Thaksin's Letter To George W Bush Exposed

[Martin]

The letter said nothing that the US Ambassador to Thailand wouldn't already have sent to Washington, as Thaksin would know full well.

So why was the letter written?

Presumably, in order to elicit the anodyne reply that it did.

So why was such a letter from the White House wanted?

Presumably to show the electors that Thaksin is pally with the big Bush, on the calculation that it will impress some 'floating' voters into voting for TRT, and that TRT wouldn't lose any votes, because the people who would scorn it are committed to voting the other way already.

What on earth were PAD doing to think there was anything in it for them in 'forcing' the letter to be made public?

Thaksin (like him or lump him) is the only competent kid on the block.

And I am beginning to think that the bigwigs in the Bangkok bureaucracy have decided that they should use the PAD lot as a smokescreen, behind which they can 'clip the wings' of this tradesman, Chinese, Northern upstart.

Their view is, maybe, that "Such people should be on tap, not on top".

Don't underestimate the Northern and NorthEastern voters' feeling that, if Thaksin is getting up the Bangkok noses, Thaksin must be doing something right.

[Siripon]

There are plenty of competent people who can be PM apart from Thaksin.

The Bangkok Post has suggested he may be trying to isolate General Prem from The King in the public's eyes.

His first step is to show his devoted loyalty to The King.

Full page adverts in the Thai newspapers today call for blood donations from TRT members to celebrate The King's 60 year anniversary. The adverts stress TRT's dedication to democracy.

There will be a massive gathering at Wat Thammakai in Pathum Thani province this weekend where The Interior Ministry has ordered all districts in Thailand to send members, at a cost of 5,000 baht per group, paid for by the taxpayer-again to celebrate The King's 60 years on the throne and to show how the principles of Buddhism are a guiding factor in the way forward, guest speaker- Police Lieutenant Caretaker PM Thaksin Shinawat.

Wat Thammakai is notorious for its distortion of Buddhist teachings. It particularly targets single or lonely middle-class Thai women with its promises of the more you give, the better your next life. The abbot, at the height of the economic boom, Thammachayo, was well known for ordering breakfasts from 5 star restaurants, as well as having secret meetings with businessmen such as Sia Song, famous at the time for his property speculation.

Thaksin is trying to show he is the most loyal subject in The Kingdom., Mr Boramee is an elitist threat.

He needs the masses to believe that.

But in his relentless drive to prove his 'democratic' legitimacy he may lose all his ministers except Newin- Suranan, Surakiat, Chaturon, Somkit are all apparently contemplating resigning.

Thaksin of course denied it, like he did with Visanu and Bowornsak.

We live in interesting times.

[lung]

THAI TALK

Why I think the 'Thaksin-Bush' letters were forged

If you have seen the text dated June 23, supposedly written by Thailand's caretaker prime minister, bemoaning the political problems he is having with those protesting against his rule to "Dear Mr President", and the subsequent reply dated July 3, you must take them with a full measure of salt.

You could be hoodwinked. And don't say you haven't been warned.

Why? Because these supposed letters are simply too comical - and even preposterous - to be true. Now, we know why the Thai government has been so reluctant to release them to the Thai public in the first place.

I even suspect that they were forged to tarnish the good reputations of Thaksin Shinawatra and President George W Bush.

Thaksin was supposed to have said in the first paragraph of the note that he was writing as a "caretaker prime minister" complaining about "a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year". Any sensible Thai citizen would find it hard to understand why someone who has assigned himself the task of "preparing the best possible democratic path for the next government following new national elections this fall" would tell the US president that Thai democracy is under threat.

In fact, any educated Thai would consider it a great insult for a caretaker premier to find it necessary to write to the head of another country declaring himself the champion of democracy - not only of Thailand but throughout Asia as well.

This racket of letter-forging constitutes a real menace to Thailand's democratic future. They even made Thaksin write another paragraph to "assure" Bush in a way the Thai leader must have thought would please the superpower's chieftain. No way, Thaksin, in his right mind, would ever write something like this:

"During this period, I want to assure you that I will take steps to help get the country ready for free and fair elections, and to work to shift the national debate from one that is emotionally charged to one that reasonably discusses the central questions of Thailand's future, including whether the country's political governance will be decided through the ballot box or in the street. The answer to that question, Mr President, will have an important impact on the future course of democracy in Asia."

