Govt Heavies Flee After Many Held

[nokia]

Govt heavies flee after many held

Thai Rak Thai executives and close aides of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have scattered abroad while others still in the country have been taken into custody or have gone into hiding upcountry, sources said yesterday.

Party deputy spokesman Jatuporn Promphan said no executives visited the party's headquarters yesterday because of the new ban on assembling in groups of more than five people.

Meanwhile, Thai Rak Thai Party executive board member Veera Musikapong said he and some party members will seek permission from the Administrative Reform Council (ARC) leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin to visit former deputy prime minister Chidchai Vanasatidya, who is being detained at the Army Command.

A senior party member said some key members had left on unscheduled trips abroad before the coup. Former agriculture minister Sudarat Keyuraphan has gone to Paris with her family and is still there, while former interior minister Kongsak Wantana was heading for Germany.

A Commerce Ministry source said former deputy prime minister and commerce minister Somkid Jatusripitak had reportedly changed his return from France to Singapore, instead of Bangkok, as first planned.

Former finance minister Thanong Bidaya was attending the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Singapore, which ended yesterday.

Rumours spread about a cabinet in exile forming in Singapore when many ex-ministers were reported to be "regrouping" there.

Pojaman Shinawatra, plus two of her children - Panthongtae and Paethongtarn - escaped to Singapore with ousted PM's Office minister Newin Chidchob, on Tuesday night. However, they have reportedly left the city-state to meet daughter Pinthongta in London, where she is studying and the family owns a mansion - and wait for Thaksin to arrive from Washington.

Former foreign minister Kantathi Supamongkhon decided not to return to Bangkok from France, travelling instead to London, where he has a house. Kantathi was in Paris to attend the Thai-France Cultural Exhibition, that was presided over by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Meanwhile, a source said former deputy prime minister Chidchai Vanasatidya was being held in a safe house by the Administrative Reform Council. Former secretary-general to the prime minister Prommin Lertsuridej and Justice Ministry permanent secretary Somchai Wongsawat, who is Thaksin's brother-in-law, have been placed in separate custody on the second floor of the Army Command building.

The website of firebrand millionaire Ekkayuth Anchanbutr, www.akeyuth.com, reported that Chidchai was arrested at around 9.30pm on Tuesday after he picked up Prommin, who was carrying a black briefcase from Government House. They proceeded to the Army Command, as Chidchai had smelled the coup brewing. They were arrested immediately and detained until 4am yesterday before they were separated in the morning.

Troops went to Chidchai's residence and disarmed the security guards there shortly after he left to see Prommin, the website claimed.

Somsak Thepsuthin, the party's Wang Nam Yom faction leader and ousted labour minister, is in Sukhothai while deposed natural resources and environment minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat reportedly sought refuge at the home of a senior forestry official in a Bangkok suburb before fleeing to abroad.

Senior party members including Chaturon Chaisang, Phumtham Wechayachai and Suranand Vejjajiva are in the country but not detained by the ARC as they are still reachable by phone.

Party deputy and ousted industry minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, plus former defence minister Thamarak Isarangura and former social development and human security minister Watana Muangsook are reportedly staying in the country at an unidentified location.

The Nation

Edited September 21, 2006 by Totster

[sbk]

nokia, your source please? and a link?

[OldAsiaHand]

The Post carried essentially that story this morning.

The part I really loved was the heardline and the lead that they were demanding Newin turn himself in immediately and face his crimes. What were his crimes? He tried to influence the media and 'criticized those with a different point of view.'

Then immediately below that huge story about War Criminal Newin there was a tiny little two paragraph story at the bottom of the page. It said that the media would now be strictly censored by the new government and nothing could be published in any form that criticized them.

Wow. I'm sure glad democracy has been restored.

[nokia]

nokia, your source please? and a link?

From The Nation, are you able to access its website from LOS?

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/21...al_30014226.php

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/09/21/national/

[midas]

Can anyone shed any light as to why some members of the previous

government it seems are being rounded up immediately and

are being arrested while it is reported " the Administrative

Reform Council would continue to support caretaker Deputy

Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's candidacy to be the

next UN secretary-general, to replace the outgoing Kofi Annan".

Why is it that ALL people connected with Toxin are not

under suspicion?

[Thaising]

They fleed because the state auditor-general Khunying Jaruwan is after their backside.

