Thaksin Accused Media Of Launching Negative Campaigns

[webfact]

BT76-BILLION ASSETS TRIAL

Media swaying judges' decision: Thaksin

By The Nation

Published on January 27, 2010

BANGKOK: -- Ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday accused some media groups of launching negative campaigns to convince judges to confiscate his family's Bt76-billion assets.

During a phone-in last night, Thaksin named The Nation, the Manager and Thai Post as the outlets that have stepped up their analyses against him to sway the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holder judges' belief that he was unusually rich and his assets must be seized.

Thaksin claims that he and his family had earned the Bt76 billion before he entered politics.

He also accused the government of having double standards by allowing Pol Lt-General Somkid Bunthanom, Police Region 5 Commissioner, to continue working even though he was indicted on charges of murdering Saudi businessman Mohammad al-Ruwaili two decades ago.

He compared Somkid's case with that of three high-ranking police officers who were sacked after the National Anti-Corruption Commission dismissed them over the October crackdown on protesters.

-- The Nation 2010-01-27

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[KireB]

The pot and the kettle!

[givenall]

Hum Sorry Mr. T Thai paper doesn’t like you. Oh poor baby.

How can I make 7b Bbt too? It must be very easy

[Siripon]

I couldn't believe it when I saw one of Thaksin's magazines with his name spelt Taksin, the picture closely resembling King Taksin, and the words 'Taksin returns' written underneath.

Now that's what I call a negative campaign, trying to convince Thai people you are King Taksin reborn- the cheek of it!

[SomTumTiger]

First the government, then the privy council, then the military, now the media. Animatic talks about the mental instability that began to surface in Thaksin in early 2006. Case in point...

[Samuian]

First the government, then the privy council, then the military, now the media. Animatic talks about the mental instability that began to surface in Thaksin in early 2006. Case in point...

No wonder, how can a former projectionist handle all this fame and the steep flight from "rags" to unacountable riches

or which phrase has been coined here? "Unusual wealth"?

comes an advertising slogan from TagHeuer to mind:

"Don't crack under pressure!"

maybe some advice for someone in there...

[babuhavas]

Mr Thaksin or Taki shenegra?

[Crushdepth]

When was the last time a positive word came out of Thaksin's mouth He looking increasingly fruity to me. A megalomaniac whose ego faces terminal collapse. Could get ugly.

I agree he's really stepped over the bounds of the acceptable with this 'King Taksin' self-veneration stuff. Very suprised he hasn't been done for LM.

[animatic]

Glad someone noticed.

Seems the thing that sets him 'thoroughly of his trolley' is attacks on his ego.

But also against his control of any situation, he is a classic 'control freak',

and when not in control he gets unsettled. This explained his single handed and single minded

control of all cabinet decisions and lack of consideration of other points from his own advisers,

leading to Somkid et al bailing from the caretaker cabinet and Thaksin saying: (I paraphrase the quote)

"It doesn't matter who leaves my cabinet, I am the only one doing any work here."

[Meridian007]

How dare the media not support his threatening of the courts! The nerve of them!

They can't just go out and advertise him in a bad light, it might hurt his divine plan to have his stolen money returned to him! The return of his money is the only way to promote democracy and freedom in this dictatorial regime that won't allow him to distribute his own propaganda through the internet and print media, or openly suggest violent civil war and death threats! Oh, wait a minute...

I hope the courts are not swayed by baby Thaksin's temper tantrums, and that they remember the not so subtle suggestion that can be implied from the King's speech to the new judges yesterday.

"If you can perform your duties by correctly realising what is fair and just, you will win in reality. So you should maintain justice and perform your duty bravely. If you lack bravery, for whatever the cause, that shows a lack of justice and points to ignorance."

[Ricardo]

Perhaps DL should revert to form, and bring on the billion-baht court-cases, to muzzle the journos & their publications, all in the name of freedom & democracy & justice, of course.

[dttk0009]

If he would just address the extra-judicial killing spree he went on along with the idiotic alcohol prohibition laws I think I could forgive him. But he doesn't.

[PoorSucker]

Mr Thaksin or Taki shenegra?

