Send Thaksin Down: In Praise Of The Prison Option

[webfact]

Send him down: In Praise of the Prison Option

By S. Tsow

Special to The Nation

THERE'S a simple solution to the ongoing political standoff in Thailand. Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra should surrender to the Thai authorities, serve out his prison term, and then be allowed to rejoin the political process.

I realise that there must be arguments against this that I don't know about. This is because I'm a foreigner. Foreigners never know what's going on in Thailand. Even when we think we know, we really don't. In fact, the surer we are that we know the score, the deeper is our ignorance. Why? Because this is Thailand. Thailand is like a murky stew. There will always be ingredients simmering beneath the surface that foreigners will never know about. It's a good thing, too, because ignorance is bliss.

We do know that Thaksin is facing other charges that might be brought against him. But with all the lawyers and spin doctors he has mustered, surely he could manage to work out a deal. For him, the best deal would be for all pending charges against him to be dropped if he agrees to serve his prison term. Whether this would be legally possible is for the lawyers to figure out.

Assuming that this and other obstacles can be overcome, how would Thaksin benefit by turning himself in and serving his time?

Very simple. It would enable him to paint himself as the saviour of the nation. He is the main obstacle to reconciliation between the warring camps. His capitulation would break the logjam of political gridlock, if I may mix my metaphors, and enable the government to get on with the business of running the country.

Indeed, if Thaksin were to do this, his spin doctors would go wild singing his praises. I can already hear the laudatory hosannas gushing forth from their spin-mills to inundate the planet:

"Former Thai prime minister and persecuted political refugee Thaksin Shinawatra today demonstrated his selfless love for the Thai people by surrendering to the Thai authorities.

"'I am innocent of all charges,' Thaksin proclaimed as he was led away in chains. 'But to restore political harmony to my beloved motherland, I willingly sacrifice myself for the benefit of all Thai people. I not only accept, I boldly embrace the cruel and unjust sentence that the authorities have inflicted upon me. I do this as a free love-offering to the Thai people. Just as Jesus Christ sacrificed his life to redeem sinful humanity, so do I now sacrifice my freedom to redeem the nation from the strife and conflict which, through no fault of mine, have convulsed it for so long.'"

There might even be a few brain-dead people who would buy that.

It would be a huge public relations triumph for Thaksin. The international news media would immediately stop comparing him to Silvio Berlusconi, Huey Long and Al Capone. They would lionise him as a hero and a martyr. In one cathartic moment he would vault in public esteem to the elevated status enjoyed by Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi.

All of these great icons of the modern world became canonised in the public mind by going to prison for their beliefs. Jail time gave them an immense boost in moral stature. Simply by surrendering to the authorities, Thaksin can easily join their ranks. Once enthroned in that august pantheon, it will be hard to get him out. His immortality will be guaranteed. At least, his spin doctors will make it look that way.

Doing time in prison can transform a person's reputation, and sometimes even his character. Look at Mandela: He entered prison as a rabble-rouser and an insurrectionist. He emerged 27 years later as a saint. The same thing happened to Aurobindo. Transformed in prison, he abandoned political activity, turned to religion, wrote books of transparent luminosity on spiritual striving, and founded an ashram and a religious movement that endure even today. Gandhi and King read books in prison, prayed, meditated and thought deeply. They wrote letters and manifestos from prison that had great influence and continue to inspire reformers in every nation. They emerged stronger and wiser than when they went in.

Thaksin can do the same. Given time to read, reflect and write in prison, he can easily produce a manifesto for political and social reform that will astound the world and confound his foes. The austerities of prison life will discipline his character, soften his bellicosity, temper his vengefulness, mellow his moodiness, smooth out the rough edges of his personality. They might even purify him of that vaunting hubris which is his fatal flaw. (We're all waiting for that.)

Day by day, the public will gradually forget his reputation as an arrogant autocrat and power-mad greedhound. Honed and refined by the vicissitudes of prison life, he will emerge, like Mandela, as the very embodiment of virtue.

For all these reasons, if Thaksin wants to go down as one of the greatest figures in Thai history, he should give himself up, submit to martyrdom, and serve his time. Greater men than he have found redemption in prison. "Saint Thaksin" would make a wonderful title, but it has to be earned.

You don't earn it by shopping at Harrods.

