Thaksin Flees The Capital ... And Reality

[Insight]

Thai PM accuses critics of resorting to black magic

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Street protests are one thing,

but black magic is another. Embattled Thai Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra, a firm believer in astrology and the

occult, conceded Tuesday that the stars have not been in

his favor lately but said his political enemies were taking

it a step too far. «They are using all kinds of means to

try and destroy me, including black magic and the

supernatural,» he told a meeting of civil servants at

Government House. Without naming names, Thaksin said his

critics were using photographs and voodoo-like dolls to

cast spells. «But don't worry, I have talismans and

various Buddha amulets with me to ward off their magic.»

Tens of thousands of anti-Thaksin demonstrators have

protested daily, accusing Thaksin of corruption and calling

for his resignation. Thaksin has denied wrongdoing and said

all his good deeds for the country would help him through,

giving him «good karma to protect from evil.»

100724 mar 06GMT

Can somebody please jump to his defense after this one?

[Orion76]

Can somebody please jump to his defense after this one?

Sure, he is on the campaign trail. During his speech in Sanam Luang he bowed and wai-ed to the temples and promised his sincerity.

If he is a superstitious man who believes talismans and Buddha amulets will protect him he will seem very honest and sincere in the majority of rural Thai people and in their eyes he wouldn't have dared lie while bowing to a temple.

I think it's a very shrewd move to release a statement like this to the media during an election campaign if your support base is rural Thailand.

[Plus]

Do TRT candidates now have an opponent in every constituency?

No, only in constituencies where they are afraid they might not collect 20% on their own. They covered the South completely and some Banharn Silpaarcha's turf and they don't need any "opposition" support in the North-East. The complete list of registered candidates is in the papers.

[Orion76]

Do TRT candidates now have an opponent in every constituency?

No, only in constituencies where they are afraid they might not collect 20% on their own. They covered the South completely and some Banharn Silpaarcha's turf and they don't need any "opposition" support in the North-East. The complete list of registered candidates is in the papers.

In other words they will easily win all 500 seats on April 2nd?

[britmaveric]

Thai PM accuses critics of resorting to black magic

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Street protests are one thing,

but black magic is another. Embattled Thai Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra, a firm believer in astrology and the

occult, conceded Tuesday that the stars have not been in

his favor lately but said his political enemies were taking

it a step too far. «They are using all kinds of means to

try and destroy me, including black magic and the

supernatural,» he told a meeting of civil servants at

Government House. Without naming names, Thaksin said his

critics were using photographs and voodoo-like dolls to

cast spells. «But don't worry, I have talismans and

various Buddha amulets with me to ward off their magic.»

Tens of thousands of anti-Thaksin demonstrators have

protested daily, accusing Thaksin of corruption and calling

for his resignation. Thaksin has denied wrongdoing and said

all his good deeds for the country would help him through,

giving him «good karma to protect from evil.»

100724 mar 06GMT

Can somebody please jump to his defense after this one?

Amusing

[thedude]

news flash, its all about money folks. the democrats are not running because they dont have enough funds, plain and simple.

they have failed to collect enough money under the thaksin dominated government. at least if it were a coalition (ah, the good old days) they would have had their hands in the cookie jar too.

that is why they fielded Apirak to run for Bkk governor. he was their best chance to get some serious mulah, since the bangkok governor's budget run in the tens of billions. but his term has been short, and alas, tricky Thaksin paid off one of the BMA procurement committee to squeal on Apirak, thus forcing him to back off quickly and dissassociate himself from the cookie jar before he looses his job.

people on the inside also know that the democrat leaders in the south are not strictly aligned to the city slicker bangkok democrats, thus funds from the south, already a very poor source, is even more scarce.

that is the real reason why they did not run. and that is the real reason why they cannot reach out to the provinces. poor parties have no reach.

they know that a boycott would leave them out of the kitchen, let alone the cookie jar, but worth a gamble since they have no funds anyway, and any half baked effort to join in would only result in more humiliation. better to play the morally steadfast party that's too virtuous to get involved, pull on a few heart strings that way too.

they reason that under the worst case scenario, the elections go ahead and trt is re-elected, this would at least lead to real issues of legitimacy for trt after the elections. this would buy them time and hopefully, resources.

in the meantime, they wait for the trt to fight it out with the PAD. if violence breaks out (something that some PAD extremists are spoiling for), a royal intervention would force thaksin to step down anyway, leaving the boycott parties a clean sheet and smelling like roses.

alternatively, there is also the chance that he is sufficiently weakened by the fight to somehow negotiate a more compromised position with the parties as a way forward. my sources tell me that Banharn spent 4 nights negotiating with Thaksin recently, but things fell apart because he wanted Thaksin to fund 400 Chart Thai candidates and the 'price' was too high.

its all about money. everything else is spin.

Edited March 10, 2006 by thedude

[CL0R0X]

In other words they will easily win all 500 seats on April 2nd?

just like the TRT everything is a fraud, there are some party that is not even qualify, but still they are there, amazing isn't

[Plus]

Thedude is probably right - contesting nationwide elections against Taksin on his terms is beyond Democrats means. The field should be leveled before the game starts - cleaner elections with less fraud and more debate, and a neutral Election Commission.

