Pheu Thai assures Thaksin's speech in Seoul will not touch on domestic affairs

[NickJ]

Will he be wearing a Monsanto hat?

[mike324]

Ironic how the "You are not my father - UN" guy will be rubbing shoulders with Ban Ki Moon!

In the end his PR company is still actively engaging to put him in a positive light and as a "reputable" leader.

Edited May 14, 2015 by mike324

[GarryP]

He looks like an oriental Alfred E. Neuman in that picture. Appropriate really.

[mikemac]

Can't wait to see the wailing and angst come flowing from the legion of Anti-Thaksin TVF followers...

If that's all you have forward to then maybe you should get out more. Almost feel sorry for your type.

[mikemac]

I thought Thaksin was a good choice as a speaker at the Sixth Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul as he has displayed amazing leadership skills of political parties, police forces and terrorist organizations since he went into "self imposed exile" years ago.

Anyone with Google on their computer can find something on the internet to back up their argument, and ignore material that clashes with their argument as well.

Could not help notice the same old links are being trotted out promoting the famous 30 baht health care scheme, painting a beautiful picture of it.

If you Google around there are are actually some people who don't describe it in such glowing terms, there were some downsides to it - blown out costs, quality, availability etc.

I just found this one, by David Hughes and Songkramchai Leethongdee - http://content.healthaffairs.org/content/26/4/999.full

Interesting reading.

[Dogmatix]

The bloke has been prime minister of Thailand twice and he is attending an Asian leadership conference. What kind of leadership is he going to talk about, if not Thailand? Montenegro, Nicaragua, Fiji, Dubai perhaps? Pull the other one Pheua Thai acolytes.

[Baerboxer]

Thaksin doesn't really need to say anything, the director general is quite capable of making a fool of himself without any help.

Thaksin must go to sleep each night smiling, free to travel wherever he wishes, considered by most as a PM in exile from a military repressed country and watch the daily blunders from an inept and incompetent military government chasing their tails all caused by themselves from 70 years of political interference.

PM in Exile. How strange. His sister was elected PM and was then removed by a court for a corrupt act.

Or are you saying a non elected criminal fugitive was actually (and illegally) running the PTP government? Sarcasm!

[Baerboxer]

The bloke has been prime minister of Thailand twice and he is attending an Asian leadership conference. What kind of leadership is he going to talk about, if not Thailand? Montenegro, Nicaragua, Fiji, Dubai perhaps? Pull the other one Pheua Thai acolytes.

I think he could be an interesting speaker. How to run a country through Skype, emails and social media? He could build on the NY Times article.

How he leads PTP, UDD, and controls them through micro management from outside the country.

How he nearly led the country to civil war through his machinations to grant himself amnesty for all convictions, outstanding and arising charges, including the term of his sister's regime.

How he created monopolies for his businesses and made billions at the expense of the Thai public, including changing laws when required.

The list is endless.

[tbthailand]

Thaksin doesn't really need to say anything, the director general is quite capable of making a fool of himself without any help.

Thaksin must go to sleep each night smiling, free to travel wherever he wishes, considered by most as a PM in exile from a military repressed country and watch the daily blunders from an inept and incompetent military government chasing their tails all caused by themselves from 70 years of political interference.

PM in Exile. How strange. His sister was elected PM and was then removed by a court for a corrupt act.

Or are you saying a non elected criminal fugitive was actually (and illegally) running the PTP government? Sarcasm!

removed by a court for a corrupt act.

what was that corrupt act? I forget....

Oh, yeah, replacing a bureaucrat....

Edited May 14, 2015 by tbthailand

[Fat Haggis]

An abuse of power is classed as a corrupt act, and that act was nepotism and cronyism, which is quite endemic in the current Regime. pot kettle black!!

[metisdead]

Please use discretion in your references to the government. Phrases which can be considered as anti-coup will be removed. Referring to Thailand or the government as a dictatorship, military dictatorship or other such terms will be removed.