S Tsow is a humorist and amateur theologian who can be flamed at s.tsow [at] ymail.com, when he's not in prison

-- The Nation 2010-07-23

[siampolee]

Indeed the kudos that would arise from facing the truth and its consequences would ensure a landslide victory for Thaksin and any political party as he may be involved with.

Those politicians in the party that Thaksin was involved with wouldn't just have their hands inthe pork barrel they would be totally immersed in the pork barrel.

However the massive ego that Thaksin has will not allow him to face the truth in any way shape or form.

"Former Thai prime minister and persecuted political refugee Thaksin Shinawatra today demonstrated his selfless love for the Thai people by surrendering to the Thai authorities.

Dream on Thaksin, dream on Thailand.

Thaksin the man, (I use the word man a gender identification rather than as a statement regarding his status) could never ever face reality if it stood in front of him stark naked and punched him on the nose.

Edited July 22, 2010 by siampolee

[MCos]

One flaw in an otherwise perfectly sound hypothesis is that it makes sense. I'm not saying that Thai politicians are not sensible - l'm saying that no politicians are sensible. Another flaw is the use of Aung Sun Sui Kyi. If Thaksin follows her lead that'll be the last we see of him.

[Ulysses G.]

For all these reasons, if Thaksin wants to go down as one of the greatest figures in Thai history, he should give himself up, submit to martyrdom, and serve his time

Be very careful about bending over to pick up the soap.

[Siripon]

There's no prison big enough to contain that ego of his.

[dom samui]

S. Tsow - linguist, theologian, philosopher and sage-in-residence of the City of Angels - writes authoritatively and eloquently on the burning issues of our time: the scourge of cellphones, the escalating price of noodles, the inanity of political correctness, and the bad gramer and speling ov the yooth ov tooday... not to mention beer drinking, bad medicine, backpacking in the old days and the boisterous bedlam of Bangkok

Rave Reviews of the Work of S. Tsow

"S. Tsow is a great punctuator." Colin Piprell, author.

"An evil toad." James Eckardt, author.

"Who?." Simon J. Hand, journalist.

"S. Tsow is one of the most underrated writers in Bangkok today - and with good reason." Fardley Nerdwell, Literary critic.

"As his writing reveals, S. Tsow has managed to make the difficult transition from adolescence to senility without passing through an intervening stage of maturity." Turk Grogan, philosopher.

"He was a good boy, but I understand he's gone downhill since." Mrs. J. Tsow, mother

[ThaksinKharma]

"Just as Jesus Christ sacrificed his life to redeem sinful humanity, so do I now sacrifice my freedom to redeem the nation from the strife and conflict which, through no fault of mine, have convulsed it for so long."

Sounds good.

Go for it, Prisoner Number 999:

[whatsupdoc]

The writer of the opinion article overlooked something: there are quite a number of court cases pending against Thaksin. His prison time might be a lot longer than just the two years he has been convicted to so far.

[ThaksinKharma]

The writer of the opinion article overlooked something: there are quite a number of court cases pending against Thaksin. His prison time might be a lot longer than just the two years he has been convicted to so far.

He didn't overlook it. He addressed it directly in this paragraph:

We do know that Thaksin is facing other charges that might be brought against him. But with all the lawyers and spin doctors he has mustered, surely he could manage to work out a deal. For him, the best deal would be for all pending charges against him to be dropped if he agrees to serve his prison term. Whether this would be legally possible is for the lawyers to figure out.

[jayjay0]

The one thing that the author is overlooking is that Jail for Thaksin will not be time served in the same conditions as the a fore mentioned leaders. It would in all likely hood be similar to Aung San Suu Kyi's imprisonment.

[johnandtai]

I am not really interested in politics. But I do believe all countries are the same....... power corrupts and thus it is hard to have honest people in power.

Thailand currently is not a democracy, but a police/military state. Under this condition Thaksin would be crazy to surrender himself to the will of his opponents.

I read all the posts painting him as an evil person who harmed Thailand. These people obviously know nothing of the recent political history of Thailand.

Thaksin was elected & re-elected by the people of Thailand, he was & is popular with the majority of Thais. He was ousted while he was out of the country by his opponents with the backing of the military.

Was he good for Thailand? I believe he was ... he is a good businessman and Thailand was prospering. Was he corrupt? Probably. Are there any honest politicians taking his place? Not likely. If all politicians are the same, isn't better to have one that does good things for Thailand?

