Thaksin's Apology To The South A Lame Bid For Sympathy

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Apology to the South a lame bid for sympathy

By The Nation

Thaksin's pathetic plea forgets so much, from death squads to Tak Bai

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a convicted criminal living in self-imposed exile, expressed regret for his handling of the conflict in the Muslim-majority South and asked for forgiveness for his heavy-handed ways.

"When we are in power for a long time, sometimes we may use power too much," Thaksin was quoted as saying in his recent interview with Thai PBS television network.

He said he was sorry for having resorted to violence in his attempts to return peace to the region.

Like everything else, good intention is not good policy. Continued ill intention appeared the case for Thaksin's attitude towards the Malay-speaking South.

His request for forgiveness was nothing more than a lame attempt to win sympathy for his return to Thailand - more accurately, for the return of his billions confiscated by the court after he was convicted of stealing billions from the state.

Needless to say, Thaksin's record for the deep South has left much to be desired. His highly offensive statement - "If you want your province to be looked after by the government, you have to vote for my party" - continue to jolt both Buddhists and Muslims in the deep South alike.

It was also he who tossed the idea of denying development money to villages designated by the military as "Red Zone" — not to be confused with his support base red shirts — if they failed to help state security officials hunt down separatist militants. It was quickly tossed out the window when he was reminded that he himself was behaving like a real separatist.

On the day after the Kru Se Mosque stand-off in April 2004 -- in which well over 100 young men attacked 11 police outposts with machetes to be met by a hail of machinegun fire — Thaksin couldn't even notice the disturbing nature of the event but instead made a public statement, with his crocodile tears, urging the media to stop picking on his children.

The fact was that a major stand-off ending in the death of 106 insurgents didn't seem to bother him greatly.

Security officials were pulling out their hair, asking if these men were willing to charge into certain death, what might yet eventuate? His cousin, General Chaisit Shinawatra, dismissed the attackers as a bunch of drug crazed youth.

And then there was the Tak Bai massacre, when troops fired into a crowd of unarmed demonstrators, killing seven on the spot. Later that evening, 78 unarmed young men were smothered to death on the back of military transport trucks. The only form of punishment handed down was the transfer of the Fourth Army chief from the deep South to an inactive post.

controversial Emergency Law

Meanwhile, let us not forget that it was Thaksin who passed the controversial Emergency Law, billed as "a licence to kill" because the burden was placed on the victim to prove that allegedly abusive authorities had been "ill-intentioned."

The culture of impunity that he encouraged never stopped. And extrajudicial and targeted killings carried out by rogue units and pro-government death squads continue as common practice in the region.

Champions and heroes are people who make personal and political sacrifices. Thaksin is asking for forgiveness. For a man who billed himself as a champion of justice, Thaksin seems to be picking and choosing as to what kind of sacrifice, if any, he would like to make.

He said charges against him were unfair and therefore he was not going to serve any jail term. And yet, he compared himself to the likes of Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela, people who actually made personal and political sacrifices to bring to light highly abusive systems in their respective homelands.

Thaksin billed himself as a victim but said nothing about the scam he pulled to enrich himself, his family members, his cronies. He said nothing about how many children he left orphaned as a result of his handling of the deep South, or his controversial 'War on drugs' that killed 2,500 people in three months.

The sad thing of it all is that Thaksin knew what he could get away with. His party and proxies may have got more votes than others. But it hasn't changed the fact that this man is a scam artist and a criminal.

For him, it was all about political brownie points, at the expense of countless lives, while he and his cronies set out to undermine and destroy public check-and-balance systems and democratic institutions. And the man wants forgiveness! If he doesn't get his way, will Bangkok and other cities in Thailand encounter another ocean of fire? So much for a hero.

-- The Nation 2011-07-25

[OzMick]

So it is possible to be both biased and accurate.

[scorecard]

So it is possible to be both biased and accurate.

I'll go for the accurate comment.

Plus, right now, IMHO , if he had any sense he would be keeping a low profile to let little sister (his clone) get things up and running, not being sidetracked by these statements.

Seeing that he's now the champion of democracy and justice, I wonder if he would like to make a serious statement of how this matter really should be handled, and the truth is his actions should be investigated and proper legal actions taken against him.

I wonder how forgiving he would be if another PM gave the police 'open season' to shoot on sight with (by the PMs order) no need for investigation, and his own children were shot on sight, condemded them to suffer a slow axphixiation death. Would be say 'never mind I forgive you?'. I very seriously doubt it.

