Military May Seize Thaksin's Assets Following Bomb Attacks

[cdnvic]

Order me a crate of whatever you are on

Someone left the mayonaise in the sun again I think

[Tony Clifton]

ALL electronic communications (and personal meetings) now between Thaksin and any militant supporters he may be in contact with would obviously be monitored and scrutinised by the relevant intelligence authorities at the highest levels.

Easy in London maybe, but not in China.

It is very unlikely in my opinion that Taskin is actually behind these attacks. For one thing, they do not help his cause. Second, he is a smart guy

A third party sympathetic to Taskin carried out the act. This is the most likely scenerio in my opinion.

Same smart guy who turned a burning aircon unit on his plane into a bombing attempt.

Same smart guy who turned a motorcycle crashing into his motorcade into an assassination attempt.

Same smart guy who's house was supposedly targeted for a bombing.

Same smart guy who was in power when Prem's house was targeted.

Have you seen him make a public plea to his supporters yet, just in case it was them? He said he was out of politics for good, yet again, some weeks ago. Lied publicly before, will lie again.

Thaksin, who is now in exile and currently in China, strongly denied insinuations he was involved in the deadly bomb blasts. He suggested it may have been the work of Muslim separatists from the deep South, his lawyer said.

"Thaksin strongly rejects the allegations and said that his government, which came from the people, would not hurt its people," Noppadon Pattama said.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/01/02...es_30023093.php

Yeah, they only used to beat up old men and a woman at the World Trade Paza by hiring ex yaba drug dealers and wiping their criminal records, hired motorcycle taxi drivers to threaten journalists and others, the Tak Bai incident and thousands killed during his "drug war", not counting hilltribes, attacks on democratic party rallies up North.

Edited January 1, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[Ta22]

Is not expensive to build a bomb . some 10k baht will do ..

possible

but is not Cheap to Buy someone to risk his or her life trying to kill another person . especially to Plant Bomb all over bangkok .

I'm sure 10k baht can't possible make this happen ..

Bomb cost maybe . but i think the manpower . will cost much much much more .

like Food , vege and rich and meat is cheap . but food is not when is done correctly .some can cost a few hundred .

[blaze]

While we are playing "who done it", and it's difficult not to, let's look at who has benefited:

If the baht drops as a result of this 'turmoil', Thai exporters will certainly benefit.

If there are undercurrents - disgruntled military factions, conservatives that think this gov't is still too 'populist', increasingly angry elements within the local (Bangkok) Muslim community sympathetic though not associated with their southern brothers, people who fervently prefer democracy to dictatorship (and there might be a few of these in Thailand), then the army has certainly been handed a pretext for intensifying/prolonging its presence in the political sphere.

The coup has never received the endorsement from abroad that the plotters sought. Now by pointing out to the world 'proof' of just how evil Taksin is, and if the world is content with this final 'evidence' of the man's depravity, then maybe the foreign governments will smarten up and finally understand why the coup had to happen.

On the local level, and in the same vein- justification for increased budgets to the military has been provided- regardless of who triggered the bombs.

I can not see the benefit to anyone in the TRT from this. They would know very well, the instant that the bombs exploded that fingers would point to them. Any credibility they have would be destroyed. They could no longer claim any political legitimacy. And the current government was doing enough to discredit itself without the TRT poking its nose into things. They would know, in short that a stupid thing like this would be playing right into the hands of the regime.

The idea of destabilizing a military regime is an odd one. You destabilize a democracy and you can bring it down- or pave the way for military intervention...as we know all too well. But what happens when you destabilize a military regime? History does not show that they simply step back and hand authority over to the rebels or civilians. They inevitably tighten their grip on power. Not loosen it.

There are so many players in this game- and all stand to win or lose something. And sadly, we may never ever know the truth. Only the effects.

[backflip]

"The idea of destabilizing a military regime is an odd one. "

You misspelled the word "old".

[LaoPo]

ALL electronic communications (and personal meetings) now between Thaksin and any militant supporters he may be in contact with would obviously be monitored and scrutinised by the relevant intelligence authorities at the highest levels.

Easy in London maybe, but not in China.

I humbly disagree.

The Thai intelligence just have to monitor all electronic contacts Thaksin might have (with influential people back home) and even have intelligence officers in China (Beijing) watching him, with or without the knowledge of the Chinese government.

