Thaksin tells Thailand's red shirt opposition - 'play dead'... for now

[jonclark]

Ya know reading the comments here, I just hope the locals have more sense than some of the posters here. The same arguments being rehashed, the same fingers being pointed, the same mistakes being repeated, the same mistrust and anger.

If the locals mirror the views of the 'educated farangs' then clearly any sense of instilling, let alone achieving any form of reconciliation is dead in the water.

[mrmicbkktxl]

Wow, any headline with Thaksin is like a red rag to the TV frothers!

Thing that really irks them is that they know what he said is true; when finally an election is permitted the people will simply reiterate the same message. We want Thaksin!

Some people. A minority of the population and electorate.

Actually, it is the majority of the electorate who have voted the PTP into power in every election for the last 9 years. No amount of nitpicking will alter that fact.

They haven't received more than 48% of the popular vote since polling 56% in 2005. As these figures only include those that actually voted the percentage of the eligible electorate is even less. The Democrats received more of the popular vote in 2007 than TS's PPP.

Be careful when stating facts unless you can back them up.

The 2007 Thai general elections were held on 23 December. This was the first legislative election after the Council for National Security, a military junta, had overthrown Thailand's elected government and abrogated the constitution on September 19, 2006.^[1] The junta had canceled general elections scheduled for October 2006 and promised new elections within 12 months. The Constitutional Tribunal then outlawed the Thai Rak Thai party, the largest political party in Thailand, and banned TRT executives from contesting in the elections for five years. After their political party had been dissolved, the former TRT members regrouped under the band of People's Power Party (PPP) led by Samak Sundaravej, the seasoned politician. Following its formation, the junta issued a classified order to suppress the activities of the PPP and to frame it for lèse majesté. The order was leaked to the public, leading to a complaint towards the Election Commission from the PPP. However, the Election Commission dismissed the complaint on the grounds that the Council for National Security (CNS) had granted itself immunity in the 2007 Constitution of Thailand.^[2]

The junta deployed 200,000 soldiers and police officers to maintain security and 1,500 officers to supervise after election fraud. Charnchai Silapauaychai, a popular former Democrat Party member from Phrae who switched to the PPP for the 2008 election, was assassinated. Five men, one of them cousin of a powerful Democrat Party MP were arrested, but all denied involvement.^[3]

Despite being the junta's target for suppression, the PPP managed to win 233 out of 480 parliamentary seats, close to controlling the majority in the House of Representatives. The Democrat Party came in a distant second with 165 seats, Chart Thai 37, For the Motherland 24, Ruam Jai Thai Chat Pattana 9, the Neutral Democratic Party 7, and Pracharat 5.

By Wikipedia

No idea what you are talking about,hmm Wikipedia has different numbers,also to the guy who said there was no government in 2006 maybe have a look.I wonder about all the Thaksin and redshirt haters,seems like you guys got a brainwash or attitude adjustment.You don't have to be a Thaksin friend or hater,just read the facts,There are more websites in internet but unfortunately they are blocked by the military junta,they will have their reasons why

[louse1953]

Taksin himself is the one who is dead.They now realise the problems this crook caused.You have to stay relevant in the peoples minds and he is well gone and sis too.Thais out my way couldn't care less about what happens in Bangers.

[Basil B]

Maybe he should play dead...

[Bluespunk]

"Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail sentence for graft, was ousted in a coup in 2006,"

No he wasn't.

Not direct but in fact yes. His placeholders were ousted 2006 and 2014. It was always him in power.

There was no govt in place when the 2006 coup occurred.

There was no govt because the previous election was riddled with corrupt election practices.

thaksin was not pm.

No one was.

Wow sounds like you really hate the guy ! What did he do to you for so much hatred !

I lived here during his war on drugs and the slaughter it resulted in with all the extra judicial executions that took place.

[tajtom]

All common sense stuff here and wise words.

Agreed and it is wrong that the people of Thailand must wait for a election it is really wrong and obviously they do not want to return the country.

2017 people are getting old and rich right. What about the working class Thai and there familys how have they benefited so far. They do have a right to vote ASAP. There is no longer any conflict.

[Bluespunk]

Wow, any headline with Thaksin is like a red rag to the TV frothers!

Thing that really irks them is that they know what he said is true; when finally an election is permitted the people will simply reiterate the same message. We want Thaksin!

