumists are citing as a possible basis of LM charges.

It's also likely the Times exercised an old option of establishment journalists to clean up the interviewee's English as Thaksin's English is much better in this interview than in many other interviews he's granted. There's a school of belief in traditional and established journalism that a newspaper is obligated to clean up the English of people they quote lest the newspaper itself be regarded as equally as illiterate as some of its interviewees. It is thus possible Thaksin and the Times may have some differences over certain wordings and phrasings, but Thaksin is presented as having iterated and reiterated so many statements of a certain nature (LM) the Times couldn't possibly have invented the statements nor could it have have tidied up Thaksin's English quite so sloppily or recklessly.

Someone's lying in this and I'm sure we know who it is. It's the usual suspect himself, now trying to take on the foreign devil farangs at Times of London, the capital of a country that gave him the boot.

I don't think he made any statements that should be LM, but then again, LM is there to be used as anyone sees fit.

In the transcript he states his respect for the monarchy and states how the monarchy is good for Thailand.

I am sure by the end of tomorrow someone will have lodged a LM complaint and the LM wheels will start to turn again.

[nickynomates]

I have also just finished reading the whole story.

He gave very straight answers to the questions he was given.

Problem for me is the it shows his ego is bigger than anything else.

I see no consideration for the average Thai. I do see a very experience puppeteer at work.

But honestly I cant see that this interview will do him any good he gave too many bullets away at a time when Thailand needs unity for the dire problems ahead.

I read the interview, all 12 pages at timesonline.co.uk

Even though I thoroughly dislike the man, I have to say there was nothing that seemed dastardly in the interview. He mentioned and referred to the Royal family often - yet he was responding to questions relating to that topic. Nothing T said appeared to be even slightly anti-Royal.

If, on the other hand, a person wanted to find instances of T alluding to himself as the shining white knight who's the only person capable to saving Thailand from itself, then that person would find a lot of juicy ammunition.

My beef, is how T repeatedly harped about what dire condition Thailand and its poor people are in, and insisted that things will only get worse, until he's brought back to power. That, to me, is a juvenile tactic (among his many other childish ways) to put something down if he doesn't get his way. "Tommy won't share his plastic truck with me, so I'm going to destroy all his toys." .....sort of mentality.

BTW, I was surprised he ventured an answer on how much money he had outside of Thailand. T said a few hundred million dollars, and then when pressed, he downplayed it to say he just had about 100 million dollars, because he had been buying houses and businesses. In the same breath, he pretends to care about the impoverished downtrodden in Thailand. What a hypocrite! He has no idea what real poverty is. Everything for him is a political equation and/or a means to amass ever more gross amounts of lucre. He also said he gives no money to his supporters in Thailand. If I could get one dollar from him for every lie he's told, I'd have more money the he has.

[Jingthing]

Is Thaksin such a naif that he expects a long interview with the press will originally be published unedited? Check out the man's educational background (some podunk outfit in Texas) and it begins to make sense. This palling up with Cambodia at the same time when there a soft war with Cambodia is more or less insane, politically speaking. I agree with those who think he is a severely desperate man now who has lost the plot.

Edited November 9, 2009 by Jingthing

[A_Traveller]

WTK ^^^ Apologise for what, representing Thaksin's sentiments and statements in a condensed form? Please do show me where the article misrepresents Khun Thaksin.

In the focus of the article. The article makes it seem like Thaksin set out to make a statement about the future, whereas the interview was actually very balanced, and covered all aspects of this tenure in politics, the coup, and the period afterward.

The editor surgically removed any and all context, as well as the numerous praises and high regard displayed throughout the interview.

No he didn't... Review properly or don't waste photons. The only contentious area could be [stress could] the headline, which is why Thaksin is desperately focusing upon it in his rebuttal.