Major money doesn't come from cookie jars these days - it comes from political donations by big businesses. Peanuts that Democrats and other old parties used to collect from pirate VCD stalls don't pay for a decent campaign anymore, let alone vote buying.

[Ricardo]

Thai PM accuses critics of resorting to black magic

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Street protests are one thing,

but black magic is another. Embattled Thai Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra, a firm believer in astrology and the

occult, conceded Tuesday that the stars have not been in

his favor lately but said his political enemies were taking

it a step too far. «They are using all kinds of means to

try and destroy me, including black magic and the

supernatural,» he told a meeting of civil servants at

Government House. Without naming names, Thaksin said his

critics were using photographs and voodoo-like dolls to

cast spells. «But don't worry, I have talismans and

various Buddha amulets with me to ward off their magic.»

And posters still ask why DL is considered to be unfit to lead the country !

[Ricardo]

The Electoral Commission has stated that it will look into all candidates for proper paperwork. You can't point an inquisitorial finger unless you can prove it in a court of law.

Who appoints them ?

This isn't the French Inquisition.

Nor is it the Spanish Inquisition either

Fake candidates maybe, but the constantly changing, attack minded, no compromise opposition, always sounds like they are complaining of Sour Apples.

Isn't that TRT's policy ? Are the opposition learning from the government strategy ?

[lukamar]

It's not too long ago that all the parties used to buy the voter cards of the Canadian electorate with a 10 cent glass of beer. Thailand is not the only country that is or was corrupt.

Just how many years ago was that?? If we were discussing 1923 world politics, it might have some validity... but we're discussing the reality of Thailand in 2006.

John it's just as relevant in Thailand now as it was in other countries years ago. The Thai political system is behind other developed countries and is just going to take time to mature. We live in a time that wants instant gratification and for some things like Thailand it is going to take some time. The problems of 2006 will resolve themselves maybe in will take 10, 20, 30or 40 years. The reality is that Thailand's democracy is very young and still quite fragile and while it had some major problems it's still better than some of the alternatives it has had in the past.

If you are the opposition in any country you win votes by getting out there and stumping. Not just during an election campaign but starting the day after. The opposition has done none of that over the last year all they have done is alienate the majority or the rural vote by calling them stupid, ignorant and ill informed.

I think the only actual quote of someone calling a group of people those type of names belongs to Thaksin saying that of those opposed to him. Of course, if you can find a source to cite your claim, I'm more than willing to check it out. Thank you for keeping future posts accurate and factual.

I will reiterate, "If you are the opposition in any country you win votes by getting out there and stumping. Not just during an election campaign but starting the day after. They have not done this."

The Electoral Commission has stated that it will look into all candidates for proper paperwork.

well then, THAT'S reassuring... as their impeccable history confirms their unbiased and independent functioning.

Reassuring, maybe not, but that's the system they have in place.

You can't point an inquisitorial finger unless you can prove it in a court of law. This isn't the French Inquisition. Fake candidates maybe, but the constantly changing, attack minded, no compromise opposition, always sounds like they are complaining of Sour Apples.

The opposition changes it's attacks to reflect the PM's own indecisiveness...as he's always changing things mid-stream...

but perhaps their complaints do sound like Sour Apples to someone who believes:

That very well may be so, but why are they always reactive instead of being proactive. Why not show a stable stand and let the ramblings of TS make him look flip floppy. They should have gone to the meetings the PM ask them to, even if they had no intention of making any compromise, they would have looked like they were trying to work to make things better. By continually refusing to meet they give the appearance that they are selfish, if they can not have it their way they they don't want it at all.

What I do believe is that the Opposition parties dropped the ball, they has a great opportunity to make some inroads because of the anti TS sentiment in a lot of areas, even the north. They would not have formed the government but they may well have picked up more ridings and had more of a presence in the house. If they selectively spent their assets in the areas they had a chance of winning. The way it sits now TRT will pick up the vast majority, the present opposition will have no seats and that's not good no matter what side of the fence you are on.

[lukamar]

The Electoral Commission has stated that it will look into all candidates for proper paperwork. You can't point an inquisitorial finger unless you can prove it in a court of law.

Who appoints them ?

Under the new"People's Constitution" of Thailand B.E. 2540 [1997],The Senators select the 5 members of the Election Commission of Thailand [ECT], appointed by the king.

Part 4 Section 136. The Election Commission consists of a Chairman and other four Commissioners appointed, by the King with the advice of the Senate, from persons of apparent political impartiality and integrity. The President of the Senate shall countersign the Royal Command appointing the Chairman and Commissioners under paragraph one.