Some people. A minority of the population and electorate.

Actually, it is the majority of the electorate who have voted the PTP into power in every election for the last 9 years. No amount of nitpicking will alter that fact.

Really? I thought they won a majority of seats, not votes.

I'll have to check on that.

[louse1953]

So based on this headline is it safe to assume....Lets burn BKK part deux is currently in the planning stages

That has always been in the planning stages a leopard does not loose its spots that easy. The redshirts are a violent organisation I would not expect them to change. The only thing keeping them in place is the army.

Right,the Reds are cowards,throwing bombs and running away.When they are confronted they back down and slither away.

[Bluespunk]

"Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail sentence for graft, was ousted in a coup in 2006,"

No he wasn't.

Yes, he was. Sept 19th 2006 military coup the military claimed control of Thailand by ousting in a coup de tat, the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin. Kind of like this time really, elected caretaker government again overthrown by the military rather than allow another election. But we all understand the military do this because they are so concerned about the Thai citizens (you know, the ones who voted in these governments) and not for any other reason, at all.

He wasn't PM or caretaker PM.

[Bluespunk]

"Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail sentence for graft, was ousted in a coup in 2006,"

No he wasn't.

No, of course not.

He lost the election and the Democrats won. ???

Silly me.

Never said that.

I have always maintained that whoever wins an election should be allowed to govern.

I have also maintained they should govern in a legitimate, even handed manner that benefits the country rather than those who bankroll the party.

[louse1953]

Wow, any headline with Thaksin is like a red rag to the TV frothers!

Thing that really irks them is that they know what he said is true; when finally an election is permitted the people will simply reiterate the same message. We want Thaksin!

What irks me is a criminal that should be shot for treason is not man enough to face up.Delusional man that still thinks the people love him,that goes for both of you.You should get out here in the paddys mate,and ask the people what they think.Their happy with Prayuth,so far.

[Bluespunk]

"Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail sentence for graft, was ousted in a coup in 2006,"

No he wasn't.

Not direct but in fact yes. His placeholders were ousted 2006 and 2014. It was always him in power.

There was no govt in place when the 2006 coup occurred.

There was no govt because the previous election was riddled with corrupt election practices.

thaksin was not pm.

No one was.

Comical the way the usual suspects trot out the same old lies long after they have been discredited.We know the constitutional position but even those who carried out the coup acknowledge it was aimed at Thaksin.I wouldn't normally comment on these lies but on this occasion it was compounded by another ridiculous falsehood on the previous election, where even the Democratic losers (and all international observers) agreed it was fairly conducted.

These Juntophiles have no shame.

Don't know where you get juntophile from but I was here when the 2006 coup took place and prior to that.

Thaksin was not PM at the time.

[eggers]

Guess, that's Thaksin's version of "attitude adjustment"!!!

[Baerboxer]

"Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail sentence for graft, was ousted in a coup in 2006,"

No he wasn't.

Not direct but in fact yes. His placeholders were ousted 2006 and 2014. It was always him in power.

There was no govt in place when the 2006 coup occurred.

There was no govt because the previous election was riddled with corrupt election practices.

thaksin was not pm.

No one was.

Comical the way the usual suspects trot out the same old lies long after they have been discredited.We know the constitutional position but even those who carried out the coup acknowledge it was aimed at Thaksin.I wouldn't normally comment on these lies but on this occasion it was compounded by another ridiculous falsehood on the previous election, where even the Democratic losers (and all international observers) agreed it was fairly conducted.

These Juntophiles have no shame.

I'm no longer sure if you can tell the difference between truth and lies.

Do you deny Thaksin dissolved parliament, due to the ructions caused by his changing the law to suit himself so he could sell his business the next day to foreigners tax free?

Do you deny he then became caretaker PM? Or that he resigned that position?

Do you deny a replacement caretaker PM was appointed and approved?

Do you deny Thaksin then apparently changed is mind, and appointed himself back as the caretaker PM, without any authority to do so?

How ironic you suggest others lie and have no shame.

[Baerboxer]

Comical the way the usual suspects trot out the same old lies long after they have been discredited.We know the constitutional position but even those who carried out the coup acknowledge it was aimed at Thaksin.I wouldn't normally comment on these lies but on this occasion it was compounded by another ridiculous falsehood on the previous election, where even the Democratic losers (and all international observers) agreed it was fairly conducted.

