Suthep blasts Chalerm for naming Red Bull founder a PDRC’s financier

[tingtongteesood]

Bangkok Post has named a list of companies, accordingly leaked to the media.

I'm surprised that a few of the top departmental stores in Rajaprasong would want to do that. Aren't they shooting their own foot ? Paying the protestors to stage a protest site at your doorstep and frighten away tourists and Thai shoppers ?

This has been a belief of mine for over a month now.

Government leave them there to kill their own business off. If the Government clear them out too quickly and they have their finances intact, they regroup and come back.

I think they want them out there as long as possible. They damage themselves much more this way and don't get the sympathy from the Army as they are not getting tear gassed and bussed off to prison. Yet.

More absolute drivel from the master of made up crap ! Meanwhile, back in the real world....

[NanLaew]

I have no time for the red bull family who have shielded one of their own for his crimes but equally I have no respect for out right liars, thieves, hypocrites and alcoholics. To defame a dead person is disgraceful beyond words.

Defame? How come naming anyone as a financial supporter of the PDRC be construed as defamation? Is the PDRC suddenly an illegal organization?

The other paper says it is Chalerm Yoovidhya, father of the absent Ferrari driver and head of the Red Bull empire, not Chaleo.

Chalerm or Chaleo or whoever. It isn't too much of a stretch that the oligarchical head as well as the siblings (including the one currently 'too ill to travel' in Singapore) of a hugely moneyed and privileged Bangkok family would have some sort of hots for PDRC, PAD or whatever masquerades as representing the true 'democrats' of Thailand.

There are lords and there are serfs...

[Jasun]

No surprises in the list. How does Thai law sit with political opinions and donations? Do the views of the company have to represent the majority of shareholders, or can the big guys up the top do as they see fit?

[noikrit]

A few posters here seem like they are on Red Bull ... .... So ... NO Shin Familys Shareholdings in various companies both here in Thailand AND abroad have ever influenced policy from this Government ???? ........

[howzat]

If the Chalerm is so concerned about Red Bull why doesn't he focus his attention of the spoilt retard red bull heir that apparently has escaped justice for manslaughter and driving whilst pissed on alcohol and possibly drugs also. Maybe Chalerm can equate with with the alcoholic stupor of the red bull heir and therefore sympathise with him. what a carve up justice is here.

[spermwhale]

Yawn - once you get past the rants here, he ain't got a lot of support left. The "shutdown sites" are empty apart from a few old folks in the evening and market hawkers after a quick baht from tourists during the day. His marches are down to a few hundred hardcore, protected by heavies, and the "crowds" on the routes are generously best described as sparse. I've seen him twice in the past week and he passes in 10-15 minutes. It used to take an hour or more.

Really? Have you been to any of the sites at night? I was there on Monday on Rajadmnoen and it surely had at least 250 to 300 people there.

[bobmac10]

Does anone really care what Suthep says anymore?

[dominique355]

The Red Bully attacks the Red Bull.

That will be fun.

BTW, how is it illegal to support the demonstrators? Didn't the PT government insist that demonstrating is a human right?

[Crushdepth]

Are they that stupid.. really.. to name someone who died way before this movement started. That is sheer incompetence and really makes you wonder about all the other names on the list too.

Not that one should expect more from an alcoholic.. but one would expect that the guy is helped by some competent people.

Kind of throws the whole list into doubt as a political stunt.

[moonao]

If Red Bull did indeed help to finance Sutheps operations, it will go down as the most idiotic business transaction in the companies history.

I can image the headlines in 3 months time "Red Bull donates 30million baht to a convicted murderer."... dumb move Red Bull, dumb move.

[Davidhere]

Will companies and individuals mentioned in the leaked list sue Bangkokpost and other media for tarnishing their reputations?

Absolutely no doubt at all

Chairman of Toyota seems inclined to go after the government and their defamatory Chalerm.

[Mosha]

If Red Bull did indeed help to finance Sutheps operations, it will go down as the most idiotic business transaction in the companies history.

I can image the headlines in 3 months time "Red Bull donates 30million baht to a convicted murderer."... dumb move Red Bull, dumb move.

They could argue they are just following the governments example in sending money to a convict.

[Gummigalgen]

Do I understand we will have an used Ferrari show this weekend on empty Asok junction?

[realenglish1]

Hey what ever happened to the Red Bull air that drove over a policeman with his sports care I thought he was going to trail

[tonneke breda]

oh, they buried him with the 7,000,000,000 USD?