EC Constitution Page

Edited March 10, 2006 by lukamar

[sriracha john]

Thai PM accuses critics of resorting to black magic

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Street protests are one thing,

but black magic is another. Embattled Thai Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra, a firm believer in astrology and the

occult, conceded Tuesday that the stars have not been in

his favor lately but said his political enemies were taking

it a step too far. «They are using all kinds of means to

try and destroy me, including black magic and the

supernatural,» he told a meeting of civil servants at

Government House. Without naming names, Thaksin said his

critics were using photographs and voodoo-like dolls to

cast spells. «But don't worry, I have talismans and

various Buddha amulets with me to ward off their magic.»

Tens of thousands of anti-Thaksin demonstrators have

protested daily, accusing Thaksin of corruption and calling

for his resignation. Thaksin has denied wrongdoing and said

all his good deeds for the country would help him through,

giving him «good karma to protect from evil.»

100724 mar 06GMT

This is a man who wishes so much to portray himself on the world stage as an ultra-modern,

highly-educated, extremely-sophisticated, technologically-oriented national leader of a rapidly developing nation in the 21st Century with billions and billions of baht of his own money at his personal disposal????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

voodoo dolls? black magic?? talismans??? He sounds more like a backwoods, impoverished, superstitious, uneducated Haitian taxi driver living in his broken-down cab...

For future purposes, I shall never refer to him as the "fearless leader"...

[sriracha john]

news flash, its all about money folks. the democrats are not running because they dont have enough funds, plain and simple.

they have failed to collect enough money under the thaksin dominated government. at least if it were a coalition (ah, the good old days) they would have had their hands in the cookie jar too.

that is why they fielded Apirak to run for Bkk governor. he was their best chance to get some serious mulah, since the bangkok governor's budget run in the tens of billions. but his term has been short, and alas, tricky Thaksin paid off one of the BMA procurement committee to squeal on Apirak, thus forcing him to back off quickly and dissassociate himself from the cookie jar before he looses his job.

people on the inside also know that the democrat leaders in the south are not strictly aligned to the city slicker bangkok democrats, thus funds from the south, already a very poor source, is even more scarce.

that is the real reason why they did not run. and that is the real reason why they cannot reach out to the provinces. poor parties have no reach.

they know that a boycott would leave them out of the kitchen, let alone the cookie jar, but worth a gamble since they have no funds anyway, and any half baked effort to join in would only result in more humiliation. better to play the morally steadfast party that's too virtuous to get involved, pull on a few heart strings that way too.

they reason that under the worst case scenario, the elections go ahead and trt is re-elected, this would at least lead to real issues of legitimacy for trt after the elections. this would buy them time and hopefully, resources.

in the meantime, they wait for the trt to fight it out with the PAD. if violence breaks out (something that some PAD extremists are spoiling for), a royal intervention would force thaksin to step down anyway, leaving the boycott parties a clean sheet and smelling like roses.

alternatively, there is also the chance that he is sufficiently weakened by the fight to somehow negotiate a more compromised position with the parties as a way forward. my sources tell me that Banharn spent 4 nights negotiating with Thaksin recently, but things fell apart because he wanted Thaksin to fund 400 Chart Thai candidates and the 'price' was too high.

its all about money. everything else is spin.

Interesting theories... do you happen to have anything to corroborate them?

[sriracha john]

Thai PM's son fined for wrongdoing in Shin Corp deal,

market regulator says

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Thai Prime Minister Thaksin

Shinawatra's son will be fined nearly 6 million baht

(US$150,000, ¤130,000) for wrongdoing in the sale of his

Shin Corp. shares, stock market regulator said Friday.

Thailand's Securities & Exchange Commission said

Phantongtae Shinawatra had failed to fully disclose

transactions related to his Shin holdings before

Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought the controlling stake

in the telecom firm. A growing movement to force Thaksin

from office swelled last month after his family announced

the tax-free sale of its 49.6 percent stake in Shin for

73.3 billion baht (US$1.9 billion; euro1.55 billion). The

sale was the biggest ever of a publicly owned Thai company.

100956 mar 06GMT

so then, despite having the SEC in their hip pocket, he's still been found guilty of violating the law and fined....

Does anyone still believe this immature and spoiled kid was responsible for engineering the "biggest ever sale" of a Thai company???

Since he obviously didn't... hopefully now we can put an end to these "...but Thaksin hasn't done anything wrong with the Shin Deal" hollow protestations...

[gurkle]

news flash, its all about money folks. the democrats are not running because they dont have enough funds, plain and simple.

they have failed to collect enough money under the thaksin dominated government. at least if it were a coalition (ah, the good old days) they would have had their hands in the cookie jar too.

that is why they fielded Apirak to run for Bkk governor. he was their best chance to get some serious mulah, since the bangkok governor's budget run in the tens of billions. but his term has been short, and alas, tricky Thaksin paid off one of the BMA procurement committee to squeal on Apirak, thus forcing him to back off quickly and dissassociate himself from the cookie jar before he looses his job.

people on the inside also know that the democrat leaders in the south are not strictly aligned to the city slicker bangkok democrats, thus funds from the south, already a very poor source, is even more scarce.

that is the real reason why they did not run. and that is the real reason why they cannot reach out to the provinces. poor parties have no reach.