These Juntophiles have no shame.

Don't know where you get juntophile from but I was here when the 2006 coup took place and prior to that.

Thaksin was not PM at the time.

Interesting isn't it BS how some people accuse others of lying shamelessly as they do exactly that themselves.

I suppose this could be their admission that all the Shin governments are simply Thaksin proxies so in some ways, he's always been their real PM.

[elviajero]

Actually, it is the majority of the electorate who have voted the PTP into power in every election for the last 9 years. No amount of nitpicking will alter that fact.

They haven't received more than 48% of the popular vote since polling 56% in 2005. As these figures only include those that actually voted the percentage of the eligible electorate is even less. The Democrats received more of the popular vote in 2007 than TS's PPP.

The 2007 Thai general elections were held on 23 December. This was the first legislative election after the Council for National Security, a military junta, had overthrown Thailand's elected government and abrogated the constitution on September 19, 2006.^[1] The junta had canceled general elections scheduled for October 2006 and promised new elections within 12 months. The Constitutional Tribunal then outlawed the Thai Rak Thai party, the largest political party in Thailand, and banned TRT executives from contesting in the elections for five years. After their political party had been dissolved, the former TRT members regrouped under the band of People's Power Party (PPP) led by Samak Sundaravej, the seasoned politician. Following its formation, the junta issued a classified order to suppress the activities of the PPP and to frame it for lèse majesté. The order was leaked to the public, leading to a complaint towards the Election Commission from the PPP. However, the Election Commission dismissed the complaint on the grounds that the Council for National Security (CNS) had granted itself immunity in the 2007 Constitution of Thailand.^[2]

The junta deployed 200,000 soldiers and police officers to maintain security and 1,500 officers to supervise after election fraud. Charnchai Silapauaychai, a popular former Democrat Party member from Phrae who switched to the PPP for the 2008 election, was assassinated. Five men, one of them cousin of a powerful Democrat Party MP were arrested, but all denied involvement.^[3]

Despite being the junta's target for suppression, the PPP managed to win 233 out of 480 parliamentary seats, close to controlling the majority in the House of Representatives. The Democrat Party came in a distant second with 165 seats, Chart Thai 37, For the Motherland 24, Ruam Jai Thai Chat Pattana 9, the Neutral Democratic Party 7, and Pracharat 5.

By Wikipedia

No idea what you are talking about,hmm Wikipedia has different numbers,also to the guy who said there was no government in 2006 maybe have a look.I wonder about all the Thaksin and redshirt haters,seems like you guys got a brainwash or attitude adjustment.You don't have to be a Thaksin friend or hater,just read the facts,There are more websites in internet but unfortunately they are blocked by the military junta,they will have their reasons why

Clearly you don't. We are discussing popularity and percentage of the vote. Not the number of seats won through constituency votes. The proportional vote is the measure of popularity.

The PPP won the most seats and therefore the election, but they weren't the most popular party and no majority of the electorate, by any measure, voted for the the PTP as claimed by MZurf then or since.

[Emster23]

"leader of Thailand's rural "red shirt" opposition movement" I seem to recall red shirts got 49% of vote in Bangkok last time they were allowed to vote.

The logic is simple:

1. Red Shirts are bad

2. Red Shirts want elections

3. Therefore elections are bad

[yellowboat]

He does have time on his side and a large amount of the population will at least listen to him. If other politicos wish to erode his influence, they best make themselves look more attractive in the north and east. He will be around for a long time. Like it or not.

[Jip99]

"leader of Thailand's rural "red shirt" opposition movement" I seem to recall red shirts got 49% of vote in Bangkok last time they were allowed to vote.

The logic is simple:

1. Red Shirts are bad

2. Red Shirts want elections

3. Therefore elections are bad

I can see why you fit comfortably in the red camp!

I wonder of those same 'red shirts' would want elections without bribery and corruption, In fact I wonder how many of them would bother to vote without bribery...

[jayboy]

There was no govt in place when the 2006 coup occurred.

There was no govt because the previous election was riddled with corrupt election practices.

thaksin was not pm.

No one was.

Wow sounds like you really hate the guy ! What did he do to you for so much hatred !

I lived here during his war on drugs and the slaughter it resulted in with all the extra judicial executions that took place.

The war on drugs was endorsed from the top, and had the support of the majority of Thais.