[slapout]

I do not remember his declaration of the wealth he referees to, prior to entering politics. Just to put this in prospective as a self professed billionaire by US dollar count, he made the huge contribution to the university which issued his Doctor degree of less than 2500. us. With his study of criminology you would think he would have stayed on the law abiding side of the legal system.

[Crushdepth]

I hope the courts are not swayed by baby Thaksin's temper tantrums, and that they remember the not so subtle suggestion that can be implied from the King's speech to the new judges yesterday.

I think the reminder is a very timely expression of support for the independence of the courts and nothing more. They are going to be heavily criticised no matter what decision they hand down, but at least they know they have some moral support for trying to do the right thing.

[PhilHarries]

So clever yet so stupid. If he'd played it just a bit straighter and with less of the megalomania he'd still be PM and probably the best Thailand ever had or ever will have.

Unfortunately he was more bent than a butcher's meat hook and his ego made him appear bigger than you know who in his own eyes, the King Taksin bit proves it.

If the situation were reversed and it was he who is in power and Abhisit was agitating from outside an accident would be arranged.

[junglist]

Mr. T. will fall the only question is how hard.

[Oberkommando]

Thaksin is has a point though, the publications he mentions, one of which sponsors this forum (and not surprisingly the majority of responses here parrot the anti-Thaksin agenda of said publication), are all heavily controlled, influenced and bias against him.

Ignoring the usual trite and boring anti-Thaksin nonsense for a minute, we should concentrate on the real issue at hand, and that is lack of freedom of the press in Thailand, and their political bias, which is influenced by the same groups bent on denying democratic process and due process in their country.

Thaksin also points out the hypocrisy of this government when it comes to justice, something clearly evident in the case of the alleged murdering Police officer he mentions.

Whatever Thaksin's failings or his aims, you simply cannot deny that he is on the money with this one.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Oberkommando

[animatic]

Thaksin tried to heavily control and make biased HIS WAY these same journals and media outlets.

He has only himself to blame if they hate his guts. He reaps what he has sown.

His hypocrisies are laid bare for all to see. Boohoo to his crocodile tears.

Edited January 27, 2010 by animatic

[way2muchcoffee]

Thaksin is has a point though, the publications he mentions, one of which sponsors this forum (and not surprisingly the majority of responses here parrot the anti-Thaksin agenda of said publication), are all heavily controlled, influenced and bias against him.

I agree that the publications mentioned are indeed biased. But who specifically is controlling them? Where are the lawsuits so prevalent against journalists in the Thaksin era? Where are the political firings of editorial staff? Where are the pulled advertisements? If you make a claim please support it with evidence.

we should concentrate on the real issue at hand, and that is lack of freedom of the press in Thailand, and their political bias, which is influenced by the same groups bent on denying democratic process and due process in their country.

What lack of freedom of the press in Thailand? Last I heard DTV and ASTV are fully functioning. Community radio has not been shut down. Truth today is still published. Where exactly are the press restrictions that you claim exist? By whom? Against whom? How exactly? I will agree that the Lese Majeste stuff is problematic, for every party, but even there we haven't seen any new cases of LM in the last couple of months.

Thaksin is has a point though, the publications he mentions, one of which sponsors this forum (and not surprisingly the majority of responses

Thaksin also points out the hypocrisy of this government when it comes to justice, something clearly evident in the case of the alleged murdering Police officer he mentions.

As I recall the current administration has asked several cabinet members to resign at only the suspicion of corruption or malfeasance. This never happened under Thaksin. Indeed, Thaksin is a fugitive, fomenting rebellion, along with a fair number of the redshirt leaders. Regarding the specific Northern policeman, the indictment is only a few days old. In due time the man will be moved to an inactive position to await trial.

Edited January 27, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[Oberkommando]

Thaksin tried to heavily control and make biased these same journals and media outlets.

He has only himself to blame if they hate his guts. He reaps what he has sown.

His hypocrisies are laid bare for all to see. Boohoo to his crocodile tears.

So two wrongs make a right?

Your hatred for the man is blinkering your vision as usual.

Edited January 27, 2010 by Oberkommando

[Oberkommando]

I agree that the publications mentioned are indeed biased. But who specifically is controlling them? Where are the lawsuits so prevalent against journalists in the Thaksin era? Where are the political firings of editorial staff? Where are the pulled advertisements? If you make a claim please support it with evidence.

