Thailand’s Deposed Prime Minister Relaxes And Waits

[bubba]

Personally I don't see what is dirty about those street stalls, similar to some in Bangkok I'd say, but he was probably looking for this stall,

Where's that nice photo with k. Thaksin dotingly shopping with his daughters in Paris while the red-shirts were protesting and fighting for their his cause ?

Thaksin, opponent of the wealthy elite and defender of the oppressed workers, shopping at Marie Claire in Paris on 15 May 2010 as Bangkok burned.

Minor correction, parts of Bangkok started to burn on the 19th of May, not before

BBC report for 15 May 2010, and it looks rather smokey to me:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8685051.stm

[rubl]

Where's that nice photo with k. Thaksin dotingly shopping with his daughters in Paris while the red-shirts were protesting and fighting for their his cause ?

Thaksin, opponent of the wealthy elite and defender of the oppressed workers, shopping at Marie Claire in Paris on 15 May 2010 as Bangkok burned.

Minor correction, parts of Bangkok started to burn on the 19th of May, not before

BBC report for 15 May 2010, and it looks rather smokey to me:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8685051.stm

That's 'only' some tires and the like, old chap. When someone says 'Bangkok burning' I think of

[mkawish]

babmac 10

What a piece of crap !

What a real piece of farang crappy crap for the year 2011 !

With all due respect, babmac,

are you a new comer to Thailand or if you did just arrive to Thailand?

Also wondering, if you obtained your post from a UDD translation or something?

Thaksin is not one of the old guard of wealthy Bangkok families who have ruled Thailand since the country became a democracy in 1932. He was born in rural Thailand near Chiang Mai of Chinese descent. His father was a politician and later a businessman and the family was one of the richest and most influential in Chiang Mai. Thaksin was a member of the 10th class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and was then admitted to the Thai Police Cadet Academy. Upon graduation in 1973, he joined the Royal Thai Police Department. He received a master's degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University in the United States in 1975, and three years later was awarded a doctorate in Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University in Texas.

He resigned from the police department in 1987 after several failed business attempts while he was still in the service and began to build his business empire at first by leasing computers to the government then later gaining a license to establish a mobile phone network (AIS) which grew rapidly to list on the Thai stock exchange and which eventually became the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand.

He moved into politics in 1994 and was appointed foreign minister in the same year. After serving as a minister in several governments he founded the Thai Rak Thai party in 1998 and when the prime minister dissolved parliament in 2000 Thaksin was elected as Prime Minister. At the time some academics called it the most open and corruption free election in Thai history.

He began to bring in policies that would for the first time give real benefits to Thailand's rural poor. He started a scheme where farmers could borrow modest sums of money at low interest to use to expand their businesses; he provided the first universal health care, where for 30 baht anyone could attend a public hospital and receive treatment from a doctor. At this time, Thailand was in the grip of a meth amphetamine epidemic which was creating social havoc. Thousands of people were taking the cheap pills manufactured and smuggled into Thailand daily from Burma, (some say by senior military figures). Old and young alike were taking the drug to help them work longer hours and earn more money, not realising the dangers of addiction and psychosis that the drug produced.

Thaksin acted quickly and firmly to rid Thailand of the scourge that was sweeping through the country. He gave orders that every citizen must attend a meeting held at their local village and give the names of anyone they knew who was taking or selling the drug. He also gave the police unprecedented powers to arrest and charge anyone who they considered to be involved with Methamphetamine. It is widely reported that the police gave two warnings to suspects and the third time they were simply disposed of by hit squads operating under the guidance and protection of the police. This however had a dramatic effect on the problem and within six months the drug had all but disappeared from the streets. It is estimated that around 2500 people disappeared or died during this time. The majority of Thai people however supported this strong action and it won him new supporters. Thaksin began to move to cement his position at the top of the political system. He promoted many of his former colleagues and friends over better-qualified and more senior officers. Thaksin often interfered in the annual promotions of the military, which the corps saw as its purview.