The Chinese themselves will monitor, control and watch Thaksin himself on their soil; easy job for them. They're probably doing that already and also 'must' have informed him to stay on the background. It's easy for them to kindly ask him to leave China if he receives to many visitors or make 'dangerous' phonecalls or 'electronic' contacts...

The Chinese are long-term planners and wouldn't want to be in a dispute with a country they're friendly with but there could always be several options for the Chinese...

* support Thaksin for whatever reason (but will always deny that) and try yo help him,

* support the CNS and present installed government, and tell Thaksin to stay 'cool',

* support both and carefully monitor the situation as it develops.

Bombings....?

The Chinese intelligence would know about this (if ordered by T.) and that's most unlikely as it was done quite unprofessional and surely the Chinese wouldn't want to be involved with such actions.

Just some thoughts.

LaoPo

[taxexile]

Bombs dent Thailand’s image

By Amy Kazmin in Bangkok

Published: January 1 2007 22:42 | Last updated: January 1 2007 22:42

After Thailand’s royalist army chief sent tanks rolling into Bangkok in September to oust Thaksin Shinawatra, the prime minister, the military coup-makers justified their power grab as essential for restoring “harmony” and “unity” to a deeply-divided Thai population.

For nearly a year beforehand, Bangkok had seen mass protests by middle-class urban dwellers challenging Mr Thaksin’s moral legitimacy, after his family’s tax-free Bt73bn ($2bn, £1bn, €1.6bn) sale of the family telecommunications empire. Thailand’s southern border provinces – home to a deeply disaffected ethnic Malay, Muslim minority – was racked by a bloody separatist insurgency that has seen nearly 1,900 people killed in drive-by shootings, bomb attacks and other violence over nearly three years.

Against this backdrop, many Thais, and some foreign investors, welcomed the army’s political intervention, hoping that the ousting of Mr Thaksin, a charismatic but polarising figure, would restore stability, boost the economy and allow the army to try a softer approach towards the war-torn south.

Thais draping tank guns with flower garlands and giving food to soldiers conveyed a country that had uniquely managed a peaceful political transition, despite the interruption to democracy, and was ready for business as usual. Yet the bomb explosions that rattled Bangkok on New Year’s Eve have highlighted the profound challenges facing the military-installed government, and the high price the economy could pay if the administration fails to act decisively to prevent similar attacks in the future.

Even since the coup-makers seized power they appear to have been shadow-boxing with Mr Thaksin, struggling to charge him and his close associates with wrong-doing even as his spectre rules large over the country. Efforts to woo southern Muslims, starting with a dramatic apology for past abuses by the Thai state, have seen no let-up in the daily killings in the troubled region.

“After the coup, the hope was that although we’d gone back to a less democratic government, we would have a more stable political environment and more progressive policy implementation,” said Ian Gisbourne, executive vice-president of re-search at Phatra Securities. “But some of the hope that people had three months ago has long since faded. It isn’t obvious that we have any more stability than we had before. We’ve gone back to the harsh reality that governing is very difficult.”

Gen Surayud Chulanont, the prime minister, came out quickly on Monday to blame the bombs on those who he said had “lost power,” which most Thais interpreted as a reference to the powerful supporters of Mr Thaksin.

Yet the suggestion that elite Thais angry over their loss of power and privilege would resort to indiscriminate violence – and the hint of internecine warfare within the Thai governing elite, including elements of the security forces – hardly bodes well for the military’s promise to maintain stability and restore democracy in less than a year.

Prior to the coup, there were rumours of deep divisions within the military between Thaksin supporters and opponents. Some analysts say these tensions could now be surfacing in an effort by internal rivals, including perhaps those impatient that Mr Thaksin has yet to be prosecuted, to discredit the army leaders.

“Thailand is under martial law and the generals cannot maintain security,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a Chulalongkorn University political analyst. “They look inept.”

The bombs – which struck at the peak of the tourist season and injured nine foreign holidaymakers – may have a damaging impact on the tourism industry, which attracts about 12m foreign visitors a year and accounts for 6 per cent of gross domestic product.

Thailand has, historically, proven a resilient destination, in spite of setbacks such as Sars, the tsunami and bird flu, and most tourists have scarcely registered the serious bloodshed in the deep south.