they know that a boycott would leave them out of the kitchen, let alone the cookie jar, but worth a gamble since they have no funds anyway, and any half baked effort to join in would only result in more humiliation. better to play the morally steadfast party that's too virtuous to get involved, pull on a few heart strings that way too.

they reason that under the worst case scenario, the elections go ahead and trt is re-elected, this would at least lead to real issues of legitimacy for trt after the elections. this would buy them time and hopefully, resources.

in the meantime, they wait for the trt to fight it out with the PAD. if violence breaks out (something that some PAD extremists are spoiling for), a royal intervention would force thaksin to step down anyway, leaving the boycott parties a clean sheet and smelling like roses.

alternatively, there is also the chance that he is sufficiently weakened by the fight to somehow negotiate a more compromised position with the parties as a way forward. my sources tell me that Banharn spent 4 nights negotiating with Thaksin recently, but things fell apart because he wanted Thaksin to fund 400 Chart Thai candidates and the 'price' was too high.

its all about money. everything else is spin.

Good post. The opposition political parties are boycotting for survival.

Even if you gave the opposition the freedom to make any election rules they wanted and appoint their own election watchdogs, they would never agree to any fair election because they have no chance of ever winning the majority vote (although maybe if the election were limited to the elite they might).

Edited March 11, 2006 by gurkle

[lukamar]

Thailand's Securities & Exchange Commission said

Phantongtae Shinawatra had failed to fully disclose

transactions related to his Shin holdings before

Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought the controlling stake

in the telecom firm.

Does anyone still believe this immature and spoiled kid was responsible for engineering the "biggest ever sale" of a Thai company??? Since he obviously didn't... hopefully now we can put an end to these "...but Thaksin hasn't done anything wrong with the Shin Deal" hollow protestations...

You are of course correct that he did not engineer the Shin Deal, he probably had very little to do with it. A business transaction of that size would be orchestrated by a team of lawyers, accountants and assorted other specialists. All he would have to do is say "See if you can make a deal I want $xxx per share." Then everything would be put in motion. Last time I sold a business, I signed the papers and deposited the money, that was my extent of my involvement and I would think that it would be the same with any business sale regardless of size.

[sriracha john]

Thailand's Securities & Exchange Commission said

Phantongtae Shinawatra had failed to fully disclose

transactions related to his Shin holdings before

Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought the controlling stake

in the telecom firm.

Does anyone still believe this immature and spoiled kid was responsible for engineering the "biggest ever sale" of a Thai company??? Since he obviously didn't... hopefully now we can put an end to these "...but Thaksin hasn't done anything wrong with the Shin Deal" hollow protestations...

You are of course correct that he did not engineer the Shin Deal, he probably had very little to do with it. A business transaction of that size would be orchestrated by a team of lawyers, accountants and assorted other specialists. All he would have to do is say "See if you can make a deal I want $xxx per share." Then everything would be put in motion. Last time I sold a business, I signed the papers and deposited the money, that was my extent of my involvement and I would think that it would be the same with any business sale regardless of size.

As he's incapable of even saying those few words, the Shin Deal was obviously initiated by "Pop", who then is guilty.

Interesting they didn't fine any of the lawyers or anyone else involved in working out the finalization of the deal... but it doesn't really matter as I'm just glad that we can now finally put this "Thaksin didn't do anything wrong" time-wasting to bed.

[lukamar]

Thailand's Securities & Exchange Commission said

Phantongtae Shinawatra had failed to fully disclose

transactions related to his Shin holdings before

Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought the controlling stake

in the telecom firm.

Does anyone still believe this immature and spoiled kid was responsible for engineering the "biggest ever sale" of a Thai company??? Since he obviously didn't... hopefully now we can put an end to these "...but Thaksin hasn't done anything wrong with the Shin Deal" hollow protestations...

You are of course correct that he did not engineer the Shin Deal, he probably had very little to do with it. A business transaction of that size would be orchestrated by a team of lawyers, accountants and assorted other specialists. All he would have to do is say "See if you can make a deal I want $xxx per share." Then everything would be put in motion. Last time I sold a business, I signed the papers and deposited the money, that was my extent of my involvement and I would think that it would be the same with any business sale regardless of size.

As he's incapable of even saying those few words, the Shin Deal was obviously initiated by "Pop", who then is guilty.

Interesting theory... do you happen to have anything to corroborate that?

Interesting they didn't fine any of the lawyers or anyone else involved in working out the finalization of the deal... but it doesn't really matter as I'm just glad that we can now finally put this "Thaksin didn't do anything wrong" time-wasting to bed.

"transactions related to his Shin holdings before

Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought the controlling stake". The operative word here is "BEFORE" it has nothing to do with the finalization of the Shin sale no matter how much you try and read into it. If there was a screw up by one of his lawyers I'm betting he or she is selling knockoff CD's for a living now.

Edited March 11, 2006 by lukamar

[sriracha john]

Thailand's Securities & Exchange Commission said

Phantongtae Shinawatra had failed to fully disclose

transactions related to his Shin holdings before

Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought the controlling stake

in the telecom firm.