Under the slogans "Four Years of Repair – Four years of Reconstruction" and "Building Opportunities", Thaksin and the TRT won landslide victories in the February 2005 elections, sweeping 374 out of 500 seats in Parliament. The election had the highest voter turnout in Thai history. But his second term was soon beset by protests, with claims that he presided over a "parliamentary dictatorship."

He also used his position to create huge wealth for himself and his family by expanding his satellite communication and media businesses which also fed the Thai hunger for salacious gossip about celebrities and politicians. This made him some powerful enemies in political and elite social circles. He also used his media machine to associate himself with the monarch, sometimes pictures of the king with himself superimposed next to him were posted onto huge billboards along the freeways. He also placed pressure on the government's public servants to be more service oriented, to do their jobs and not demand extra payments, to work a full day and to respond to the public's demands for value for money. This once again made him unpopular with those who had been getting an easy ride with the former governments' laissez faire attitude towards the poor.

It is clear that in his quest to remain at the top, he went too far and upset the Bangkok elite. Whether it was jealousy or fear by the powerful establishment it will never be known, however when he refused to pay income tax on the sale of his media empire to a Singapore company, it was reason enough to commence a series of events which would eventually lead to his downfall.

What a crock of sh1t, and a terribly uninformed article from a crappy Toronto-based tabloid. Hope it gets hit by a libel case.

The "crappy" I can agree to, but where exactly is the libel that you discern?

Having re-read it, I can see that, despite printing Thaksin's blatant lies, there's not sooo much that's factually incorrect on the part of the tabloid. Other than...

- The 61-year-old former leader has kept a low profile since being ousted in a military coup Sept. 19, 2006 (This one really got my goat and, because it was in the first paragraph, probably influenced my opinion of the rest of the article.)

- But his popularity remains high in the countryside because of policies that included micro-lending programs, erasing farmers' debts and a form of universal health care. (Erasing farmers' debts? What???)

- Thaksin, who won two elections (Did he really?)

Edited January 7, 2011 by mkawish

[lannarebirth]

babmac 10

What a piece of crap !

What a real piece of farang crappy crap for the year 2011 !

With all due respect, babmac,

are you a new comer to Thailand or if you did just arrive to Thailand?

Also wondering, if you obtained your post from a UDD translation or something?

Thaksin is not one of the old guard of wealthy Bangkok families who have ruled Thailand since the country became a democracy in 1932. He was born in rural Thailand near Chiang Mai of Chinese descent. His father was a politician and later a businessman and the family was one of the richest and most influential in Chiang Mai. Thaksin was a member of the 10th class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School and was then admitted to the Thai Police Cadet Academy. Upon graduation in 1973, he joined the Royal Thai Police Department. He received a master's degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University in the United States in 1975, and three years later was awarded a doctorate in Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University in Texas.

He resigned from the police department in 1987 after several failed business attempts while he was still in the service and began to build his business empire at first by leasing computers to the government then later gaining a license to establish a mobile phone network (AIS) which grew rapidly to list on the Thai stock exchange and which eventually became the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand.

He moved into politics in 1994 and was appointed foreign minister in the same year. After serving as a minister in several governments he founded the Thai Rak Thai party in 1998 and when the prime minister dissolved parliament in 2000 Thaksin was elected as Prime Minister. At the time some academics called it the most open and corruption free election in Thai history.

He began to bring in policies that would for the first time give real benefits to Thailand's rural poor. He started a scheme where farmers could borrow modest sums of money at low interest to use to expand their businesses; he provided the first universal health care, where for 30 baht anyone could attend a public hospital and receive treatment from a doctor. At this time, Thailand was in the grip of a meth amphetamine epidemic which was creating social havoc. Thousands of people were taking the cheap pills manufactured and smuggled into Thailand daily from Burma, (some say by senior military figures). Old and young alike were taking the drug to help them work longer hours and earn more money, not realising the dangers of addiction and psychosis that the drug produced.