Yet the spectre of multiple, co-ordinated bomb explosions in the capital – in spite of the relatively low casualty figures – could undermine Thailand’s image as a haven, untroubled by the terrorist threat that plagues other countries in the region.

With the hiatus provided by the new year holidays, the travel industry has said it is too early to tell if the bombings would lead to a rash of cancellations by foreign tourists. However, Australia, the UK, the US and Canada have warned their citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to Bangkok, citing the possibility of future attacks. Thai domestic consumption may also drop, as jittery Thais stay away from public places.

The bombs also come quick on the heels of an ill-fated, pre-Christmas attempt to impose capital controls – and slow baht appreciation – that sent the stock market crashing by 15 per cent in a single day, before the government revoked the policy.

Markets are likely to reflect the mood of the nation and be jittery when they re-open on Wednesday.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007

i find the references to "the angry thai elite" and "hint of internecine warfare within the elite and including the security forces" frighteningly ominous.

power struggles like this have brought bloodshed to the streets of the capital before , with no concern or respect for ordinary people.

sometimes it seems that nothing changes here. it is a tinpot country ruled by bullies in uniforms struggling to retain power who would be better off releasing their energies playing paintball.

pity the poor thais who have had to put up with these blustering cockerels for so long.

[cdnvic]

sometimes it seems that nothing changes here. it is a tinpot country ruled by bullies in uniforms struggling to retain power

Sure things change. They have 7-11s now

[LaoPo]

.....pity the poor thais who have had to put up with these blustering cockerels for so long.

There are many of them in the Far East......they even have a female one in the Phillippines...

LaoPo

[Tony Clifton]

ALL electronic communications (and personal meetings) now between Thaksin and any militant supporters he may be in contact with would obviously be monitored and scrutinised by the relevant intelligence authorities at the highest levels.

Easy in London maybe, but not in China.

I humbly disagree.

The Thai intelligence just have to monitor all electronic contacts Thaksin might have (with influential people back home) and even have intelligence officers in China (Beijing) watching him, with or without he knowledge of the Chinese government.

The Chinese themselves will monitor, control and watch Thaksin himself on their soil; easy job for them. They're probably doing that already and also 'must' have informed him to stay on the background. It's easy for them to kindly ask him to leave China if he receives to many visitors or make 'dangerous' phonecalls or 'electronic' contacts...

The Chinese are long-term planners and wouldn't want to be in a dispute with a country they're friendly with but there could always be several options for the Chinese...

* support Thaksin for whatever reason (but will always deny that) and try yo help him,

* support the CNS and present installed government, and tell Thaksin to stay 'cool',

* support both and carefully monitor the situation as it develops.

Bombings....?

The Chinese intelligence would know about this (if ordered by T.) and that's most unlikely as it was done quite unprofessional and surely the Chinese wouldn't want to be involved with such actions.

Just some thoughts.

LaoPo

Following the terorist attacks, London is way too hot to conduct his monkey business there. Human organs can be obtained in a matter of hours over in China, now, how easy is it to grease a few low paid officials to conduct your "business" there? His excuse about leaving the cold London weather was total bullsh!t when it was 2 degrees warmer in China. They have monitored people visiting him numerous times.

While PM, he lied numerous times and often reinvented himself , even in the presence of the media recording everything. That makes him a pathological liar in my book. He was clearly hooked on a power trip and I also always suspected the man of having mental health issues.

Hoping he doesn't read my posts and later on pleads insanity.

Edited January 2, 2007 by Tony Clifton

[LaoPo]

ALL electronic communications (and personal meetings) now between Thaksin and any militant supporters he may be in contact with would obviously be monitored and scrutinised by the relevant intelligence authorities at the highest levels.

Easy in London maybe, but not in China.

I humbly disagree.

The Thai intelligence just have to monitor all electronic contacts Thaksin might have (with influential people back home) and even have intelligence officers in China (Beijing) watching him, with or without he knowledge of the Chinese government.

The Chinese themselves will monitor, control and watch Thaksin himself on their soil; easy job for them. They're probably doing that already and also 'must' have informed him to stay on the background. It's easy for them to kindly ask him to leave China if he receives to many visitors or make 'dangerous' phonecalls or 'electronic' contacts...