Does anyone still believe this immature and spoiled kid was responsible for engineering the "biggest ever sale" of a Thai company??? Since he obviously didn't... hopefully now we can put an end to these "...but Thaksin hasn't done anything wrong with the Shin Deal" hollow protestations...

You are of course correct that he did not engineer the Shin Deal, he probably had very little to do with it. A business transaction of that size would be orchestrated by a team of lawyers, accountants and assorted other specialists. All he would have to do is say "See if you can make a deal I want $xxx per share." Then everything would be put in motion. Last time I sold a business, I signed the papers and deposited the money, that was my extent of my involvement and I would think that it would be the same with any business sale regardless of size.

As he's incapable of even saying those few words, the Shin Deal was obviously initiated by "Pop", who then is guilty.

Interesting theory... do you happen to have anything to corroborate that?

Just a silly little thing called "logic"...

Logic dictates that this punk kid, who couldn't even get through Raemkhamhaeng University without cheating with crib notes like a 5th grader, is not going to be entrusted with 73 billion baht of Pop's money. Logic dictates that he wouldn't be involved in any aspect of the Deal before, during, or after... other than being told to sign papers...which, for him most likely, he had to struggle with.. and even then, have to check his underwear, to read his name incribed by his mother, to verify for proper spelling.

Interesting they didn't fine any of the lawyers or anyone else involved in working out the finalization of the deal... but it doesn't really matter as I'm just glad that we can now finally put this "Thaksin didn't do anything wrong" time-wasting to bed.

"transactions related to his Shin holdings before

Singapore's Temasek Holdings bought the controlling stake". The operative word here is "BEFORE" it has nothing to do with the finalization of the Shin sale no matter how much you try and read into it. If there was a screw up by one of his lawyers I'm betting he or she is selling knockoff CD's for a living now.

Not trying to read anything into anything. If he's guilty of something before the finalization, it's actually more damning of Pop as this means it was done before the lawyer group became involved. At least if it happened after, they could blame the lawyers for everything. Actually, for anyone not concerned with "not rocking the boat of the government", it's all rather clear-cut who precisely controlled the whole Shin Deal.

[plachon]

I wish he would just go and stop trying to hang on to power when clearly he is no longer wanted.

No longer wanted by who??? (small minority I'm afraid)

You've been around in Thailand long enough to understand that it's small minorities, when they are made up of phu yai, that really count. I would have also thought you would have the gnauss to realise that Tax-sin and his cronies are also a very small minority who have used a parliamentary dictatorship to hold the country to ransom for the past five years, while they feather their nests. And believe me, when a hundred thou or so voluntarily turn up on the streets of Bangkok to say they've had enough of a leader (elected or not) and various other phu yai from a wide range of affiliations and institutions come out to say "enough is enough", then the ransomed majority are just pawns in a serious game of breakmanship, and will just have to wait a little longer for their knight in shining armour to come marching in.

[asd]

The Chronicles of Black May : Thaksin , The National Peacekeeping Council and Thaicom satellite

Part I - Biographies political leaders

Sunthorn Kongsompong

General Sunthorn Kongsompong (1931 - 1999) was the de facto head of government of Thailand from 1991 - 1992, following a military coup d'etat led by Sunthorn and General Suchinda Kraprayoon deposed the government of Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan on February 23, 1991.

The generals accused Chatichai of corruption, and established the National Peacekeeping Council (NPC) as a temporary government, with Sunthorn as chairman. Anand Panyarachun was appointed Prime Minister in March, but ultimate control of the country remained in the hands of the NPC.

Sunthorn left political office following the May 1992 constitutional reforms, which prohibited members of the military from becoming Prime Minister.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Suchinda Kraprayoon

General Suchinda Kraprayoon was born in Nakhon Pathom province, on August 6, 1933 (03:35), son of Mr. Juang and Mrs. Sompong Kraprayoon.

He first served the Royal Thai Army, as Acting Second Lieutenant, in 1953. On January 25, 1958, he was appointed Troop Leader, Artillery Infantry Regiment XXI. Since then, he had gradually been given higher responsibilities, e.g., Lecturer at Army Command and General Staff College, Director-General of Operations Department, Assisting Chief of Staff (Army Operations) of the Royal Thai Army, Commander of the Royal Thai Army, and finally, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army, on April 29, 1990. In addition, he was invested Commander-in-Chief of the Supreme Command Headquarters, on October 1, 1991, succeeding General Sundara Kongsompongsa.

He played a major role in the National Assembly of State Security, when it took control of the administration from General Chatichai Junhavan on February 23, 1991. After the General Election of March 22, 1992, five coalition parties, namely, Samakkee Dhamma, Thai Nation, Social Action, Thai Citizen, and Rassadorn, were in favor of General Suchinda Kraprayoon and supported him to be Prime Minister.