Further, I wonder if by this statement he's 'cooked his own goose' in terms of future action against him in the International Human Rights courts.

Further, wonder what amsterdam thinks of his comments. I would have though amsterdam would advise him to not raise such issues, the chances of forgiveness by the good people in the South, given his overall attitude to them, and the negative nasty statements he made about them over 7 or 8 years, surely are close to zero, therefore why bring it back for any form of attention.

Edited July 25, 2011 by scorecard

[animatic]

He said he was sorry for having resorted to violence in his attempts to return peace to the region.

Classic Orwellian double speak.

Violence is the route to peace,

Not getting the job done using violence is good reason for an apology,

not just because using the violence itself.

All would have been fine with him if it had worked.

[moe666]

And to think there are a few here who support the political party that this man controls.

[hanuman1]

And to think there are a few here who support the political party that this man controls.

Those few plus the biggest single block of voters in Thailand. Doesn't say much for the alternative choices of 'government' currently available.

[ballpoint]

And to think there are a few here who support the political party that this man controls.

Those few plus the biggest single block of voters in Thailand. Doesn't say much for the alternative choices of 'government' currently available.

It says far more about the Thai electorate.

[slapout]

I think there is a combination of thinking that enters into the present statements made by the man and his history of action/statements. First a grossly exaggerated sense of self importance, A feeling of superiority to those precised as beneath his status, a tendency to point a finger somewhere else as to the cause/blame of a questionable act/action, a plea for sympathy for what he refers to as injustice, directed at him personally, and his history of promising the unattainable. "I will have you farting thru silk", if I come back under MY terms/conditions.

I have to give him credit, he is a real work of art, although the market for this type of art should be confined to the thrift shops of Somalia.

[hanuman1]

And to think there are a few here who support the political party that this man controls.

Those few plus the biggest single block of voters in Thailand. Doesn't say much for the alternative choices of 'government' currently available.

It says far more about the Thai electorate.

Aye, and the way we perceive them.

[hammered]

And to think there are a few here who support the political party that this man controls.

Those few plus the biggest single block of voters in Thailand. Doesn't say much for the alternative choices of 'government' currently available.

The alternative choice is something that rarely gets touched. The Dems are a discredited disaster and proven serial electoral failures and yet does anyone expect them to make any change that may make them a viable aternative to PTP? In any other country the party would undergo a revolution and anyone associated with making the decisions on tacitly supporting a coup, allowing themselves to be at the helm of a military assisted coalition of the whacky government and anyone associated with what the majority find unacceptable actions on their watch would all be out as these things have further served to undermine what should be the alternative to the PTP. Right now we are likely to face a government that knows it cant be electorally defeated by the probably soon to be unreformed opposition led by a dead dick who undermines his own party and with every check and balance mechanism percieved to be bias. That is not a good position for any democracy to be in and one that has probably been made far worse by the coup than anything supreme satan Thaksin could have done as he certainly wouldnt have been able to send to the Democrat party into the insane suicide mode, which was the role they ably chose and enacted themsleves in exchange for a couple of years of fairly incompetent and corrupt government with a smidgen of death on the streets before yet again being rejected by the people. In a democracy it doesnt matter how much the establishment or the superior feeling ones prefer you or cosy up to you if you cant win an election.

Instead of all this Thaksin is evil nonsense followed by a we are unlucky and we are the best there is in the country, the Dems need to take a long hard look at their useless selves and move forward.

Thaksin can apologise for what he wants down south, and of course it doesnt make it better, but at least he has apologised even if the reasons are self serving and the apology weak and it ignores the bigger drug thing. Has anyone else apologised for the mistakes they have made?

[PETDCAT]

"Has anyone else apologised for the mistakes they have made? " Thats why he hired Amsterdam. Watch American news sometime.It is standard operating procedure for politicians, celebrites and television evangelists. Admit you made a mistake and then apologize and ask for forgiveness. Just say the words to the camera and move on.Bonus point if you can shed a few tears.

[lannarebirth]

"Has anyone else apologised for the mistakes they have made? " Thats why he hired Amsterdam. Watch American news sometime.It is standard operating procedure for politicians, celebrites and television evangelists. Admit you made a mistake and then apologize and ask for forgiveness. Just say the words to the camera and move on.Bonus point if you can shed a few tears.

Double bonus points he "feels your pain".