[junglist]

I am not really interested in politics. But I do believe all countries are the same....... power corrupts and thus it is hard to have honest people in power.

Thailand currently is not a democracy, but a police/military state. Under this condition Thaksin would be crazy to surrender himself to the will of his opponents.

I read all the posts painting him as an evil person who harmed Thailand. These people obviously know nothing of the recent political history of Thailand.

Thaksin was elected & re-elected by the people of Thailand, he was & is popular with the majority of Thais. He was ousted while he was out of the country by his opponents with the backing of the military.

Was he good for Thailand? I believe he was ... he is a good businessman and Thailand was prospering. Was he corrupt? Probably. Are there any honest politicians taking his place? Not likely. If all politicians are the same, isn't better to have one that does good things for Thailand?

Good for Thailand? Unless your one of the Thousands he had killed that is.

[RedNIvar]

I am not really interested in politics. But I do believe all countries are the same....... power corrupts and thus it is hard to have honest people in power.

Thailand currently is not a democracy, but a police/military state. Under this condition Thaksin would be crazy to surrender himself to the will of his opponents.

I read all the posts painting him as an evil person who harmed Thailand. These people obviously know nothing of the recent political history of Thailand.

Thaksin was elected & re-elected by the people of Thailand, he was & is popular with the majority of Thais. He was ousted while he was out of the country by his opponents with the backing of the military.

Was he good for Thailand? I believe he was ... he is a good businessman and Thailand was prospering. Was he corrupt? Probably. Are there any honest politicians taking his place? Not likely. If all politicians are the same, isn't better to have one that does good things for Thailand?

Well said. Has there every been an honest Politician in Thailand?

[shrekroma]

Well said. Has there every been an honest Politician in Thailand?

Yes.

Ultimately, the elite pressed charge against him ( similar to what they did to Thaksin )

He finally had to flee out of country and never had a chance to come back.

Read Thai history.

Current political turmoil is way greater beyond Thaksin's corrupt. Living in Thailand for years doesn't mean you know Thais well.

Because lots of things are apparently unspeakable as you may heard of.

[Tropicalevo]

I am not sure about this, but I thought that one could not be a PM if one had a criminal record?

[02C4]

I am not sure about this, but I thought that one could not be a PM if one had a criminal record?

Well, if you have the money, you can basically do anything...... strange that it hasn't worked so well fo thaksin lately...

[GeorgeO]

I am not really interested in politics. But I do believe all countries are the same....... power corrupts and thus it is hard to have honest people in power.

Thailand currently is not a democracy, but a police/military state. Under this condition Thaksin would be crazy to surrender himself to the will of his opponents.

I read all the posts painting him as an evil person who harmed Thailand. These people obviously know nothing of the recent political history of Thailand.

Thaksin was elected & re-elected by the people of Thailand, he was & is popular with the majority of Thais. He was ousted while he was out of the country by his opponents with the backing of the military.

Was he good for Thailand? I believe he was ... he is a good businessman and Thailand was prospering. Was he corrupt? Probably. Are there any honest politicians taking his place? Not likely. If all politicians are the same, isn't better to have one that does good things for Thailand?

"he was and is popular with the majority of Thais" ...

Is that despite his final words on the subject: "I am not their leader..."? Having betrayed so many people, I can well imagine that many of these people would welcome his return, but not in the way that you obviously believe. Thais do like to wreak revenge when they can.

[sedeflonga]

"Just as Jesus Christ sacrificed his life to redeem sinful humanity, so do I now sacrifice my freedom to redeem the nation from the strife and conflict which, through no fault of mine, have convulsed it for so long."

Sounds good.

Go for it, Prisoner Number 999:

WOW very nice pic !!!

[brahmburgers]

Dear Mr. Tsow, Thaksin is out of the country and can't be caught - not by Thai authorities anyway. For a fleeting moment there was a 1 million baht reward for his capture, but (as most Thai promises go) it had as much credence as a Catholic priest saying he never lusted after little boys.

Prison would be too good for Thaksin. Better to let events unfold as they will: Thaksin will continue to lose money (incidentally, until his late 30's, Thaksin had never had a successful business venture) - and he will continue getting depressed. A man like him has a lot to get depressed about because he's so attached to worldly things:

Mainly money and acquiring obscene amounts of wealth, but he's also attached to continual aggrandizement of his self-image. Californians would call it 'strokes' (to his ego).