He was hence appointed 19th Prime Minister, on April 7, 1992. Once in office, however, he encountered protests from various political movements, and he resigned from the position, when the incidence reached its climax, on May 24, 1992, as to demonstrate the responsibility in politics and to give way for free amendments to the Constitution.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Thaksin Shinawatra

Thaksin Shinawatra, 1949?, Thai business executive and political leader, b. Chiang Mai. Born into a wealth merchant family, he went into the Thai police service in 1973. He rose to the rank of police lieutenant colonel by 1987, when he retired. He had started (1982) a computer business with his wife, and after leaving the police force grew his business interests into a major telecommunications company.

One of Thailand's wealthiest persons, he entered politics and served as foreign minister (1994?95) and deputy prime minister (1995?96, 1997). In 1998 he founded the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party, which in 2001 won nearly half the seats in parliament.

Thaksin became prime minister of a three-party coalition government and avoided a five-year banning from politics later that year when he was narrowly cleared of charges of not fully disclosing his assets during his second term as deputy prime minister.

In 2005 he led his party to a landslide victory, becoming the first Thai prime minister to win two consecutive terms from the voters.

An outspoken populist and nationalist, he has favored policies designed to help farmers and small businesses and overseen a period of economic growth. His tenure has been marred by charges of favoring family and friends with government jobs and by a 2003 antidrug campaign in which 2,500 were killed.

[gurkle]

I wish he would just go and stop trying to hang on to power when clearly he is no longer wanted.

No longer wanted by who??? (small minority I'm afraid)

You've been around in Thailand long enough to understand that it's small minorities, when they are made up of phu yai, that really count.

I think the bigger problem is that you've been here far too long if you really believe this.

I prefer to choose my own leader, but if you would rather have your fate determined by your phu yai, feel free not to vote in the election and go ahead and hang out in Sanam Luang for the next few years.

[asd]

Part II - The Relationship between Thaksin and The National Peacekeeping Council.

National Peacekeeping Council

The National Peacekeeping Council (NPC) was the military junta headed by General Suchinda Kraprayoon, who briefly administered Thailand following the 23 February 1991 coup that ousted Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhaven. Although the military claims to have staged the coup for the public good in order to stem the rampant corruption of the Chatichai government, the military leadership was concerned about its declining political role in governing.

The NPC disbanded parliament and imposed restrictions on the media, but it allowed political parties to continue operating and pledged to restore democracy.

The NPC appointed the respected bureaucrat and former businessman Anand Panyarachun interim premier until a new constitution was promulgated.

The NPC's new constitution gave the military substantial political power, including control over the senate and a provision for the appointment of an unelected premier. Despite a pledge to restore politics to civilians, the military established a political party, the Samakkee Tham (United in Virtue).

After their candidate was accused by the United States of drug trafficking, coup leader Suchinda successfully contested the March 1992 election.

Suchinda became prime minister on 7 April 1992, infuriating students and the middle class, which had been hit hard by the economic repercussions of the coup. After the military brutally crushed demonstrations, Suchinda was forced to resign on 24 May 1992.

Thaksin and Suchinda in Sunthorn's Birthday Party

----------------- -------------------------

Thai politicians and former generals are in money trouble again. Recently, the wealth of Gen Sunthorn Kongsompong, leader of a coup against the Chatichai Choonhavan government in 1991, has come under renewed scrutiny with the discovery that the former general's estate could be worth as much as 6 billion baht (US $136 million). Gen Sunthorn, who died in 1999, staged a bloodless coup on the grounds that politicians were unusually rich.

Thai press reports suggest that following the takeover of Sunthorn's National Peacekeeping Council in 1991, the general may have helped Thaksin land the concession that has since made him one of Thailand's richest men. Thaksin, who is still facing charges for attempting to conceal the extent of his own wealth while running for election, has denied the accusation.

"My companion, my comrade"

At a pre-launch reception for the satellite in Sept 1991, however, he attributed his success to Sunthorn. "I could not have had this day without Big Jod (Sunthorn)," he was quoted as saying.

from http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=736&z=104

[Orion76]

Thai PM accuses critics of resorting to black magic

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ Street protests are one thing,

but black magic is another. Embattled Thai Prime Minister

Thaksin Shinawatra, a firm believer in astrology and the

occult, conceded Tuesday that the stars have not been in

his favor lately but said his political enemies were taking

it a step too far. «They are using all kinds of means to

try and destroy me, including black magic and the

supernatural,» he told a meeting of civil servants at

Government House. Without naming names, Thaksin said his

critics were using photographs and voodoo-like dolls to

cast spells. «But don't worry, I have talismans and

various Buddha amulets with me to ward off their magic.»

Tens of thousands of anti-Thaksin demonstrators have

protested daily, accusing Thaksin of corruption and calling

for his resignation. Thaksin has denied wrongdoing and said

all his good deeds for the country would help him through,

giving him «good karma to protect from evil.»

100724 mar 06GMT

This is a man who wishes so much to portray himself on the world stage as an ultra-modern,

highly-educated, extremely-sophisticated, technologically-oriented national leader of a rapidly developing nation in the 21st Century with billions and billions of baht of his own money at his personal disposal????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

voodoo dolls? black magic?? talismans??? He sounds more like a backwoods, impoverished, superstitious, uneducated Haitian taxi driver living in his broken-down cab...