[Thaising]

Latest news from channel 3, former PM's Office minister Newin Chidchob have arrived at Administrative Reform Council.

Edited September 21, 2006 by Thaising

[Samuian]

Figures behind the "Coup":

click here:

[sriracha john]

Funny to see the parade of former Cabinet members slinking back into Thailand one at a time at the airport today... all looking so sheepishly guilty of "something."

It's come uppance time...

I liked Chaturon's comments the best at the airport media blitz:

"I don't know anything."

Edited September 21, 2006 by sriracha john

[Tony Clifton]

Funny to see the parade of former Cabinet members slinking back into Thailand one at a time at the airport today... all looking so sheepishly guilty of "something."

It's come uppance time...

I liked Chaturon's comments the best at the airport media blitz:

"I don't know anything."

How then did he make it all the way up to Minister of Education?

[gbt71fa]

Can anyone shed any light as to why some members of the previous

government it seems are being rounded up immediately and

are being arrested while it is reported " the Administrative

Reform Council would continue to support caretaker Deputy

Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's candidacy to be the

next UN secretary-general, to replace the outgoing Kofi Annan".

Why is it that ALL people connected with Toxin are not

under suspicion?

If you notice, most of the countries in the U.N., are despots, aka, The League of Non-Alligned Nations...maybe Thaskin we be given an honourary chair...

[Plus]

How then did he make it all the way up to Minister of Education?

Have you noticed the level of education in this country? Any idea why?

If he knew someting, especially about education, he wouldn't have accepted the post in the first place.

Wait and see period is over, only a few people are detained, everyone else has nothing to be afraid of in terms of personal security.

[lannarebirth]

Funny to see the parade of former Cabinet members slinking back into Thailand one at a time at the airport today... all looking so sheepishly guilty of "something."

It's come uppance time...

I liked Chaturon's comments the best at the airport media blitz:

"I don't know anything."

I don't have a TV to witness the spectacle, but would I be wrong in guessing that they're all wearing yellow shirts?

[sriracha john]

meanwhile... on the lookout front:

Panthongtae "Oak" Shinawatra, the only son of the ousted former prime minister is reported to still be in Thailand at a safe house, but his mother and sister left Thailand for Singapore on Tuesday night shortly before the military coup.

Oak's bogus BS company vows to continue without him : Bangkok Post article

Edited September 22, 2006 by sriracha john

[Jai Dee]

The atmosphere at parties' headquarters are not lively

The atmosphere at the headquarters of Thai Rak Thai and Chart Thai parties is not lively after the Council of Democratic Reform under the Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) has issued the announcement to prohibit any form of political gatherings.

As for the security measures around the headquarters, only security guards are present, but police and army officers have not been dispatched to safeguard the areas.

At 10:00 hours at the headquarters of the Democrat Party, delegates of the British Embassy to Thailand met with Mr. Chuan Leekphai (ชวน หลีกภัย), the Democrat's chief advisor, and party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva (อภิสิทธิ์ เวชชาชีวะ). However, the meeting agendas have not been revealed.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 22 September 2006

[salween]

The atmosphere at parties' headquarters are not lively

The atmosphere at the headquarters of Thai Rak Thai and Chart Thai parties is not lively after the Council of Democratic Reform under the Constitutional Monarchy (CDRM) has issued the announcement to prohibit any form of political gatherings.

As for the security measures around the headquarters, only security guards are present, but police and army officers have not been dispatched to safeguard the areas.

At 10:00 hours at the headquarters of the Democrat Party, delegates of the British Embassy to Thailand met with Mr. Chuan Leekphai (??? ???????), the Democrat's chief advisor, and party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva (????????? ?????????). However, the meeting agendas have not been revealed.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 22 September 2006

From the Bangkok Post today, at least a more "honest" face is being put on TRT: Bye Bye!

Mr Thaksin is seen as the party's benefactor, able to sustain the party's finances for the 400 former MPs, said the member who asked not to be named.

''I think it will be hard for Thai Rak Thai to stay on. Today, all factions are pondering where they should go. Their pulse is on the political developments and they are waiting to see the shape of the new constitution,'' he said.

In fact, the party source pointed out, Thai Rak Thai was never a political institution as some people thought. It belonged to a single family.

Few of its former MPs actually shared the party's political ideology.

...

Like staying in power at all cost. They could have left at any time? But probably the best spin now that they must look for new homes.