There was virtually no protest at the time.On the contrary there was a great deal of relief that a campaign against the drugs scourge was taking place, a scourge which has destroyed countless Thai families

The fact that no action was taken by governments unassociated with Thaksin (indeed violently opposed to him) tells the story.When the old elites were desperate to pin a crime on Thaksin, the war on drugs was not even considered as an option.

I think an alert amoeba could work out the reason why.

It was nevertheless the worst of Thaksin's human rights abuses.The old elites reservations relate not to extrajudicial executions but to the fact the whole "campaign" was conducted incompetently

The belated outrage that some have expressed is usually politicised.Rarely is there much compassion for the suffering of Thai families as a result of drug traffickers' activities.For some it's just a stick with which to beat Thaksin.Fair enough and I am actually sympathetic, but without context the outrage is meaningless.

Actually international NGOs and a very few Thai activists denounced the human rights abuses involved at the time.

[yellowboat]

"leader of Thailand's rural "red shirt" opposition movement" I seem to recall red shirts got 49% of vote in Bangkok last time they were allowed to vote.

The logic is simple:

1. Red Shirts are bad

2. Red Shirts want elections

3. Therefore elections are bad

I can see why you fit comfortably in the red camp!

I wonder of those same 'red shirts' would want elections without bribery and corruption, In fact I wonder how many of them would bother to vote without bribery...

Also recall the yellows were too yellow (afraid) to stomp for votes the north and east. They have done and are doing little to win the hearts of minds of those people. It is doubtful vote that buying is the only contributor to Thaksin's success. He shored up a forsaken power base which could only happen in Thailand.

[Bluespunk]

There was no govt in place when the 2006 coup occurred.

There was no govt because the previous election was riddled with corrupt election practices.

thaksin was not pm.

No one was.

Wow sounds like you really hate the guy ! What did he do to you for so much hatred !

I lived here during his war on drugs and the slaughter it resulted in with all the extra judicial executions that took place.

The war on drugs was endorsed from the top, and had the support of the majority of Thais.

There was virtually no protest at the time.On the contrary there was a great deal of relief that a campaign against the drugs scourge was taking place, a scourge which has destroyed countless Thai families

The fact that no action was taken by governments unassociated with Thaksin (indeed violently opposed to him) tells the story.When the old elites were desperate to pin a crime on Thaksin, the war on drugs was not even considered as an option.

I think an alert amoeba could work out the reason why.

It was nevertheless the worst of Thaksin's human rights abuses.The old elites reservations relate not to extrajudicial executions but to the fact the whole "campaign" was conducted incompetently

The belated outrage that some have expressed is usually politicised.Rarely is there much compassion for the suffering of Thai families as a result of drug traffickers' activities.For some it's just a stick with which to beat Thaksin.Fair enough and I am actually sympathetic, but without context the outrage is meaningless.

Actually international NGOs and a very few Thai activists denounced the human rights abuses involved at the time.

A lot of people I knew at the time when it went on knew something wrong was going on. It was butchery.

[mrmicbkktxl]

Actually, it is the majority of the electorate who have voted the PTP into power in every election for the last 9 years. No amount of nitpicking will alter that fact.

They haven't received more than 48% of the popular vote since polling 56% in 2005. As these figures only include those that actually voted the percentage of the eligible electorate is even less. The Democrats received more of the popular vote in 2007 than TS's PPP.

The 2007 Thai general elections were held on 23 December. This was the first legislative election after the Council for National Security, a military junta, had overthrown Thailand's elected government and abrogated the constitution on September 19, 2006.^[1] The junta had canceled general elections scheduled for October 2006 and promised new elections within 12 months. The Constitutional Tribunal then outlawed the Thai Rak Thai party, the largest political party in Thailand, and banned TRT executives from contesting in the elections for five years. After their political party had been dissolved, the former TRT members regrouped under the band of People's Power Party (PPP) led by Samak Sundaravej, the seasoned politician. Following its formation, the junta issued a classified order to suppress the activities of the PPP and to frame it for lèse majesté. The order was leaked to the public, leading to a complaint towards the Election Commission from the PPP. However, the Election Commission dismissed the complaint on the grounds that the Council for National Security (CNS) had granted itself immunity in the 2007 Constitution of Thailand.^[2]

The junta deployed 200,000 soldiers and police officers to maintain security and 1,500 officers to supervise after election fraud. Charnchai Silapauaychai, a popular former Democrat Party member from Phrae who switched to the PPP for the 2008 election, was assassinated. Five men, one of them cousin of a powerful Democrat Party MP were arrested, but all denied involvement.^[3]

Despite being the junta's target for suppression, the PPP managed to win 233 out of 480 parliamentary seats, close to controlling the majority in the House of Representatives. The Democrat Party came in a distant second with 165 seats, Chart Thai 37, For the Motherland 24, Ruam Jai Thai Chat Pattana 9, the Neutral Democratic Party 7, and Pracharat 5.