Disgusting to speak over the dead, we will just dance on Prbkk's grave

[tonneke breda]

If Red Bull did indeed help to finance Sutheps operations, it will go down as the most idiotic business transaction in the companies history.

I can image the headlines in 3 months time "Red Bull donates 30million baht to a convicted murderer."... dumb move Red Bull, dumb move.

No Redbull did not donate 30 million to Thaksin, so first try to understand all before you make a stupid statement that Red Bull donates money to a convicted murderer

[smutcakes]

Hey what ever happened to the Red Bull air that drove over a policeman with his sports care I thought he was going to trail

The reform loving Red Bull heir is still absent with the flu.

If Red Bull are financing and supporting the protests and back 'reform' perhaps they could take a lead starting with bringing one of their family back to Thailand to face the courts.

Otherwise it just looks like hypocrisy, in that they want reform, no corruption, rule of law etc but its okay if they do it.

[MrSlatersParrot]

I think it's safe to say that the PDRC backers are one and the same as those backing the "democrat" party.

After all Suthep's main role as former deputy prime minister and party chairman for the dems has been to raise party funds.

Silom has been turned into a street market. The edges are getting blurred.

[Briggsy]

Link to Chalerm's list please.

[allan michaud]

Will he next announce his plans to arrest the Red Bull founder?

This guy should stick to stand up comedy.

[Mosha]

Hey what ever happened to the Red Bull air that drove over a policeman with his sports care I thought he was going to trail

The reform loving Red Bull heir is still absent with the flu.

If Red Bull are financing and supporting the protests and back 'reform' perhaps they could take a lead starting with bringing one of their family back to Thailand to face the courts.

Otherwise it just looks like hypocrisy, in that they want reform, no corruption, rule of law etc but its okay if they do it.

Whose house did he run to that night?

[smutcakes]

Hey what ever happened to the Red Bull air that drove over a policeman with his sports care I thought he was going to trail

The reform loving Red Bull heir is still absent with the flu.

If Red Bull are financing and supporting the protests and back 'reform' perhaps they could take a lead starting with bringing one of their family back to Thailand to face the courts.

Otherwise it just looks like hypocrisy, in that they want reform, no corruption, rule of law etc but its okay if they do it.

Whose house did he run to that night?

Sorry I dont understand.

[icommunity]

Will companies and individuals mentioned in the leaked list sue Bangkokpost and other media for tarnishing their reputations?

Absolutely no doubt at all

Chairman of Toyota seems inclined to go after the government and their defamatory Chalerm.

Chalerm has not announce the list yet. It was the media - even if it was a 'leaked list'. The first to get sue are the media.

[Emptyset]

" Among the major corporations that are summoned for questioning for their cash donations to the PRDC are those involving in soft drink, energy drink, department stores, hotel, consumer products, media, commercial bank, insurance firms and automobile industry. Executives of Dusit Thani hotel were summoned to clarify the Department of Special Investigation for giving the PDRC to use its facilities and stay overnight. "

As the Orwell/Chalerm purge of the companies that prop up the financial underpinnings of this country are " called in for questioning " for being suspected of supporting a protest that the Constitutional Court itself has deemed constitutional - Chalerm is now adding a person who passed away over a year and a half before the PDRC ever came into being, to add to his list of conspirators. But if truth be told, Thaksin arguably founded the PDRC himself through the unwitting release of the " revised " amnesty bill. So the logical thing would be to haul him in for questioning. Chalerm's very state of mind is now under open speculation. He has summoned the executives from five luxury hotels to " explain themselves " to him. His methods now resemble Stalin's more than anyone else.

Except Chaleo is not on the list as others have pointed out. His son Chalerm is mentioned in the leaked list (per BKK Post anyway). Funny how people that attack, say, Khao Sod, seem to take whatever Suthep says at face value. Conviction is the greatest enemy of the truth I guess, whichever way you lean. Thai PBS' English reporting seems to be somehwat biased against the govt from what I've seen of it so far. This despite the fact that Thai PBS in general is regarded as pretty neutral - or at least has people from both sides involved so it all depends on who exactly is writing these pieces I guess.

However, were Chaleo actually on the list, it wouldn't necessarily contradict what I've heard (think I may have said it on here before - pretty sure I mentioned Red Bull was a funder anyway) which is that most of the money was given two years ago. That was when the plan to have an 'Arab Spring' style uprising came about. Some of the money initially was given to the Pitak Siam group, but obviously that proved a bit of a flop. They needed to convince the Democrats to lead such a movement. That was the only way they could draw the numers, at least since the demise of Sondhi and PAD. I don't think Suthep was a 100% convinced until the amnesty bill came about though, and he saw he could draw the numbers. So you're right in one sense. The greatest catalyst for the movement wasn't the money provided by these funders, but Thaksin's errors over the past few years, culminating with the amnesty bill disaster which even many of his own supporters opposed. With only the money, no amnesty bill and no Democrat support... well, you saw what happened with Pitak Siam. Money can only achieve so much.