If Thaksin had really written that and meant it, then someone else must have forged the earlier part of the note to Bush that said: "My political opponents, because they knew they would again lose, boycotted the April elections and left the political situation in Thailand in deadlock."

You simply can't claim to hold "free and fair elections" while predicting that your party would win and that your opponents would surely lose. And these forgers expect Bush to read it without laughing his head off?

The real smoking gun, though, is when Thaksin was supposed to have blamed "various extra-constitutional tactics to co-opt the will of the people" allegedly employed by his "opponents" who, according to the text had tried to "provoke violence and disorder" - and failed.

You could argue that on June 29, six days after the letter was supposedly sent to Bush, Thaksin did mention "extra-constitutional charismatic figure(s)," in a specially-convened conference of senior bureaucrats from around the country, and as such the note must be genuine.

I doubt it. Any leader in his right mind wouldn't string out his country's dirty linen all the way across the Pacific Ocean. Besides, Thaksin is supposed to be intelligent enough to know that when he uses that sort of subtle language ('poo mi barami' or charismatic person), which confuses many Thais, could create utter linguistic chaos at the White House. Thaksin had no reason to befuddle Bush. He couldn't have written such a complicated letter.

I was also inclined to conclude the letter was faked when I read: "There has been a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year. Key democratic institutions, such as elections and the observance of constitutional limitations on government, have been repeatedly undermined by interests that depend on creating chaos and mounting street demonstrations in Bangkok as a means to acquire political power that they cannot gain through winning elections…"

Thaksin, of course, knew that Bush must have been briefed by his aides, who must have read in-depth analytical reports from the US Embassy in Bangkok.

He couldn't possibly have written anything that would suggest that the US president was naive enough to assume that the hundreds of thousands of protesters who rallied against the sins of the "Thaksin regime" were only stooges organised by the caretaker premier's opponents.

But the most tell-tale sign that the supposed exchange of letters between Thaksin and Bush was a shameful scam, a frame-up to besmirch Thaksin and Bush's honour and reputation, was in Bush's alleged reply. Bush didn't show any personal sympathy or support for the supposedly embattled Thaksin at all. The US president's supposed note only emphasised "our two nations' friendship" that remains strong.

If it was really from Bush, the letter couldn't possibly have carried such a condescending tone, such as when Bush tells Thaksin: "Free and open political systems can be unpredictable…but the Thai people are resilient and Thai democracy is strong and I know that your country will emerge from the current situation with renewed focus on that which makes Thailand great." Good old friends don't try to lecture each other on the fundamentals of political science.

For "Bush" not to show some degree of sympathy for his embattled friend called "Thaksin" is unthinkable.

How could "Bush" not condemn the "extra-constitutional tactics" employed against his good friend "Thaksin" back home when it was so obvious that it was a cry for help from a friend in need? No, a true friend doesn't simply brush off a friend's desperate request for help by saying: "…it is my sincere hope that all parties can find a way forward that respects the great achievements of Thai democracy…"

No, real friends don't write these sorts of letters to each other. What you read is nothing but part of a huge scam cooked up by letter-forging rackets in both countries determined to undermine good bilateral relations.

Suthichai Yoon

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

source : nation-online 13.7.2006

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

[Old Man River]

But in his relentless drive to prove his 'democratic' legitimacy he may lose all his ministers except Newin- Suranan, Surakiat, Chaturon, Somkit are all apparently contemplating resigning.

Thaksin of course denied it, like he did with Visanu and Bowornsak.

We live in interesting times.

Khun Siripon, agreed on Newin, but do you really think Surakiat would abandon the PM? I think highly unlikely.

[sabaijai]

THAI TALK

Why I think the 'Thaksin-Bush' letters were forged

If you have seen the text dated June 23, supposedly written by Thailand's caretaker prime minister, bemoaning the political problems he is having with those protesting against his rule to "Dear Mr President", and the subsequent reply dated July 3, you must take them with a full measure of salt.