The Chinese are long-term planners and wouldn't want to be in a dispute with a country they're friendly with but there could always be several options for the Chinese...

* support Thaksin for whatever reason (but will always deny that) and try yo help him,

* support the CNS and present installed government, and tell Thaksin to stay 'cool',

* support both and carefully monitor the situation as it develops.

Bombings....?

The Chinese intelligence would know about this (if ordered by T.) and that's most unlikely as it was done quite unprofessional and surely the Chinese wouldn't want to be involved with such actions.

Just some thoughts.

LaoPo

Following the terorist attacks, London is way too hot to conduct his monkey business there. Human organs can be obtained in a matter of hours over in China, now, how easy is it to grease a few low paid officials to conduct your "business" there? His excuse about leaving the cold London weather was total bullsh!t when it was 2 degrees warmer in China. They have monitored people visiting him numerous times.

While PM, he lied numerous times and often reinvented himself , even in the presence of the media recording everything. That makes him a pathological liar in my book. He was clearly hooked on a power trip and I also always suspected the man of having mental health issues.

Hoping he doesn't read my posts and later on pleads insanity.

With due respect, this isn't about the temperature, monkey business or human organs.

Also, you have probably no idea about how the government is organized in China and 'greasing' a few low paid officials (high so) is simply not possible as high-up officials are all members of the communist party and they wouldn't risk their job for Mr. Thaksin I tell you.

The social order and rankings in the Chinese government are immensely strict and according to a hiearchy the West isn't used to.

Intelligence is everywhere !

And, about Mr. Thaksins' (previous) power....tell me about anyone in any government who's not in for the power...they all are, all over the world.

LaoPo

[farang prince]

Good excuse to seize Thaskins' assets - can't do it in a normal fashion, so......

If they seize Thaksin's assets based on these bombings, they better have concrete evidence or they run the risk of being accused of setting up the bombings themselves as a cover for the asset seizures. They are now approaching a very slippery slope.

Edited January 2, 2007 by farang prince

[Sing_Sling]

Newsflash: Lopburri, Tuesday, Jan. 2nd, 2007

A man sneezed in Soi 26 this morning. Thanksin's assets seized.

(Can't stand the guy, but what a flimsy excuse . . ., might as well make it even flimsier )

[JacknDanny]

You have to ask yourself if Thaksin brokered the bombings would he hire someone that makes a lousy homemade low-power bomb out of nails. Not very likely. He'd hire some foreign mercenaries and cause something major to happen, that's his style, do it big or don't do it at all. If the Royal Thai police office or the Army headquarters imploded I would be much more inclined to believe the Government's constant and instant line of "It's Thaksin and Undercurrents".

I have always got the impression that the new government and the Junta does not feel they are in control. They don't have control of the South, the North, the Northeast and big chunks of Central Thailand, although they like to give the impression they do. There would not be a need to build their "Special Force" if they felt they had control. That does not leave a lot of areas they actually do control. Possibly they have discovered that controlling parts of Bangkok and small parts of other areas, is not close to controlling all of Thailand.

Thats precisely the reason why I believe he is behind it in some way..

He is a smart guy. What you are saying is what a lot of people will think. He wanted this to create confusion and for people to start thinking maybe these new boys are upto no good. Look at what happened before with the "attempted assassination". Some numb nuts in a vehicle get caught, completely unprofessional!!

As the army chief at that time said' "If I wanted Thaksin dead he would have been dead". Same thing here, unprofessionally carried out, but enough to cause confusion and at the same time take the heat of the corruption charges.

[hammered]

A quick comment on intelligence services and terrorism. Terrorists all round the world are setting off bombs on a daily basis without the intelligence services knowing where or how it is going to happen or even who exactly orgnized it. Even the overfunded US intelligence services are quite ineffective. Of course a bombing could be organized in Bangkok wihtout the intelligence services knowing. Of course it could have been organized by the ex-PM without intelligence services knowing. That is not to say he did do it by the way.

However, around the world on a daily basis terrorist attacks do happen and of course intelligence services do not know exactly who did it but they nearly always know what vague group did it. We should expect the same here. No doubt the authorities do know the vague group that carried it out. Whether this vague group remains the one indicated but not exclusively identified in the coming days we will see as investigations progress.