[Alwyn]

why would they invite a murdering scumbag that is trying to buy Thailand, this is the drop kick that organized/paid for all the terrorism/killings in 2010 and everything that has happened involving the reds since, bought and paid for the ptp and still its leader, what a complete joke the morons that organized his invite are, almost as pathetic as the idiots that still think he is a great person

How bizarre, I understood he was convicted over a corrupt land-deal? Most normal people believe the conviction to be politically motivated like the charges against Abhisit. I thought the 90 who got murdered in 2010 comprised 6 military and the rest Red shirt demonstrators? On a personal level I believe Thaksin to be greedy and corrupt, a bit like every other Thai politician. He's still immensely popular with Thais so something he did must have been right? There again, a lot of Thai people think Prayuth is great so who knows what goes on in their heads

[mikemac]

why would they invite a murdering scumbag that is trying to buy Thailand, this is the drop kick that organized/paid for all the terrorism/killings in 2010 and everything that has happened involving the reds since, bought and paid for the ptp and still its leader, what a complete joke the morons that organized his invite are, almost as pathetic as the idiots that still think he is a great person

How bizarre, I understood he was convicted over a corrupt land-deal? Most normal people believe the conviction to be politically motivated like the charges against Abhisit. I thought the 90 who got murdered in 2010 comprised 6 military and the rest Red shirt demonstrators? On a personal level I believe Thaksin to be greedy and corrupt, a bit like every other Thai politician. He's still immensely popular with Thais so something he did must have been right? There again, a lot of Thai people think Prayuth is great so who knows what goes on in their heads

....................."He's still immensely popular with Thais so something he did must have been right? There again, a lot of Thai people think Prayuth is great so who knows what goes on in their heads"............................

Actually a good point, and one I often think about when I read about how popular Thaksin still is. Other people don't think that way and their opinion should be respected as well.

[ableguy]

ALWAYS has to be the centre of attention and get his piggy little snout in the trough of headlines.

Me me me me me me me me!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to scream and shout till I'm jolly well sick and then you'll be sorry. Ha!

Your description fits millions in LOS. In particular the driving fraternity.

[ableguy]

why would they invite a murdering scumbag that is trying to buy Thailand, this is the drop kick that organized/paid for all the terrorism/killings in 2010 and everything that has happened involving the reds since, bought and paid for the ptp and still its leader, what a complete joke the morons that organized his invite are, almost as pathetic as the idiots that still think he is a great person

How bizarre, I understood he was convicted over a corrupt land-deal? Most normal people believe the conviction to be politically motivated like the charges against Abhisit. I thought the 90 who got murdered in 2010 comprised 6 military and the rest Red shirt demonstrators? On a personal level I believe Thaksin to be greedy and corrupt, a bit like every other Thai politician. He's still immensely popular with Thais so something he did must have been right? There again, a lot of Thai people think Prayuth is great so who knows what goes on in their heads

Thirty baht health care scheme most people remmember, however it was just a populist move along with rice fiasco.

Lots have benefited on the health scheme though, God forbid I have ever to be treated in a public hospital.

[z42]

We've seen over recent times what an assurance from PTP is worth. Precisely sod all. And any right minded person would be right to scoff at what this corrupt dinosaur rattles off anyways

[Gunna]

I see a lot of business people are attending the conference, so it is probably a good thing Thaksin is going to be talking about business acumen.

Highlights from Wikipedia

" Thaksin and his wife began several businesses while he was still in the police, including a silk shop, a cinema, and an apartment building. All were failures and left him over 50 million baht in debt.

In 1982 he established ICSI. Using his police contacts, he leased computers to government agencies with modest success. However, later ventures in security systems (SOS) and public bus radio services (Bus Sound) all failed

In April 1986, he founded Advanced Info Service (AIS), which started off as a computer rental business. Advance Info Service was given a monopoly contract by his contacts in the military in 1986. AIS grew rapidly and became the largest mobile phone operator in Thailand "

It turns out Thaksin can only make money when he has a monopoly.

And he doesn't like paying taxes.

" On 23 January 2006, the Shinawatra family sold their entire stake in Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings. The Shinawatra and Damapong families netted about 73 billion baht(about US$1.88 billion) tax-free from the sale, using a regulation that made individuals who sell shares on the stock exchange exempt from capital gains tax "

"In March 2007, the Office of the Attorney-General charged Thaksin's wife and brother-in-law with conspiring to evade taxes of 546 million baht (US$15.6 million) in a 1997 transfer of Shin Corp shares."

"On 21 October 2008, the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions ruled that Thaksin, while prime minister, abused his power to help his wife buy public land at auction, and sentenced him to two years in jail"

[MAJIC]

Does seem a bit unusual. For a leadership forum, this seems a dubious choice. Not being anti PTP, many picks from either party would be dubious. Strange.

A bit unusual? who the hell invites a wanted criminal to a business conference? you may as well invite the burglar to your house warming party!