You could be hoodwinked. And don't say you haven't been warned.

Why? Because these supposed letters are simply too comical - and even preposterous - to be true. Now, we know why the Thai government has been so reluctant to release them to the Thai public in the first place.

I even suspect that they were forged to tarnish the good reputations of Thaksin Shinawatra and President George W Bush.

Thaksin was supposed to have said in the first paragraph of the note that he was writing as a "caretaker prime minister" complaining about "a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year". Any sensible Thai citizen would find it hard to understand why someone who has assigned himself the task of "preparing the best possible democratic path for the next government following new national elections this fall" would tell the US president that Thai democracy is under threat.

In fact, any educated Thai would consider it a great insult for a caretaker premier to find it necessary to write to the head of another country declaring himself the champion of democracy - not only of Thailand but throughout Asia as well.

This racket of letter-forging constitutes a real menace to Thailand's democratic future. They even made Thaksin write another paragraph to "assure" Bush in a way the Thai leader must have thought would please the superpower's chieftain. No way, Thaksin, in his right mind, would ever write something like this:

"During this period, I want to assure you that I will take steps to help get the country ready for free and fair elections, and to work to shift the national debate from one that is emotionally charged to one that reasonably discusses the central questions of Thailand's future, including whether the country's political governance will be decided through the ballot box or in the street. The answer to that question, Mr President, will have an important impact on the future course of democracy in Asia."

If Thaksin had really written that and meant it, then someone else must have forged the earlier part of the note to Bush that said: "My political opponents, because they knew they would again lose, boycotted the April elections and left the political situation in Thailand in deadlock."

You simply can't claim to hold "free and fair elections" while predicting that your party would win and that your opponents would surely lose. And these forgers expect Bush to read it without laughing his head off?

The real smoking gun, though, is when Thaksin was supposed to have blamed "various extra-constitutional tactics to co-opt the will of the people" allegedly employed by his "opponents" who, according to the text had tried to "provoke violence and disorder" - and failed.

You could argue that on June 29, six days after the letter was supposedly sent to Bush, Thaksin did mention "extra-constitutional charismatic figure(s)," in a specially-convened conference of senior bureaucrats from around the country, and as such the note must be genuine.

I doubt it. Any leader in his right mind wouldn't string out his country's dirty linen all the way across the Pacific Ocean. Besides, Thaksin is supposed to be intelligent enough to know that when he uses that sort of subtle language ('poo mi barami' or charismatic person), which confuses many Thais, could create utter linguistic chaos at the White House. Thaksin had no reason to befuddle Bush. He couldn't have written such a complicated letter.

I was also inclined to conclude the letter was faked when I read: "There has been a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year. Key democratic institutions, such as elections and the observance of constitutional limitations on government, have been repeatedly undermined by interests that depend on creating chaos and mounting street demonstrations in Bangkok as a means to acquire political power that they cannot gain through winning elections…"

Thaksin, of course, knew that Bush must have been briefed by his aides, who must have read in-depth analytical reports from the US Embassy in Bangkok.

He couldn't possibly have written anything that would suggest that the US president was naive enough to assume that the hundreds of thousands of protesters who rallied against the sins of the "Thaksin regime" were only stooges organised by the caretaker premier's opponents.

But the most tell-tale sign that the supposed exchange of letters between Thaksin and Bush was a shameful scam, a frame-up to besmirch Thaksin and Bush's honour and reputation, was in Bush's alleged reply. Bush didn't show any personal sympathy or support for the supposedly embattled Thaksin at all. The US president's supposed note only emphasised "our two nations' friendship" that remains strong.

If it was really from Bush, the letter couldn't possibly have carried such a condescending tone, such as when Bush tells Thaksin: "Free and open political systems can be unpredictable…but the Thai people are resilient and Thai democracy is strong and I know that your country will emerge from the current situation with renewed focus on that which makes Thailand great." Good old friends don't try to lecture each other on the fundamentals of political science.