The evidence is in, amongst other things, many of the non-factual and flimsy stories the Nation in particular releases on a regular basis to smear Thaksin and his supporters. Pure propaganda pieces.

I give you the Takki Shinegra nonsense, still being spouted on this thread as a clear example.

What lack of freedom of the press in Thailand?

Thailand's Press Freedom Index continues to plummet.

Press Freedom: Thailand drops to 130th in the World

[ballpoint]

So two wrongs make a right?

Your hatred for the man is blinkering your vision as usual.

You do realise you've just demolished the single biggest redshirt argument? "Sure, Thaksin was corrupt, but others were too...".

It could well be argued that blind love for someone / something has created more trouble in the world than any amount of hatred.

[way2muchcoffee]

I agree that the publications mentioned are indeed biased. But who specifically is controlling them? Where are the lawsuits so prevalent against journalists in the Thaksin era? Where are the political firings of editorial staff? Where are the pulled advertisements? If you make a claim please support it with evidence.

The evidence is in, amongst other things, many of the non-factual and flimsy stories the Nation in particular releases on a regular basis to smear Thaksin and his supporters. Pure propaganda pieces.

I give you the Takki Shinegra nonsense, still being spouted on this thread as a clear example.

What lack of freedom of the press in Thailand?

Thailand's Press Freedom Index continues to plummet.

Press Freedom: Thailand drops to 130th in the World

But you failed to answer even one of my questions.

1) Who specifically is controlling the media?

2) Where are the lawsuits against journalists, as were so prevalent in the Thaksin era?

3) Where are the political firings of editorial staff?

4) Where are the pulled advertisements?

I already agreed to the fact the The Nation is biased, perhaps outrageously so. So it ASTV. So is Truth Today. So is DTV. And yet all of these organizations and publications continue to operate every day. Their offices haven't been stormed. They haven't been sued out of business. They haven't lost their media licenses.

So if you are complaining about media bias, then I most certainly agree. But if you are complaining about media freedom then I must ask what exactly you mean. It is widely accepted that the drop in media freedom rankings was due to two things: internet freedom and lese majeste. Neither of these was mentioned by Thaksin in his media condemnation.

Edited January 27, 2010 by way2muchcoffee

[Wolfie]

Your hatred for the man is blinkering your vision as usual.

... and your devotion to him has blinkered yours

[boris52]

Oh well, it wont be too long before this pathetic excuse for a government crumbles.

[Crushdepth]

Thaksin is has a point though, the publications he mentions, one of which sponsors this forum (and not surprisingly the majority of responses here parrot the anti-Thaksin agenda of said publication), are all heavily controlled, influenced and bias against him.

Where is the bias and control? The Nation (and their Unmentionable Competitor) have published all of Thaksin's statements and announcements, even though many of them weren't particularly 'newsworthy'. He's had a very nice platform to get his views across.

Nobody in the press is complaining about being leaned on. They certainly were complaining while Thaksin was in charge. I remember the Unmentionable Newspaper kept publishing a quote from the constitution about the right to free speech on the top of the front page for a while.

Thaksin has a negative image in the press because he spits venom and wild accusations every time he opens his mouth.

[way2muchcoffee]

Oh well, it wont be too long before this pathetic excuse for a government crumbles.

Anything more substantive to add?

[steveromagnino]

Thaksin is has a point though, the publications he mentions, one of which sponsors this forum (and not surprisingly the majority of responses here parrot the anti-Thaksin agenda of said publication), are all heavily controlled, influenced and bias against him.

Ignoring the usual trite and boring anti-Thaksin nonsense for a minute, we should concentrate on the real issue at hand, and that is lack of freedom of the press in Thailand, and their political bias, which is influenced by the same groups bent on denying democratic process and due process in their country.

Thaksin also points out the hypocrisy of this government when it comes to justice, something clearly evident in the case of the alleged murdering Police officer he mentions.

Whatever Thaksin's failings or his aims, you simply cannot deny that he is on the money with this one.