[ratcatcher]

Hey what ever happened to the Red Bull air that drove over a policeman with his sports care I thought he was going to trail

With a user name like yours, I trust you aren't an English teacher?

Red Bull heir goes to trial? He went to Singapore to recuperate and test out new models.

[firestar]

No surprise there, until a heiress repeats in public what is being said around the family table, god forbid these re-shirt peasants stopped drinking our products.

[Davidhere]

Will companies and individuals mentioned in the leaked list sue Bangkokpost and other media for tarnishing their reputations?

Absolutely no doubt at all

Chairman of Toyota seems inclined to go after the government and their defamatory Chalerm.

Chalerm has not announce the list yet. It was the media - even if it was a 'leaked list'. The first to get sue are the media.

Somehow I think the battalion of attorneys in his employ can suss out who the defendants will be in their lawsuit.

.

[Emptyset]

Hey what ever happened to the Red Bull air that drove over a policeman with his sports care I thought he was going to trail

The reform loving Red Bull heir is still absent with the flu.

If Red Bull are financing and supporting the protests and back 'reform' perhaps they could take a lead starting with bringing one of their family back to Thailand to face the courts.

Otherwise it just looks like hypocrisy, in that they want reform, no corruption, rule of law etc but its okay if they do it.

Most of the backers of the movement don't care about reform, they just hate Thaksin. lol. That's what I was trying to say to Pi Sek yesterday - the protesters are motivated by genuine sentiments and desire for a better society. Whether they're misguided about the way to get there is a separate issue. Though I dislike the nationalism & royalism that many (but not all) espouse, I sympathize with their anti-corruption, anti-Thaksin stance. However, the backers of the movement are mainly conservatives who've done very little for society and have no great reformist plans apart from figuring out how to maintain the status quo without Thaksin. Of course, that matters little to those that share their hatred of Thaksin. Anyone who opposes him is a friend. And that's also how most of the protesters think about Suthep, I'd guess.

However, these are the people that will be part of, or at least choose, the Council if it ever gets to that stage (I hope it doesn't) - so I wouldn't expect any great reforms that move society forward. Mainly I'd expect them to be too busy repressing the Thaksin supporters and pro-democracy supporters to have chance to reform anything anyway. Of course, if they kill or jail enough of them, they might get their chance and then they can set about rigging the system - if still necessary after the red shirts have been decimated - and then they'll probably have an election at some point when they're certain AV will be elected. They can't allow an election that they could lose if they manage to gain power this time.

Of course, Pi Sek would probably point to those amoungst the elite that do have genuine desire to move society forward and even offer some challenge to the status quo or at least as much as you'd expect from people in their positions. Anand, Dr Prawase etc. I don't think royal liberalism was ever really as strong as the likes as Michael Connors have claimed and it's in decline. I do respect Anand and those of similar views but I'm not sure these people are really huge supporters of this Council idea - despite their anti-TS stance - and if they are, they won't have much influence. The hardliners will win any battle if they gain power. The way they see it, they tried to compromise in 06 and it didn't work. They can't afford to fail this time so they'll use whatever measures they see fit. If they gain power, it won't be pretty.

[Mosha]

Hey what ever happened to the Red Bull air that drove over a policeman with his sports care I thought he was going to trail

The reform loving Red Bull heir is still absent with the flu.

If Red Bull are financing and supporting the protests and back 'reform' perhaps they could take a lead starting with bringing one of their family back to Thailand to face the courts.

Otherwise it just looks like hypocrisy, in that they want reform, no corruption, rule of law etc but its okay if they do it.

Whose house did he run to that night?

Sorry I dont understand.

When he killed the cop, he ran to the house of a rich person called C......

[Prbkk]

Surely this cannot be true: someone who has just inherited a huge fortune and an internationally known brand? But whose son is involved in a major scandal covered by every news service in the world , all raising questions about favourable treatment for the "elite" in Thailand ( including a featured article in the NYT). Surely such a family would keep a low profile in these times and try to ride out the storm of their own making , rather than be seen to intervene in yet another "elite" struggle. Surely. Can people with that much money be so stupid? I don't think so...