For "Bush" not to show some degree of sympathy for his embattled friend called "Thaksin" is unthinkable.

How could "Bush" not condemn the "extra-constitutional tactics" employed against his good friend "Thaksin" back home when it was so obvious that it was a cry for help from a friend in need? No, a true friend doesn't simply brush off a friend's desperate request for help by saying: "…it is my sincere hope that all parties can find a way forward that respects the great achievements of Thai democracy…"

No, real friends don't write these sorts of letters to each other. What you read is nothing but part of a huge scam cooked up by letter-forging rackets in both countries determined to undermine good bilateral relations.

Suthichai Yoon

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

source : nation-online 13.7.2006

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

Sutichai called it.

[Old Man River]

Seriously, what negative impact to Thailand do the PM's letter have? The bankruptcy of the country in 1997 had a negative impact on people's lives. These letters, which are legitimate (sorry Khun Suthichai), do not impact the lives of people in Thailand. People can argue that it has embarrassed the country (which I disagee with), but so what? Where is the damage? As we say in the US, no harm, no foul.

[lukamar]

Seriously, what negative impact to Thailand do the PM's letter have?

None. Although scrutinized to the point of absurdity there does not appear to be any negative effects. I'm sure that most letters not written in ones native language have mistakes, missing words spelling errors that's normal. Just read posts here, you all say "Thailand" and not "Kingdom of Thailand". Way too much time has been given to this non event. There is no smok'in gun there.

[udon]

Thai leader ridiculed for 'Dear George' letter

July 14, 2006

BY JOCELYN GECKER

BANGKOK, Thailand -- A letter the embattled prime minister wrote to President Bush has provoked a new round of attacks on the Thai leader, with some likening him to a child crying about bullies.

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose mandate was shaken by massive street protests earlier this year, dashed off the letter to Bush last month, explaining Thailand's messy political snarl.

The letter, splashed across the front pages of Thai newspapers this week, has been denounced as self-serving, sycophantic and ''shameful.''

Critics say Thaksin was trying to spin the political crisis so he emerges as a victim, and they accuse him of kowtowing to Washington.

''Uncle Sam, I'm being bullied,'' read the Nation newspaper's banner headline Thursday, above an article calling Thaksin a ''crybaby'' for talking to outsiders about the crisis that has left the government in political limbo.

In a commentary headlined, ''Dear George letters are shameful,'' the English-language Nation said ''Thaksin's pleas to the U.S. leader have ridiculed Thai democracy.''

In his letter, Thaksin said Thailand's democracy was threatened.

''Having failed to provoke violence and disorder, my opponents are now attempting various extra-constitutional tactics to co-opt the will of the people,'' he wrote.

The letter outraged Thaksin's opponents, who said they would deliver their own accounts of the situation to the embassies of the U.S., Britain, China, France, Japan and Russia on Friday.

Thaksin has penned similar missives to leaders in Europe and Asia.

But it was the June 23 letter to Bush that hit a nerve.

''Thailand is not a colony of the United States,'' said former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai, who stepped down in 2001 after Thaksin defeated his opposition Democrat Party.

The crisis started in January after corruption accusations sparked mass protests. The protests prompted Thaksin, still popular among rural voters, to dissolve Parliament in February and call general elections in April. But the courts invalidated that vote, which the opposition had boycotted.

A new vote has been tentatively set for Oct. 15.

AP

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-thai14.html

[Martin]

Has it been established that the letters are genuine?

Unless it has, or until it is, I am going to wait and see if Sutichai is right.

[John K]

Martin,

I think they are genuine but that is my opinion. The PAD embassy run yesterday supports that in my mind. If you had a chance to look at the letter apology letter PAD was giving to the governments, it looks like a penzman reality rewrite. I was looking for a copy to post but I could not find it.

I can tell it is heart written as they are trying to save the face of Thailand. I truly feel for the Thais as for what Thaksin is doing to the Kingdom of Thailand.

[penzman]

That letter sure did some damage.