Thaksin acted quickly and firmly to rid Thailand of the scourge that was sweeping through the country. He gave orders that every citizen must attend a meeting held at their local village and give the names of anyone they knew who was taking or selling the drug. He also gave the police unprecedented powers to arrest and charge anyone who they considered to be involved with Methamphetamine. It is widely reported that the police gave two warnings to suspects and the third time they were simply disposed of by hit squads operating under the guidance and protection of the police. This however had a dramatic effect on the problem and within six months the drug had all but disappeared from the streets. It is estimated that around 2500 people disappeared or died during this time. The majority of Thai people however supported this strong action and it won him new supporters. Thaksin began to move to cement his position at the top of the political system. He promoted many of his former colleagues and friends over better-qualified and more senior officers. Thaksin often interfered in the annual promotions of the military, which the corps saw as its purview.

Under the slogans "Four Years of Repair – Four years of Reconstruction" and "Building Opportunities", Thaksin and the TRT won landslide victories in the February 2005 elections, sweeping 374 out of 500 seats in Parliament. The election had the highest voter turnout in Thai history. But his second term was soon beset by protests, with claims that he presided over a "parliamentary dictatorship."

He also used his position to create huge wealth for himself and his family by expanding his satellite communication and media businesses which also fed the Thai hunger for salacious gossip about celebrities and politicians. This made him some powerful enemies in political and elite social circles. He also used his media machine to associate himself with the monarch, sometimes pictures of the king with himself superimposed next to him were posted onto huge billboards along the freeways. He also placed pressure on the government's public servants to be more service oriented, to do their jobs and not demand extra payments, to work a full day and to respond to the public's demands for value for money. This once again made him unpopular with those who had been getting an easy ride with the former governments' laissez faire attitude towards the poor.

It is clear that in his quest to remain at the top, he went too far and upset the Bangkok elite. Whether it was jealousy or fear by the powerful establishment it will never be known, however when he refused to pay income tax on the sale of his media empire to a Singapore company, it was reason enough to commence a series of events which would eventually lead to his downfall.

The "crappy" I can agree to, but where exactly is the libel that you discern?

Having re-read it, I can see that, despite printing Thaksin's blatant lies, there's not sooo much that's factually incorrect on the part of the tabloid. Other than...

- The 61-year-old former leader has kept a low profile since being ousted in a military coup Sept. 19, 2006 (This one really got my goat and, because it was in the first paragraph, probably influenced my opinion of the rest of the article.)

- But his popularity remains high in the countryside because of policies that included micro-lending programs, erasing farmers' debts and a form of universal health care. (Erasing farmers' debts? What???)

- Thaksin, who won two elections (Did he really?)

It's Wikipedia. Isn't that obvious?

[hanuman1]

babmac 10

What a piece of crap !

What a real piece of farang crappy crap for the year 2011 !

With all due respect, babmac,

are you a new comer to Thailand or if you did just arrive to Thailand?

Also wondering, if you obtained your post from a UDD translation or something?

It's Wikipedia. Isn't that obvious?

Hello Sir!!

Welcome to the asylum. Will you be having tea or socks?

[lannarebirth]

babmac 10

What a piece of crap !

What a real piece of farang crappy crap for the year 2011 !

With all due respect, babmac,

are you a new comer to Thailand or if you did just arrive to Thailand?

Also wondering, if you obtained your post from a UDD translation or something?

It's Wikipedia. Isn't that obvious?

Hello Sir!!

Welcome to the asylum. Will you be having tea or socks?

I'd like a Beer Lao Dam if you please.

[Roadman]

At least he didn't violently suppress the opposing parties democratic rights with soldiers

I didn't realise it was a democratic right to throw grenades and burn down buildings.

You forgot to add "and murder Thai soldiers".