By Wikipedia

No idea what you are talking about,hmm Wikipedia has different numbers,also to the guy who said there was no government in 2006 maybe have a look.I wonder about all the Thaksin and redshirt haters,seems like you guys got a brainwash or attitude adjustment.You don't have to be a Thaksin friend or hater,just read the facts,There are more websites in internet but unfortunately they are blocked by the military junta,they will have their reasons why

Clearly you don't. We are discussing popularity and percentage of the vote. Not the number of seats won through constituency votes. The proportional vote is the measure of popularity.

The PPP won the most seats and therefore the election, but they weren't the most popular party and no majority of the electorate, by any measure, voted for the the PTP as claimed by MZurf then or since.

The PPP won the election period

[ronwparker]

He is a real nasty man who fooled and used the poor farmers for his own ends-I actually met him in Chiangmai-he shook my hand and smiled but his eyes were as hard as steel!

[zyphodb]

Ya know reading the comments here, I just hope the locals have more sense than some of the posters here. The same arguments being rehashed, the same fingers being pointed, the same mistakes being repeated, the same mistrust and anger.

If the locals mirror the views of the 'educated farangs' then clearly any sense of instilling, let alone achieving any form of reconciliation is dead in the water.

But there has been no attempt at reconciliation by the junta whatsoever, all there has been is a witch hunt against the Shins, PTP & the poor while grabbing more & more power to themselves, I'm not saying the Shins are in any way perfect but they were no worse than any other government in this country in the last 50 years, but they committed the cardinal sin of helping the poor a little at the expense of the ruling elite...

[Alwyn]

"Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail sentence for graft, was ousted in a coup in 2006,"

No he wasn't.

Yes, he was. Sept 19th 2006 military coup the military claimed control of Thailand by ousting in a coup de tat, the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin. Kind of like this time really, elected caretaker government again overthrown by the military rather than allow another election. But we all understand the military do this because they are so concerned about the Thai citizens (you know, the ones who voted in these governments) and not for any other reason, at all.

He wasn't PM or caretaker PM.

So every media outlet in the World that reported it is wrong and some geezer on thaivisa is right? Right...

[khunken]

There was no govt in place when the 2006 coup occurred.

There was no govt because the previous election was riddled with corrupt election practices.

thaksin was not pm.

No one was.

Wow sounds like you really hate the guy ! What did he do to you for so much hatred !

I lived here during his war on drugs and the slaughter it resulted in with all the extra judicial executions that took place.

The war on drugs was endorsed from the top, and had the support of the majority of Thais.

There was virtually no protest at the time.On the contrary there was a great deal of relief that a campaign against the drugs scourge was taking place, a scourge which has destroyed countless Thai families

The fact that no action was taken by governments unassociated with Thaksin (indeed violently opposed to him) tells the story.When the old elites were desperate to pin a crime on Thaksin, the war on drugs was not even considered as an option.

I think an alert amoeba could work out the reason why.

It was nevertheless the worst of Thaksin's human rights abuses.The old elites reservations relate not to extrajudicial executions but to the fact the whole "campaign" was conducted incompetently

The belated outrage that some have expressed is usually politicised.Rarely is there much compassion for the suffering of Thai families as a result of drug traffickers' activities.For some it's just a stick with which to beat Thaksin.Fair enough and I am actually sympathetic, but without context the outrage is meaningless.

Actually international NGOs and a very few Thai activists denounced the human rights abuses involved at the time.

Another case of 'I know everything but I have no facts to prove it'.

I'll leave you to your 'endorsed from the top' conspiracy but I won't let the lie pass that the majority of Thais approved it. None voted for it and the vast majority of the victims were too afraid to do anything about the RTP revenge attacks on innocent people.