[ratcatcher]

THAI TALK

Why I think the 'Thaksin-Bush' letters were forged

If you have seen the text dated June 23, supposedly written by Thailand's caretaker prime minister, bemoaning the political problems he is having with those protesting against his rule to "Dear Mr President", and the subsequent reply dated July 3, you must take them with a full measure of salt.

You could be hoodwinked. And don't say you haven't been warned.

Why? Because these supposed letters are simply too comical - and even preposterous - to be true. Now, we know why the Thai government has been so reluctant to release them to the Thai public in the first place.

even suspect that they were forged to tarnish the good reputations of Thaksin Shinawatra and President George W Bush.

Thaksin was supposed to have said in the first paragraph of the note that he was writing as a "caretaker prime minister" complaining about "a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year". Any sensible Thai citizen would find it hard to understand why someone who has assigned himself the task of "preparing the best possible democratic path for the next government following new national elections this fall" would tell the US president that Thai democracy is under threat.

In fact, any educated Thai would consider it a great insult for a caretaker premier to find it necessary to write to the head of another country declaring himself the champion of democracy - not only of Thailand but throughout Asia as well.

This racket of letter-forging constitutes a real menace to Thailand's democratic future. They even made Thaksin write another paragraph to "assure" Bush in a way the Thai leader must have thought would please the superpower's chieftain. No way, Thaksin, in his right mind, would ever write something like this:

"During this period, I want to assure you that I will take steps to help get the country ready for free and fair elections, and to work to shift the national debate from one that is emotionally charged to one that reasonably discusses the central questions of Thailand's future, including whether the country's political governance will be decided through the ballot box or in the street. The answer to that question, Mr President, will have an important impact on the future course of democracy in Asia."

If Thaksin had really written that and meant it, then someone else must have forged the earlier part of the note to Bush that said: "My political opponents, because they knew they would again lose, boycotted the April elections and left the political situation in Thailand in deadlock."

You simply can't claim to hold "free and fair elections" while predicting that your party would win and that your opponents would surely lose. And these forgers expect Bush to read it without laughing his head off?

The real smoking gun, though, is when Thaksin was supposed to have blamed "various extra-constitutional tactics to co-opt the will of the people" allegedly employed by his "opponents" who, according to the text had tried to "provoke violence and disorder" - and failed.

You could argue that on June 29, six days after the letter was supposedly sent to Bush, Thaksin did mention "extra-constitutional charismatic figure(s)," in a specially-convened conference of senior bureaucrats from around the country, and as such the note must be genuine.

I doubt it. Any leader in his right mind wouldn't string out his country's dirty linen all the way across the Pacific Ocean. Besides, Thaksin is supposed to be intelligent enough to know that when he uses that sort of subtle language ('poo mi barami' or charismatic person), which confuses many Thais, could create utter linguistic chaos at the White House. Thaksin had no reason to befuddle Bush. He couldn't have written such a complicated letter.

I was also inclined to conclude the letter was faked when I read: "There has been a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year. Key democratic institutions, such as elections and the observance of constitutional limitations on government, have been repeatedly undermined by interests that depend on creating chaos and mounting street demonstrations in Bangkok as a means to acquire political power that they cannot gain through winning elections…"

Thaksin, of course, knew that Bush must have been briefed by his aides, who must have read in-depth analytical reports from the US Embassy in Bangkok.

He couldn't possibly have written anything that would suggest that the US president was naive enough to assume that the hundreds of thousands of protesters who rallied against the sins of the "Thaksin regime" were only stooges organised by the caretaker premier's opponents.

But the most tell-tale sign that the supposed exchange of letters between Thaksin and Bush was a shameful scam, a frame-up to besmirch Thaksin and Bush's honour and reputation, was in Bush's alleged reply. Bush didn't show any personal sympathy or support for the supposedly embattled Thaksin at all. The US president's supposed note only emphasised "our two nations' friendship" that remains strong.

If it was really from Bush, the letter couldn't possibly have carried such a condescending tone, such as when Bush tells Thaksin: "Free and open political systems can be unpredictable…but the Thai people are resilient and Thai democracy is strong and I know that your country will emerge from the current situation with renewed focus on that which makes Thailand great." Good old friends don't try to lecture each other on the fundamentals of political science.