[Buchholz]

Congratulations Bobmac, this is a far cry from the uninformative crap i have been reading

You've never heard of wiki?

[phetaroi]

What a red shirt farce. This headline says, "...[Thaksin] does not advise the Red Shirts". The headline of the newpaper article above it says, "Pheu Thai MPs: Thaksin Approved His Sister Yingluck To Become Party Leader".

[Buchholz]

Meanwhile... in other reports today, it would appear he wasn't always a "relaxing" and "waiting" sort of guy...

Sven-Goran Eriksson admits Shinawatra strain at Man City

The former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has told BBC Radio Manchester of his problems he had with former City chairman Thaksin Shinawatra. The 62-year-old, now in charge at Leicester City, lasted only one year at Eastlands after joining in July 2007.

He said: "His biggest problem was that he didn't understand football at all and he didn't realise that.

"He thought football was easy just tell the players to be aggressive and we will resolve all the problems."

"I think we did well in the whole league more or less until Thaksin decided I had to go at the end of the season," he added.

"Every time we lost he never spoke to me for a week after but when we won it was dinner and very nice hugs and things, so it's difficult to work with people like that."

Yes well.............SGE would say anything to make himself look good , would'nt he !

Except that those types of comments have been coming from people who have dealt with Thaksin time and again. It's further corroboration of what others have previously said.

[Buchholz]

Congratulations Bobmac, this is a far cry from the uninformative crap i have been reading from the YS supporters. It appears that Thaksin is not the monster that they will have us believe. I just guess that they are really afraid of him and his popularity.

Sorry oldsailor, but you don't recognize a Wikipedia article when you see one? Let me ask you something. If you were a despicable despot worth Billions ($USD) with at least 3 public relations firms in your employ; wouldn't you get at least one of them working on your wikipedia article? Just askin' from one semi old sailor to another.

To further the "cause" even more, it wouldn't involve much to have others working on internet discussion forums to praise the work of their co-workers on wiki entries.

.

Edited January 7, 2011 by Buchholz

[Buchholz]

^ for example... just toss out a one word reply to it

Outstanding.

[Buchholz]

It will die out when Thaksin dies out.

then expect 9 more years of it (on average)

The 61-year-old former leader

Male Life Expectancy (by country)

Thailand - 70.77

But he's not been in Thailand for some time has he?

Correct... I was trying to be kind. If we used his Uganda, he died 8 years ago.

[TheyCallmeScooter]

The Toronto Star is not a tabloid and it has won numerous awards for outstanding journalism.

If the BBC and CNN can occasionally dip their toes into tabloid, I'm pretty sure the Toronto Star or the Bkk Post aren't immune. All four have won awards. Maybe they were even justified.

But it's no guarantee that all their articles will be quality going forward, right? This article isn't really something they'd hold up as a wonderful example of investigative journalism. It's sloppy journalism written by someone likely disinterested or overworked or lazy. A simple Google search would have provided some material to challenge the lies of Thaksin they printed.

Yes, I do believe ethical journalism requires exactly that.

(Edited to add: The difference between publishing propaganda and publishing news...is whether or not the reporter asks probing / intelligent questions when interviewing the subject.)

Was it sunny inside or is Junior just supa-cool?

Edited January 8, 2011 by TheyCallmeScooter

[Buchholz]

From the experts at the House of Sunglasses.com :

People may also wear sunglasses to hide dilated or contracted pupils, bloodshot eyes due to drug use, recent physical abuse (such as a black eye), exophthalmos (bulging eyes), a cataract, or eyes which jerk uncontrollably (nystagmus).

[TheyCallmeScooter]

From the experts at the House of Sunglasses.com :

People may also wear sunglasses to hide dilated or contracted pupils, bloodshot eyes due to drug use, recent physical abuse (such as a black eye), exophthalmos (bulging eyes), a cataract, or eyes which jerk uncontrollably (nystagmus).