The drug king-pins laid low or skipped over the border and returned not long after Thaksin did his Bush impression by marching down the street declaring that the 'war' was won. They may have killed some small & medium level traffickers but, given the comptence (& corruption) of the RTP, it is far more likely that most of those killed were users or innocents.

BTW of course there were no protests when Thaksin controlled the police and was hard at work getting his relatives & sycophants into high-level military positions. Fear overrode any opposition.

One final point. The war on drugs together with the dismantling of the SBPAC (or similar acronym) to put the police in charge did more to inflame the southern fighters & trigger them into action than anything that went before.

[mikemac]

Several members have mentioned that the bulk of the rice subsidy money did not reach the farmers, but was diverted by rices mills, middle men, and corruption.

I'm not disputing this. I think it is as likely as any other explanation for that part of the loss that was not due to the difference between the price paid, and the market price (which was a substantial part of the loss).

However, has anyone seen an accounting of this reported in the press? Something that shows total outlays, less market pricing losses, less customary milling and storage fees, less payments to farmers = waste/fraud

I haven't seen this sort of accounting. Instead, there is a total figure bandied about (600 billion baht or so), with inadequate justification for the figure. NACC and the Finance Ministry are using the figure...but oddly they never reveal their calculations...and vague reference is made to committees going over this stuff.

Do you guys have much faith in the "committees"?

Indeed, PTP have never released any accounts or certified figures. Their finance and various commerce ministers issued different and contradictory figures.

They either haven't bothered to keep proper records or more likely have and don't want to divulge them.

The World Bank issued a report on the scheme, in which they estimated a tiny % actually went to farmers. Worth a read if you are interested. I would certainly put more credibility on the WB than on any Thai committee, ministry or NGO.

The International Monetary Fund had a bit to say about it as well, back in Nov 2013 -

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/11/12/uk-imf-thailand-idUKBRE9AB02B20131112

"The International Monetary Fund called on Thailand to scrap its pricy scheme to support rice farmers and scale back some other fiscal stimulus measures in order to balance the budget and contain rising public debt."

"The government says its fiscal position is strong, but spending on populist schemes is jeopardizing its commitment to balance the budget."

"Pulling the plug on a rice price guarantee scheme for farmers might help stem the losses of billions of dollars of state funds, but Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra would risk losing crucial rural support by doing so."

"The rice policy has been a disaster, however, with losses of 136 billion baht ($4.3 billion) in the 2011-2012 crop year. After that, the government ceased reporting the losses, although former central bank governor and finance minister Pridiyathorn Devakula recently estimated the total at 425 billion baht."

[Bluespunk]

"Thaksin, who lives abroad to avoid a jail sentence for graft, was ousted in a coup in 2006,"

No he wasn't.

Yes, he was. Sept 19th 2006 military coup the military claimed control of Thailand by ousting in a coup de tat, the elected caretaker government of Prime Minister Thaksin. Kind of like this time really, elected caretaker government again overthrown by the military rather than allow another election. But we all understand the military do this because they are so concerned about the Thai citizens (you know, the ones who voted in these governments) and not for any other reason, at all.

He wasn't PM or caretaker PM.

So every media outlet in the World that reported it is wrong and some geezer on thaivisa is right? Right...

Alwyn, I was here. He wasn't PM.

No one was because of a flawed and invalidated election.

All the political parties at the time share the blame for the mess that existed at the time.

But no one was actually PM.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Bluespunk

[stoffel45]

Thaksin's instructions to Yingluck's mob to rob the farmers of their rice - was looking at the billions in profit and not the consequences of the Thaksin action.

When the farmers went against Yingluck's "Government" it was a hard day for the "Red Shirts".

When Yingluck was found guilty Red shirts in Sukhothai and Pitsanuloke were chasing them all over the place.

Pheu Thai sacrificed its redshirted followers for money - I am sure very few people were really surprised.

It's not a case of Thaksin telling the Red Shirts to "Play dead" - most of them deserted and killed the movement.

OK a few are left - but most will get short thrift if they try and tell the people of Isaan and the North that Thaksin loves them.

And try and get descriptions right....

Thaksin is a fugitive convicted criminal living in Dubai.

Who is going to win the battle of the smoke screens on the Erewan bombing atrocity?

The Police who are hell bent on laying false trails - especially those which could lead to somewhere in the Middle East - or Army Intelligence who will follow where the trails lead - regardless.

No wonder Thaksin is showing signs of panic.