For "Bush" not to show some degree of sympathy for his embattled friend called "Thaksin" is unthinkable.

How could "Bush" not condemn the "extra-constitutional tactics" employed against his good friend "Thaksin" back home when it was so obvious that it was a cry for help from a friend in need? No, a true friend doesn't simply brush off a friend's desperate request for help by saying: "…it is my sincere hope that all parties can find a way forward that respects the great achievements of Thai democracy…"

No, real friends don't write these sorts of letters to each other. What you read is nothing but part of a huge scam cooked up by letter-forging rackets in both countries determined to undermine good bilateral relations.

Suthichai Yoon

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

source : nation-online 13.7.2006

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

I'm sure that most readers will agree that the letters are indeed genuine but in fact Suthichai,who is a very good editorialist, actually had a packet of salt and a large bulge in his cheek where his tongue was. At least that's the way I read it.

"Look George, this is what I want to look like when I'm Emperor of Thailand"

[otherstuff1957]

I think Thaksin's letter was just another red herring. The letter didn't say anything meaningful, but everyone will be busy talking about it rather than hounding Thaksin!

I was rather amused by Bush's letter. It said absolutely nothing! If it had been anymore bland and innoccuous(sp?) he would have ended it with: "so, how are the wife and kids?"

[penzman]

I think Thaksin's letter was just another red herring. The letter didn't say anything meaningful, but everyone will be busy talking about it rather than hounding Thaksin!

I was rather amused by Bush's letter. It said absolutely nothing! If it had been anymore bland and innoccuous(sp?) he would have ended it with: "so, how are the wife and kids?"

Wrong. It did say something.

Yours sincerely,

(Thaksin Shinawatra)

Prime Minister of Thailand

2. Letter from US President George W Bush to the Thai premier

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

July 3, 2006

His Excellency

Thaksin Shinawatra

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailnd

Bangkok

Mr. Prime Minister...

[chownah]

Yes, Toxin's gaff in omitting "the Kingdom of" in front of Thailand is a grave error and should be pursued to its logical conclusion................Toxin should hire an expert on diplomatic protocol to proof read all of his international correspondence or he should get a new one....Bush has one....probably several.

[John K]

I can’t say if the what Thaksin said or did not say offends Thais or the King, I will leave it to them to decide. How that is interpreted is too deep in Thai culture for me to understand.

[John K]

Thaksin claims his letters aimed to restore foreign investors' confidence

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra claimed on Saturday that he wrote to foreign leaders with intention to restore foreign investors' confidence in Thailand.

Thaksin said he had learnt that political turmoil had severely affected confidence of foreign investors and most were considering to shift their investment to other countries.

"This is my main reason to write to leaders of superpowers, countries which give importance to democracy and members of UN Security Council. I want to explain to them that Thailand remains a country which adheres to the Constitutional Monarchy system," Thaksin said during his weekly radio programme.

The Nation

[John K]

Last time I checked it was private investment and not government investment.

[chownah]

Last time I checked it was private investment and not government investment.

Very strange...the last time I checked it was private investment and not government investment too. When was the last time you checked? I haven't checked for quite awhile now. Has anyone out there checked recently? If so would you check back in with us and let us know what you found?

[John K]

He should have sent a letter to the wall Street Journal and not Bush. He must be very......

[Martin]

Thaksin's letter to Bush isn't going to offend any voter who wasn't going to vote against him anyway.

Thaksin has judged it well.

Hierarchical Thailand will soon be past its sell-by date. Those families who had a near-enough monopoly on the higher-level ranks of the Civil Service and the Military are going to be losing an ever-increasing proportion of their influence, as their sons and daughters face increasing competition from the brightest sons and daughters of 'ordinary' families, who are coming through the Universities.

When each lurch comes, it will be the tectonic plate of meritocracy/democracy that rides higher over the tectonic plate of inherited place in the bureaucracy/hierarchy.

Like him or lump him, Thaksin is the master of realpolitik, and has the wherewithal to fund his campaign.