At the moment, while speculation is fun it is impossible for us members of the public to know enough to state somebody did it or not although of course speculation will happen and I'm sure we all have our own ideas.

By the way, many in Thailand seem to think Mr. Thaksin's assets should have been frozen pending court cases on corruption and tax allegations to avoid removal of the money from the country. That is different from seizing his assets, and the freezing of money is quite comon practice in corruption and other lareg money criminal investigations world wide. Whether this happens now or not I dont know, but those who have argued for it believe it should have happened quite some time ago.

[JacknDanny]

Is not expensive to build a bomb . some 10k baht will do ..

possible

but is not Cheap to Buy someone to risk his or her life trying to kill another person . especially to Plant Bomb all over bangkok .

I'm sure 10k baht can't possible make this happen ..

Bomb cost maybe . but i think the manpower . will cost much much much more .

like Food , vege and rich and meat is cheap . but food is not when is done correctly .some can cost a few hundred .

Are you serios???

5K is enough to get some guy shoot another one dead. Life comes cheap over here!!

[cdnvic]

Good excuse to seize Thaskins' assets - can't do it in a normal fashion, so......

If they seize Thaksin's assets based on these bombings, they better have concrete evidence or they run the risk of being accused of setting up the bombings themselves as a cover for the asset seizures. They are now approaching a very slippery slope.

Pretty slippery already.

[John K]

At any rate I think we can comfortably call Osama Bin Thaksin by his new name now.

[lukamar]

they (government) run the risk of being accused of setting up the bombings themselves

That exact thought crossed my mind.

Someone was asking who would gain the most from these acts. If the Government/Military can hang the bombings or the perception of bombings on Thaksin and the TRT, they would become the big winners. It's also worth noting that the Military has the expertise to easily make such things, although probable 20% of the forum could as well.

[cdnvic]

At any rate I think we can comfortably call Osama Bin Thaksin by his new name now.

Based on what?

[Pakboong]

I simply can't believe some of you guys don't see what's happening here.

1. Thaksin's people apparently shoot themselves in the foot by bombing their own countrymen when they had the vast majority of public support (outside on bangkok - ok) on their side.

2. The 'authorities' quickly come to the above conclusion that it was thaksin's people.

3. The authorities now have the evidence they need to grab Thaksin's (probably very likely) ill-gotten booty - and sweep up his supporters.

4. It becomes 'clear' to the authorities that there is a need for greater security in Thailand to prevent this from happening again and further strict measures will follow. Stay tuned.

So do you 'follow'??

Finally, a poster with his brain engaged. Good post.

[pumpuiman]

Unbelievable!! This proves to me That the CNS was behind the bombings.

Fukcing secret police.....no proof....no major loss of life....only being told what to think by a military dictator.

If they pull this crap....they are gonna have real problems....not just "unrest"

[thaigene2]

Ya follow that Mitsu-Honda-Shagger?

Really is a great moniker.

[thaigene2]

I simply can't believe some of you guys don't see what's happening here.

1. Thaksin's people apparently shoot themselves in the foot by bombing their own countrymen when they had the vast majority of public support (outside on bangkok - ok) on their side.

2. The 'authorities' quickly come to the above conclusion that it was thaksin's people.

3. The authorities now have the evidence they need to grab Thaksin's (probably very likely) ill-gotten booty - and sweep up his supporters.

4. It becomes 'clear' to the authorities that there is a need for greater security in Thailand to prevent this from happening again and further strict measures will follow. Stay tuned.

So do you 'follow'??

Finally, a poster with his brain engaged. Good post.

Thanks. Who gains - who loses..simple as that.

I don't know for sure .. but it sure seems likely. It's about adding things up. Consider the arson of all those schools in North and Northeast - solid Thaksin country. But they're blaming TRT supporters. If you were fired from your job, had no friends left in that office, would you then go out and burn down your best friend's house? Talk about p+ssing on your own doorstep. Stupid allegations. Where are the news reporters' and editors' brains? Frankly though, I don't care if Thaksin gets a raw deal. He pulled more than a few fast ones in his own time too didn't he?