[hammered]

"Has anyone else apologised for the mistakes they have made? " Thats why he hired Amsterdam. Watch American news sometime.It is standard operating procedure for politicians, celebrites and television evangelists. Admit you made a mistake and then apologize and ask for forgiveness. Just say the words to the camera and move on.Bonus point if you can shed a few tears.

There is another more subtle side to it too. His opponents cant apologise for their "mistakes" as the extra-parliamentary allies they tied themselves to wont allow admission of wrong. Thaksin always plays on several levels to gain maximum advantage

[jayboy]

"Has anyone else apologised for the mistakes they have made? " Thats why he hired Amsterdam. Watch American news sometime.It is standard operating procedure for politicians, celebrites and television evangelists. Admit you made a mistake and then apologize and ask for forgiveness. Just say the words to the camera and move on.Bonus point if you can shed a few tears.

There is another more subtle side to it too. His opponents cant apologise for their "mistakes" as the extra-parliamentary allies they tied themselves to wont allow admission of wrong. Thaksin always plays on several levels to gain maximum advantage

And it's worth noting that the whitewashing of the army's crimes in the South was performed by the courts - incredibly exculpating the senior officers responsible for the Tak Bai massacre - after the coup when Thaksin's administration was long past.

[Misterwhisper]

Tough article, perhaps because it brings out once again all those unsavoury issues about their "hero" that Thaksin's followers - nay, worshippers - tend to categorically sweep under the carpet.

I am not a fan of the often biased reporting in The Nation, but this editorial really got it right.

When was he ousted, in September 2006? It took him a full five years before he was able to leap over his own shadow and utter an apology, and a lame one at that. It really came from the heart, huh?

[Cnxforever]

"Has anyone else apologised for the mistakes they have made? " Thats why he hired Amsterdam. Watch American news sometime.It is standard operating procedure for politicians, celebrites and television evangelists. Admit you made a mistake and then apologize and ask for forgiveness. Just say the words to the camera and move on.Bonus point if you can shed a few tears.

There is another more subtle side to it too. His opponents cant apologise for their "mistakes" as the extra-parliamentary allies they tied themselves to wont allow admission of wrong. Thaksin always plays on several levels to gain maximum advantage

And it's worth noting that the whitewashing of the army's crimes in the South was performed by the courts - incredibly exculpating the senior officers responsible for the Tak Bai massacre - after the coup when Thaksin's administration was long past.

Thanks - at least someone who seems to see the big picture here. Thaksin is a very clever politician - the fact that the Democrats did nothing but tried to copy his "populist policies" and failed miserably shows that.

The fact - now confirmed by several independent international NGO's - that corruption - the very reason they gave to have ousted him in the first place - has soared to new heights in Thailand during the Democrats / Army puppet government is conveniently overlooked by most here.

There are still some people here who blame Thaksin for everything also the so called "war on drugs" - when there is all the information out there to find out the truth - but then again some people here seem to rely on the Thai press to get the "side" of the truth they want to hear. And don't give me the "but he was in charge during that time" - when we all know where it came from and who is in charge of this country regardless of who governs it!

Edited July 25, 2011 by metisdead
Off topic comments have been removed.

[NALAK]

will Abhisit apologise for this, how they dealt with fireworks and catapults. same as really. What Thailand has is democracy and if the majority want Thaskin then they are allowed to have the right to vote for him. i presume all the anit reds come from a country where its one person one vote and democracy exists. both parties paid for votes, both had corrupt polotitions and always will have, its a way of life here, and most of Asia. they certainly do not do it for the salary they get. Abhisit was a good guy in my opinion but the main guy behind him was a wrong un. Maybe the majority looked at there lives under Thaskin and saw it as better, just maybe they liked the 30 baht health scheme. because they did not vote the way a lot of westerners thought they should they are classed as stupid and ignorant. i would like to see westerners bring up a family on 4-5000 baht per month. thats prity smart accounting for a start in my book and great management skills.

[Mosha]

Next thing you know it will be apologies for Hat Yai drowning and the 3000 killed in his war on drugs, which down South was perceived as his police friends settling old scores

[siampolee]

And to think there are a few here who support the political party that this man controls.

Strangely it seems many of the more ardent supporters of that man and his party all seem to be recent members according to their little notes and posting number, wonder what the per diem is now ?

[moe666]

Well as they say in a democracy you get the government you deserve.

[metisdead]

An off topic post has been removed. Off topic comments have edited out of another post.