For future purposes, I shall never refer to him as the "fearless leader"...

I think that people who don't see the brilliance of releasing a statement about Thaksin's faith in Buddha amulets to the media during an election campaign lack the insight to understand Thai politics.

[asd]

Part III - Black May

Black May was a public uprising in Bangkok, Thailand over four days beginning on May 17 1992 against the military dictatorship of General Suchinda Kraprayoon, who had assumed power through a coup d'etat a year earlier and had established martial law.

Students and other citizens organized a rally in central Bangkok to protest the imposition of martial law, and were confronted by heavily armed troops in full battle gear, who fired into the crowd of protestors. Forty-four people are believed to have been killed, and nearly forty are still unaccounted for.

Following the bloodshed, the military retreated to its barracks, and an election was held within months.

Click here for more information

http://www.siamweb.org/content/News-Cultur...ear1997_tha.php

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The main coup leaders, who formed the National Peacekeeping Council or NPC, are seated in white uniforms. From left - army commander General Issarapong Noonpakdi, General Suchinda Kraprayoon and General Sunthorn Kongsompong.

---------------------------- -------------------------------

On February 23, 1991, the military, led by Sunthorn Kongsompong, staged a bloodless coup and installed a group of generals called the National Peacekeeping Council to administer the country. The constitution was abolished and martial law imposed.

This coup happened during the first days of the Gulf War invasion and was overshadowed by news of the war in the international press. The main coup generals were from Class 5--cadets from the same class that stick together as they move through the ranks.

As the coup occurred, all television channels showed the army TV station logo and occasionally a tape of a person, surrounded by menacing army personnel, reading a statement admitting he was involved in an assassination conspiracy (this was one of the reasons the generals said they had to take power).

There was not a large amount of popular dissent at the time. The Chatichai Choonhavan government that was overthrown notable as the first peaceful changeover of power from one democratically elected government to another when it took power from the Prem Tinsulanonda. Together the Prem and Chatchai governments were largely responsible for Thailand's economic miracle that created the Thailand most are familiar with today.

However, the Chatchai government was perceived as corrupt and the Thai experiment with democracy was very young.

After the coup, disruption to everyday life was brief. A popular and credible interim Prime Minister--Anand Panyarachun--was installed. As a former Thai ambassador to the U.N., U.S., and Canada, he was well-known and liked internationally.

Besides the veneer of respectability he gave the regime, his brief tenure was notable for allowing awareness of HIV prevention to be widely disseminated for the first time.

To cater to foreigners, a number of reforms were implemented, such as work permits in 30 days and abolition of the notorious procedure that required foreign businessmen to buy places in line to bribe officials to get a tax certificate before leaving the country.

Today, foreigners are aware of corruption and may come into contact with it, but before the coup, the tax certificate system insured every foreigner was intimately aware and complicit in bribe giving and taking.

Cracking down on unions seemed to be a priority of the new regime. State labour unions were abolished and one of the more notable excesses was the unexplained disappearance of labour activist Thanong Po-an.

New elections were held in May 1992, and the public quickly labeled political parties as good or evil depending on which rushed to support the generals' agendas.

After the elections, a strange series of events culminated in one of the coup leaders, Suchinda Kraprayoon, being appointed prime minister. The opposition kept the pressure on the government to appoint an elected person to be prime minister citing previous promises from Suchinda that he would not take the post.

The appointment of Suchinda gave the opposition the issue they needed--an unelected prime minister boldly gaining taking the top post after innumerable denials that the generals intended to keep power.

A series of demonstrations against the government centered around Sanam Luang and were led by activist students. Eventually the protests attracted many common folk and paralyzed the city as the Sanam Luang and Rachadamneorn Road areas were occupied by police and protesters for many days.

Soldiers advance through Banglampoo Tuesday, May 19, 1992

A small crowds taunts a line of soldiers advancing down Chakkra Phong Road.

After HM The King intervened with the famous public admonishing of the parties involved, the tension went out of the situation. Suchinda resigned and people started milling around the streets looking at bullet holes in the buildings.

A crowd looks at messages posted on trees along Ratchadamneorn Road.

People seemed shaken and quietly disappointed at what had happened.

Clearly, the 'bloody trees' along Ratchadamneorn were staged. Four-day old blood is not bright red and the soldiers, who were so meticulous in clearing away the remains of bodies, would not have missed a dozen bright red trees.

Click here for more information

http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/blackmay/blackmay01.shtml

" I could not have had this day without Big Jod (Sunthorn), "

[asd]

Part IV - Ian Neumegen

-------------------------- ------------------------------

There were many people killed and injured during the Black May disturbances. Since Ian Neumegen was shot near me and there is little about him on the net (or documented elsewhere), here is some info on his life and death.

Ian Neumegen was from New Zealand. He was 40 years old and had lived in Thailand for 12 years (some sources say 14 years). He assisted the Office of the Supreme Patriarch's Secretary and translated Buddhist works including writings by HRH The Princess Mother.