I had a quip ready to go about a black eye or two (told twice, etc). But I thought I was probably being petty enough as it was.

I think the kid is just way cool. Nothing so sinister as anything like late night partying or domestic violence.

Aren't we being so very Red Shirt-like right now? It feels so naughty. Wild, unjustified speculation bordering on slander. It's fun, I could get used to this...

[Emptyset]

From the experts at the House of Sunglasses.com :

People may also wear sunglasses to hide dilated or contracted pupils, bloodshot eyes due to drug use, recent physical abuse (such as a black eye), exophthalmos (bulging eyes), a cataract, or eyes which jerk uncontrollably (nystagmus).

I had a quip ready to go about a black eye or two (told twice, etc). But I thought I was probably being petty enough as it was.

I think the kid is just way cool. Nothing so sinister as anything like late night partying or domestic violence.

Aren't we being so very Red Shirt-like right now? It feels so naughty. Wild, unjustified speculation bordering on slander. It's fun, I could get used to this...

Hardly unjustified. Although I'm sure he's clean these days.

[GeorgeO]

This article has no substance whatsoever, so it serves only to keep Thaksin in the limelight. Why doesn't everyone just ignore him?

If we have a fugitive on the run from the UK, it is reported and then forgotten. The only time we ever hear of it again is when the miscreant is apprehended.

Stop writing about this thug and allow everyone to forget him!

[mca]

But then some posters would have to find something else to be scarily obsessive about.

[brahmburgers]

<quote>(from ThaiVisaite: What this article is nothing more the a hack taking the easy way out with an unquestioned PR feed from Amsterdam.</quote>

Agree 100%. I never had a prior opinion of the Toronto Star, but now it's a low opinion. They just swallowed and printed such pap, without any editorial rebuttal. The least the tabloid could have done is offer some realistic assessment of the press release and/or mention that it was submitted by Amsterdam's and/or Thaksin's offices. Toronto Star: zero points.

When he was deposed, Thaksin was a caretaker PM, not PM. There's a difference. The headline should reflect that.

Has Thaksin ever returned the medals and citations he said he would return - to Thailand? Of course not, and he never will. It shows his blatant disrespect for the monarchy to not do so.

For more realistic spin on Thaksin's and Amsterdam's lies, check out this ebook.

[scorecard]

........

Having re-read it, I can see that, despite printing Thaksin's blatant lies, there's not sooo much that's factually incorrect on the part of the tabloid. Other than...

- The 61-year-old former leader has kept a low profile since being ousted in a military coup Sept. 19, 2006 (This one really got my goat and, because it was in the first paragraph, probably influenced my opinion of the rest of the article.)

- But his popularity remains high in the countryside because of policies that included micro-lending programs, erasing farmers' debts and a form of universal health care. (Erasing farmers' debts? What???)

- Thaksin, who won two elections (Did he really?)

Congratulations Bobmac, this is a far cry from the uninformative crap i have been reading from the YS supporters. It appears that Thaksin is not the monster that they will have us believe. I just guess that they are really afraid of him and his popularity.

As already said, this piece is full or blatant errors, untruths, twists and deliberate ommissions in regard to the full details of many points.

Perhaps jatuporn was involved in it's compilation, he's a world expert / world champion at such tricks.

[Thailand]

Irrespective of what ever ones leanings may be.

How many posters here would really be surprised to see Thaksin back in politics here, even in a leadership position in the coming years?

After all TIT and stranger things have happened!

[Jingthing]

Irrespective of what ever ones leanings may be.

How many posters here would really be surprised to see Thaksin back in politics here, even in a leadership position in the coming years?

After all TIT and stranger things have happened!

I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up running a proxy PM again. I would be VERY surprised if he is PM again. That couldn't happen without a violent civil war. I hope we aren't surprised that way.

[animatic]

The 61-year-old former leader has kept a low profile since being ousted in a military coup Sept. 19, 2006,

Laugh of the day for sure!