The majority of heavy control was during the TRT years, where AIS advertising budget, the Maleenont faction, TRT officials within the govt owned/run media, firing staff who weren't reporting favourably (ITV) and the massive law suits used against those who refused to tow the line saw Thailand's press freedom plummet.

To now complain when the media is considerably freer in actuality than it was in his era is somewhat odd except for the lese majeste issue which we can't discuss here, and the only reason he is saying this is simply because they aren't saying what he wants.

The Nation is most certainly hysterically anti TRT/Thaksin and has been since 2000. ASTV is a yellow shirt moutpiece. What on earth does he expect?

That would be like me tuning in to that Red Shirts TV channel, and then complaining that they are so biased they refuse to be neutral and instead are pro Thaksin.

I read the Economist and I know that they unashamedly support a freemarket model, and so when they go on a rant about tarriffs and trade barriers at the same time that some protectionist writer somewhere else is praising trade barriers, both are expressing their view point which is not objective but rather a rose tinted view of their version of the news.

Unless we are engaging in some theoretical argument about a single version of truth, then it seems hard to escape that there are certain biases inherent in the media, as even 5 min of FOX news will tell you.

Within Thailand, I am amazed at the amount of coverage the red shirts are able to get for seeming non events such as the protests over the weekend, and cannot help but feel that the coverage (in the Thai language, and also BKK Post) gives viewpoints on both sides of the fence. We have every thursday a TRT party political from Suranand in BKK Post; there is the ability for red shirters to listen to radio, watch TV, read - ditto for yellow shirts and ditto for ppl in the middle. Most importantly, we now have a new vehicle, the internet, and can enjoy the inane ramblings of various self professed experts on webboards, websites, blogs, facebook, twitter and even here where the biggest blowhard of them all, SteveRog someone or other is often apparently providing amusement to himself and no one else, with stealthy sidetracks and considerable self promotion (the chant he says about himself apparently is:

he is rich

he is hung

he makes girlies into women BUNG

Stevie R.....Stevie R.....

he got a car

he got a scar

he once stood in for Yo Yo Ma

Stevie R.....Stevie R......)

so let's be clear. If rubbish like that can make the news, then surely that shows just how unbiased things are. All rubbish runs an equal chance of making the dailies.

as an example:

Thai Raht - suck ups to whoever is in power

Matichon - investigative no nonsense journalism (that's why they didn't get AIS budget)

Nation - hysterically anti Thaksin

BKK Post - somewhat suck ups, with the odd 'tilt' such as the airport runways story, subsequently shown to true, too late though, staff concerned were 'dealt with'

KTT - even though part of the Nation group, they tend to be very balanced, not so big on politics anyhow

Phoojudgarn - even though part of Sondhi's empire, not so political for the most part

Siam Toorakij - relatively neutral, suck ups to AIS in their time

etc etc

Lots to choose from.

That much of the coverage is negative is not so much bias as somewhat reflective of public opinion within the readers of each publication; the majority of the journalists, what are they going to write; to do an interview with a convicted man on the run from the law in self exile is not exactly easy.

Combine that with the reality that even the big news channels are increasingly bored with the idea of interviewing Thaksin themselves (as it is hardly news anymore) and it would seem that all the money spent on PR consultants is not getting column inches outside Thailand any more. Is the entire world media biased also against him?

In the words of Homey D Clown 'I don't think so'

(Homey don't play dat)

I do agree though, that freedom of the press is critical to a functioning democracy, so yes he has a point that it could be better. I don't think he has suffered or gained from it as the coverage relating to him is not so bad.

On the other hand, the investigative journalism - watergate type stuff - that's missing here and there are so many smoking guns out there:

- Chalerm's son

- Blue Diamond

- Alpine Golf

- Land ownership in Kao Yai

- The BCC affair

- did Lydia or didn't she

Come on journos, get on with it!

Edited January 27, 2010 by steveromagnino

[animatic]

On the other hand, the investigative journalism - watergate type stuff - that's missing here and there are so many smoking guns out there:

- Chalerm's son

- Blue Diamond

- Alpine Golf

- Land ownership in Kao Yai

- The BCC affair

- did Lydia or didn't she

Come on journos, get on with it!

Hear hear!