Thaksin plans feast for 30,000 villagers

It's Thaksin Shinawatra's mega feast.

Forty tents, thousands of chairs and a menu of local treats have been ordered for the Thai Prime Minister's party next week.

The number of guests: 30,000. All villagers from his home district of Sankhamphang in northern Thailand.

The menu: Sausage, sticky rice, a curry and noodle dish known as kao soi.

The free feast is part of the billionaire businessman-turned- politician's effort to further boost his popularity in the rural areas where his standing is strongest.

Mr Thaksin recently won a second landslide election despite lukewarm support from the cities.

Officials in Sankhamphang confirmed yesterday that they had been ordered to prepare the feast to mark the Prime Minister's return next week, AP reported.

But they refused to say who will foot the bill.

'The Prime Minister wants to take this opportunity to provide free food for the people,' said Mr Abdul Hauknil, a senior Sankhamphang district official. 'He wants to meet them and eat with them.'

Mr Thaksin plans to visit Sankhamphang on Sunday to pay homage to his ancestors and make offerings to the local temple.

Earlier this month, he starred in a reality TV show in which he handed out money to farmers, beggars and students in some of the country's poorest areas.

Source: The Electric New Paper, Singapore - February 01, 2006

Thanks to tuky for providing the link.

Are the people really so gullible, he slings a few baht around, and now a free nosh up, and people think he's the best thing since sliced bread?

May some supreme being see his true intentions behind this and cast an outbreak of mild salmonella for the feast.

Thaksin plans feast for 30,000 villagers

< snipped to prevent excessive nausea >

Source: The Electric New Paper, Singapore - February 01, 2006

Was this sugary prose part of the Shin Garage Sale to Singapore deal??