[penzman]

Nothing but a political poker player who keeps bluffing by using the "foreign investment" wildcard as he's constantly dealt sh*tty hands because of his own bad previous plays.

[John K]

At any rate if the economy does stand the chance of going south, it certainly looks like Thaksin is willing to let Thailand’s economy die before he willingly lets go of his power. Now lest see, what creatures in nature have the same habit... some how parasites keep coming to mind. Did I miss any?

[Siripon]

Thaksin's letter to Bush isn't going to offend any voter who wasn't going to vote against him anyway.

Thaksin has judged it well.

Hierarchical Thailand will soon be past its sell-by date. Those families who had a near-enough monopoly on the higher-level ranks of the Civil Service and the Military are going to be losing an ever-increasing proportion of their influence, as their sons and daughters face increasing competition from the brightest sons and daughters of 'ordinary' families, who are coming through the Universities.

When each lurch comes, it will be the tectonic plate of meritocracy/democracy that rides higher over the tectonic plate of inherited place in the bureaucracy/hierarchy.

Like him or lump him, Thaksin is the master of realpolitik, and has the wherewithal to fund his campaign.

Thaksin doesn't promote merit over inheritance! Nearly every appointment of his has been based on patronage and cronyism. Look at how General Sonthi, the present Army Chief may be replaced by Thaksin's classmate, General Ponchai, in spite of Thaksin saying all high positions need at least 2 years in the job, and despite everyone agreeing Sonthi is the right man for the job.

[tettyan]

Yes, Toxin's gaff in omitting "the Kingdom of" in front of Thailand is a grave error and should be pursued to its logical conclusion................Toxin should hire an expert on diplomatic protocol to proof read all of his international correspondence or he should get a new one....Bush has one....probably several.

That's not a mistake. Since 2001, it's been official practice to refer to the country as "Thailand" instead of "Kingdom of Thailand" in all formal diplomatic correspondence. "Kingdom of Thailand" is only used for treaties and other government-to-government agreements of equivalent importance.

[Plus]

Too late, the damage has been done as all the media pounced on "Prime Minister of Thailand" line - everybody read it and took at least a mental note that will stay in the memory even if there's an explanation later.

It's like being publicly accused of molesting children - everyone will always remember "child molester", no matter if it's true or not.

Pretty lame move on Thaksin's part - to intentionally release the letter to divert attention. It's like sacrificing the queen when the rook is under attack (chess).

Where did my last post go? Has someone been deleting posts without notice, or have they all been gone during black Friday?

[lukamar]

Yes, Toxin's gaff in omitting "the Kingdom of" in front of Thailand is a grave error and should be pursued to its logical conclusion................Toxin should hire an expert on diplomatic protocol to proof read all of his international correspondence or he should get a new one....Bush has one....probably several.

That's not a mistake. Since 2001, it's been official practice to refer to the country as "Thailand" instead of "Kingdom of Thailand" in all formal diplomatic correspondence. "Kingdom of Thailand" is only used for treaties and other government-to-government agreements of equivalent importance.

It is only an issue with those that want it to become an issue. Some groups will grasp at anything to try and gain an advantage.

Go take a look at the front of a Thai Passport - in big bold gold letters it says "Thailand" - NOT "Kingdom of Thailand".

[Plus]

It's a nasty little rumor, though. People love rumors. You were the one saying that the letter was released on purpose, right? Do you think the coronation/assession mistake was also planted?

Just when the Shin sale and Ample Rich affair was largely forgotten, Thaksin provoked his opponents again.

[lukamar]

Just when the Shin sale and Ample Rich affair was largely forgotten, Thaksin provoked his opponents again.

I do believe that Thaksin does things with a purpose and for a purpose.

As for the letter provoking his opponents. I was reading a UK paper in the coffee shop yesterday about the latest PAD march and they stated " a maximum of 200 protesters", the Post said 500, the Nation said 1000. If you take the median of 500, he did not provoke many opponents, did he.

[lukamar]

If you read it in the press it has to be the truth, right!!!! From the BP today..

"Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will give a royal decree"

I was always under the impression that the King was the only one allowed to do that. LOL

http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/16Jul2006_news02.php