His wealth will continue to shrink and the tiny bit of respect he once had will continue to erode, and he'll wind up a wrinkled, frustrated and angry old man.

Keep an eye out for a newly written book about him titled: GUARDED CONVERSATIONS

....

[Brewsta]

Well now........

I have just woken, read the excellent proposal for the political Beautification of K.Thaksin and thought, what a pleasant dream.......back to sleep for me.

regards to All,

Brewsta in Arabia

Fri 23rd July 2010

[Zombienation]

I like this article

[sedeflonga]

I like this article

me too. Actually I was thinking whether the Thai Authorities are trying to get him by way of psychology (let him play savior of Thailand as written by op).

Good idea though!

[JorakaeNoi]

Agree that Thaksin should be behind bars although very much disagree with the very boring notion that foreigners can't ever understand what is going on in Thailand. Of course no one knows everything about any topic but doesn't mean that they can not have a very good understanding about it. Thailand is not some unique place that is impossible for outsiders to understand.

[DP25]

I am not really interested in politics.

Then why is every single post you've made on this forum just more shilling, falsehoods, and blatant lies in support of Thaksin? Another red sockpuppet

[Brewsta]

Hmm,

Were KThaksin to submit to Thai justice (snic...), I wonder. whether History will fondly remember him for his selfless, cleansing rehabilitation and subsequent greatness (studied by Thai students for evermore?)....

or.... recoil from his regicidal role as a machiavellian. mendacious, murdering Martinet? Discuss.

regards from Brewsta in Arabia

Fri 23rd July 2010

Temperature in KSA: 46 degrees Centigrade (...and rising)

[Jim walker]

I am not really interested in politics. But I do believe all countries are the same....... power corrupts and thus it is hard to have honest people in power.

Thailand currently is not a democracy, but a police/military state. Under this condition Thaksin would be crazy to surrender himself to the will of his opponents.

I read all the posts painting him as an evil person who harmed Thailand. These people obviously know nothing of the recent political history of Thailand.

Thaksin was elected & re-elected by the people of Thailand, he was & is popular with the majority of Thais. He was ousted while he was out of the country by his opponents with the backing of the military.

Was he good for Thailand? I believe he was ... he is a good businessman and Thailand was prospering. Was he corrupt? Probably. Are there any honest politicians taking his place? Not likely. If all politicians are the same, isn't better to have one that does good things for Thailand?

Best and most rational comment I have read on Thai Visa for the past 5 Years.

[Brewsta]

I am not really interested in politics.

Then why is every single post you've made on this forum just more shilling, falsehoods, and blatant lies in support of Thaksin? Another red sockpuppet

Hmmm, not so interested in people then?

Unfortunate, IMHO

See below.

"The singular "politic" first coined in English 1430 and comes from Middle French "politique", in turn from Latin "politicus",^[5] which is the romanization of the Greek "πολιτικός" (politikos), meaning amongst others "of, for, or relating to citizens", "civil", "civic", "belonging to the state", ^[6] in turn from "πολίτης" (polites), "citizen"^[7] and that from "πόλις" (polis), "city".^[8]"

source: Wikipedia ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics

AND....

Good point DP,

if you check out the accused online, his sexual proclivities and record of interest in underage 'activities' are apparently common knowledge amongst peers and the Populus of his native Russia.

Regards from Arabia,

Brewsta

Edited July 23, 2010 by Brewsta

[earthpig]

it would be lovely if thaksin repented for his sins.

it would be lovely if the person responsible for ordering the extra legal assasination of seh daeng repented for his sins.

it would be lovely if the author of this wierd article understood the years of horror inflicted on indian society by Nehru's decadent eurosocialism, and thus not include Nehru in his galaxy of stars.

next fantasy.

[tingtongfarang]

Thaksin was elected & re-elected by the people of Thailand = he bought and rebought the votes of the people of thailand

[newermonkey]

I believe there may be a problem with this idea....

The government declared that Taksin was a terrorist and may be tried for treason which actually carries the death penalty here in Thailand.

I am sure there are many people would insist on the treason charge to go through the high court, so he would not be coming back to politics in this life if found guilty!