Human Rights Watch reported: "He was shot by an M-16 in the back of his neck shortly after leaving the monastery where he lived to go out for dinner with a friend."

AFP, May 20, 1992: "In Wellington, Foreign Minister Don McKinnon summoned Thai charge d'affaires Artaporn Puthikampol to protest at the killing of New Zealand schoolteacher Ian Neumegen in the riots. McKinnon later said a second, unidentified New Zealander had been shot in the Thai riots and was fighting for his life Wednesday in a Bangkok hospital."

As usual, the Bangkok Post had its facts wrong, as recently as 1997 reporting him as "Ian Newmeken - Australian." (Those killed during the May uprising of May 17-21, 1992, Bangkok Post, May 19, 1997)

HM The King sponsored the funeral ceremony.

Click here for more information

http://www.2bangkok.com/2bangkok/blackmay/blackmay05.shtml

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"I could not have had this day without Big Jod (Sunthorn),"

[asd]

Part V - Thaicom satellite

Thaksin's rapid success came from two things. First, he secured four telecoms concessions which gave him monopoly or oligopoly rights - in particular, the first Thai mobile phone concession and the first Thai communications satellite. Second, he raised money on the Thai stock market, which was on a rise from 200 in 1986 to 1750 at its peak.

From the start, Thaksin's triumph was dependent on politics. He got his four telecoms concessions at a time when military influence was strong. He had to lobby generals to get them, and he had to reward them.

In one famous instance, he gave a general a Daimler. At the launch of his communications satellite, he said "I could not have this day without Big Jod," the nickname of General Sunthorn Kongsompong, the head of a junta which briefly took control of the country in a coup in 1991. On the other hand, he lost some contests (especially a three-million-line telephone contract in 1991) because rivals had better political connections at the right time.

In 1992, the army lost influence, and politicians began to enjoy more control over concession awards. In 1994, Thaksin entered politics, choosing the party which controlled the communications ministry.

He immediately used his position to angle for another telecom contract and also expanded into highway concessions.

But in 1995-6, Thaksin lost his influence over the ministry of transport and communications. A competitor got a new telephone line contract. Another got a second mobile phone concession, undermining Thaksin's monopoly.

The military began making plans to put up a satellite to compete against Thaksin's. The government signed the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement to liberalise telecommunications and other services by 2006.

Clearly, the future success of Thaksin's business depended crucially on political decisions.

"I could not have had this day without Big Jod (Sunthorn),"

----------------------- ------------------------------

Edited March 11, 2006 by asd

[Ricardo]

news flash, its all about money folks. the democrats are not running because they dont have enough funds, plain and simple.

they have failed to collect enough money under the thaksin dominated government. at least if it were a coalition (ah, the good old days) they would have had their hands in the cookie jar too.

So , because they're not corrupt or in league with TRT, this is somehow WRONG ?

they reason that under the worst case scenario, the elections go ahead and trt is re-elected, this would at least lead to real issues of legitimacy for trt after the elections. this would buy them time and hopefully, resources.

Sounds sensible to me

in the meantime, they wait for the trt to fight it out with the PAD. if violence breaks out (something that some PAD extremists are spoiling for) , a royal intervention would force thaksin to step down anyway, leaving the boycott parties a clean sheet and smelling like roses.

Which also sounds very sensible, from their point of view.

my sources tell me that Banharn spent 4 nights negotiating with Thaksin recently, but things fell apart because he wanted Thaksin to fund 400 Chart Thai candidates and the 'price' was too high.

Ah yes, the famous 'private visit to an old friend', yet another Thaksin spin.

Good post. The opposition political parties are boycotting for survival.

And this is an unworldly, ignoble or undemocratic objective, in some way ? They MUST survive - to be able to fight another day.

Even if you gave the opposition the freedom to make any election rules they wanted and appoint their own election watchdogs, they would never agree to any fair election because they have no chance of ever winning the majority vote (although maybe if the election were limited to the elite they might).

Q. Why not give them a fair election then - to test whether this is true ?

A. Why risk a fair election, when you can win a rigged one, for certain ?

And to hel_l with democracy.

[boppia]

Most of Thailand is in the dark about Thaksin and TRT. They don't have access to all media. I would guess that a lot of posters here don't either. Another problem for posters here is getting a translation of what is actually being said. If you have access to ASTV you'll hear people continuously saying 'Aren't you afraid of dying' Most of the protestors aren't and they are inspiring more and more people to join their cause. Sanam Luang is the hub of information for this movement but it is not the only source. The people down their aren't kooks. They come from all backgrounds across the country. My wife a country woman was once of the fiercest proThaksin supports in the past. She has changed with access to information. He friends have changed. People are joining the Anti-Thaksin movement.

This isn't about the Shin deal alone. There are endless issues of corruption coming out right now. TRT members are changing ranks.

This is about corruption gone out of control. It's about censorship and accountability. How can anyone tell me that these are not important things for society?

The Thai people are starting to see the truth about Thaksin and friends.