[lazygourmet]

Thaksin, the business of politics in Thailand:

a must read from Chris Baker and -his wife- Pasuk Phongpaichit on google ebooks: http://tinyurl.com/2bk4a5b

[coma]

Anyhow it is a non-story. The better story would be about how much of the online content one reads is generated by publicists who solicit "journalistic" websites just dieing for free content to fill their pages. I'm guessing the publicist wrote the whole article and just forwarded it to the website.

Agreed.

It's much more desirable than depicting him as shuffling around dirty street stalls at a market in Kampala, Uganda...

Hahaha. Yeah! Looks like he's having an absolute ball.NOT!

[Buchholz]

More on Thaksin's management style at Manchester City.

Sounds like he tried to run it like he did Thailand.

As a "regime"... followed by a "revolt"...

Sven-Goran Eriksson lifts lid on Shinawatra's City regime

Sven-Goran Eriksson has lifted the lid on his stressful relationship with former Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra. The Leicester boss crosses paths with the Blues again in Sunday’s FA Cup third round clash at the Walker’s Stadium. And that has brought memories of his eventful year at the City of Manchester Stadium flooding back – especially the difficulties presented by the impatient Shinawatra. That relationship, and the increasing pressure placed on a manager who completed a league double over United and briefly led his team to top spot in the Premier League, almost caused a fan and player revolt.

And Eriksson revealed just how difficult that relationship was at times. He said: “His biggest problem was that he didn’t understand football at all. “He thought football was easy – just tell the players to be aggressive and we will resolve all the problems. I think we did well in the league until Thaksin decided I had to go at the end of the season. Every time we lost he never spoke to me for a week afterwards, but when we won it was dinner and very nice hugs. It’s difficult to work with people like that.”

Eriksson joked he had arrived at City 18 months too early, as he would have relished the chance to work with the current owners.

Continues:

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1404693_svengoran_eriksson_lifts_lid_on_shinawatras_city_regime

Manchester Evening News - January 7, 2010

[scorecard]

At least he didn't violently suppress the opposing parties democratic rights with soldiers.

It always comes down to selective memory with Thaksin. It remains he is a convicted criminal on the run so relax, and then when you do if ever, come back, you will then face the other charges against you as well as serve out the sentences and penalties you already had imposed.

Not correct:

1. Soldiers under his command callously exphixiated several hundred soldiers on trucks in the South of Thailand.

2. Police under his command assassinated 2,500 fellow Thais with no judicial process.

[mkawish]

Irrespective of what ever ones leanings may be.

How many posters here would really be surprised to see Thaksin back in politics here, even in a leadership position in the coming years?

After all TIT and stranger things have happened!

To quote 'Tuxsin' himself:

The probability of such an eventual fulfillment would be--

ชาติ หน้า บ่ายๆ - - Next life, sometime in the afternoon....

Sorry to have butted in here and contradict your wishful and whimsical entertaining thoughts which might eventually be fulfilled sometimes in his next life during the afternoon at that.

Edited January 8, 2011 by mkawish

[phiphidon]

<quote>(from ThaiVisaite: What this article is nothing more the a hack taking the easy way out with an unquestioned PR feed from Amsterdam.</quote>

Agree 100%. I never had a prior opinion of the Toronto Star, but now it's a low opinion. They just swallowed and printed such pap, without any editorial rebuttal. The least the tabloid could have done is offer some realistic assessment of the press release and/or mention that it was submitted by Amsterdam's and/or Thaksin's offices. Toronto Star: zero points.

When he was deposed, Thaksin was a caretaker PM, not PM. There's a difference. The headline should reflect that.

Has Thaksin ever returned the medals and citations he said he would return - to Thailand? Of course not, and he never will. It shows his blatant disrespect for the monarchy to not do so.

For more realistic spin on Thaksin's and Amsterdam's lies, check out this ebook.

Aha, pushing your ebook again eh? How many have you sold now?