Regards

[plachon]

The trouble with Thaksin is he long ago stopped being able to tell the difference between fact and fiction, truth and lies; so caught up is he in the myth of his own popularity in the boondocks of Isaan and legitimacy as an elected leader, rather than the more unpleasant truth about the methods used to obtain a one party, ruthless, human rights abusing dictatorial position for 5 dark years in Thailand's history. Like during the Black Red Songkhran earlier this year, he frequently forgets to check his spew of lies and lets the odd home truth slip out, much to his minders' and managers later embarassment. The guy's positively his own worst enemy and these days probably couldn't run the proverbial piss-up in a brewery, much less a large company or struggling LDC.

Doubt this will influence the Red masses however, who are being primed for something major before long, judging by the plethora of red flags, photos of local politicians with Thaksin and royalty-like status afforded their hero in exile in the Upper Northeast this past weekend.

Edited November 9, 2009 by plachon

[Publicus]

Thaksin's statements of praise of the Thai monarchy as well as his statements regarding other aspects of advisers to it etc wouldn't be considered LM in the UK or in other European constitutional monarchies. Mr. Parry however knew what questions he was asking Thaksin in these respects and would be keenly attentive to Thaksin's responses and their impact in LOS.

It would appear Mr. Parry showed up in Dubai with a large amount of rope to hand to Kuhn Thaksin, anticipating that Thaksin would haul all of it in. Why else would Mr. Parry have made the trip, posed such questions and had on hand several trunksfull of rope?

[justanothercybertosser]

at a time when Thailand needs unity for the dire problems ahead.

There is no "unity" in any advanced and free society, which Thai society in many aspects is on the way to become - the only thing there can be is conflicts managed peacefully within democratic institutions such as the parliament, in a peaceful way. Like it or not, Thaksin represents a vast amount of Thais, and as long as his, and his supporters views are ridiculed and fought against, he will not shut up, and neither will his supporters.

In the interview transcript he has mentioned more than a few very uncomfortable truths which should be addressed by the government, and the privy councilors. As long as they do not address these issues other than by complete denial, that long their opponents will find their representation in street demonstrations, which may very well turn more violent again.

Thaksin hasn't said anything that has not been openly said in many other places both in the academic world, and from protest stages. Thaksin hasn't insulted the Royal family in any way during this interview, and trying to make things appear that way, will only piss off his supporters even more.

The hysterical reactions by the government are only to be expected, unfortunately, much in line with last weeks infantile reactions over Thaksin's appointment in Cambodia. This will lead only to an escalation of the conflicts, and does not contribute to any form of reconciliation process.

[justanothercybertosser]

The only contentious area could be [stress could] the headline, which is why Thaksin is desperately focusing upon it in his rebuttal.

Regards

Headlines often are not even written by the writer himself and/or changed by editorial staff. A case against Thaksin cannot be made by a story that was written about him, but by his own words. And there is nothing i can possibly recognize as defaming the monarchy in the transcript.

The government and the PAD will without doubt play their own political games with this, no matter the frictions it will cause. This is not just disgusting, but completely lacks responsibility.

[Yoshitaka]

3 B for Time Online.

Time Online should be banned

Time Online should be block

Time Online should be boycott.

[Publicus]

The only contentious area could be [stress could] the headline, which is why Thaksin is desperately focusing upon it in his rebuttal.

Regards

Headlines often are not even written by the writer himself and/or changed by editorial staff. A case against Thaksin cannot be made by a story that was written about him, but by his own words. And there is nothing i can possibly recognize as defaming the monarchy in the transcript.

The government and the PAD will without doubt play their own political games with this, no matter the frictions it will cause. This is not just disgusting, but completely lacks responsibility.

Thaksin's words are thermonuclear explosions around here and Thaksin knows it. Mr. Parry knew his questions would produce a hot story, and he was right. It should be expected Thaksin would make the statements he did make only then to have to deny them. The headline is a minor issue because Thaksin's words are spoken in red.

[awd]

Times Online should be spelled correctly.

[mrtoad]

3 B for Time Online.

Time Online should be banned

Time Online should be block

Time Online should be boycott.

On the basis of what?