[pumpuiman]

A quick comment on intelligence services and terrorism. Terrorists all round the world are setting off bombs on a daily basis without the intelligence services knowing where or how it is going to happen or even who exactly orgnized it. Even the overfunded US intelligence services are quite ineffective. Of course a bombing could be organized in Bangkok wihtout the intelligence services knowing. Of course it could have been organized by the ex-PM without intelligence services knowing. That is not to say he did do it by the way.

However, around the world on a daily basis terrorist attacks do happen and of course intelligence services do not know exactly who did it but they nearly always know what vague group did it. We should expect the same here. No doubt the authorities do know the vague group that carried it out. Whether this vague group remains the one indicated but not exclusively identified in the coming days we will see as investigations progress.

At the moment, while speculation is fun it is impossible for us members of the public to know enough to state somebody did it or not although of course speculation will happen and I'm sure we all have our own ideas.

By the way, many in Thailand seem to think Mr. Thaksin's assets should have been frozen pending court cases on corruption and tax allegations to avoid removal of the money from the country. That is different from seizing his assets, and the freezing of money is quite comon practice in corruption and other lareg money criminal investigations world wide. Whether this happens now or not I dont know, but those who have argued for it believe it should have happened quite some time ago.

I think I read that "freezing" his assets was found to be illegal, due to the fact he didn't break any laws. (others may have...but his ass was covered)

[A_MIKE_U_LIKE]

Before we all turn this into a X File conspiracey Theory ..Lets not forget there is one other Alternative ..A very Sick Individual or maybe a Pair of Whacko,s Washed down to Many Yabba Pills with thier Thai Whiskey ..Inbetween Watching Bangkok Dangerous and reading a copy of the Anarchists CookBook ...Maybe a Ex Taxi Driver that Lost to much Face after he crashed his Taxi into a Army Tank not long after the Coup and just got laughed at .. Or something along these lines ??? ...I,m sorry to say its a F....d Up world we live in today and almost anything is Possible ..Personally i think People in Power or with Money on the line are seldom stupid enough to Risk it all on Quickfix Stupid actions ...But then again This is Amazing Thailand (TIT) ..Anything is possible i guess ..

..Chok Dee

[marshbags]

I know it,s Chistmas time and all that.

But................................................

If you believe Thaksin ISN,T connected in some way either directly or as a third party then you must also think Father Christmas is real.

He isn,t.

The muslims are being discredited to deflect the real culprits as time will tell so forget it.

They are conveniently used to distract the political under currents purposely started to smoke screen implicating the old govenment and their supporters for these dispicable incidents.

Once again innocent people are being used as human collatera to and try and enforce anarchy.

They should sieze ALL the money held in Thailand " Kamoy Thaksin " hasn,t earned by HONEST endeavors and let him keep what,s left.

There,s a good word for you Thaksin, " HONEST " it,s a pity it hasn,t got the true meaning you think it has, in fact it,s the opposite, you got mixed up and meant " DIS HONEST " MISTAKE, yes we know what you really meant so don,t worry.

You managed to buy support where money is GOD and unjustly got away with it.

Let him also prove that his intentions towards Thai society aren,t for self interest and if not and he genuinely cares then............................................................

Keep the F### away and begrudgingly enjoy what you have illicitly acquired, otherwise you WILL live to regret it in my humble opinion.

KARMA will catch up with you and no mistake for your actions over the last few years.

To say the present government are involved as certain posters suggest is a load of b*****ks and a joke.

marshbags

P.S.

My M.Ban was 100% Thaksin and anyone who thinks the support is still here in my patch of the N.East should have listened to the conversations about him now. ( New years eve )

You cannot fool all the people all the time and he is resented more than you would have believed.

It would certainly have enlightened you, if you think otherwise.

Their main subject by the way was the new airport and a list as long as your arm on the implications and mass corruption.

The bombings only got a few comments due to the timing and not to much detail.

Edited January 2, 2007 by marshbags

[robint]

quote

they better have concrete evidence or they run the risk of being accused of setting up the bombings themselves as a cover for the asset seizures. They are now approaching a very slippery slope.

unquote

amazing thaivisa

is the author seriously suggesting that the present coup leaders would deliberately blow up thai and foreign civilians just to gain an excuse to freeze mr T's assets?

Is this a Dr Strangelove syndrom?

but then whats stranger than the 9/11 conspiracy theory?

In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is top dog

What is very clear to all sane persons is that this horrendous crime must be solved and the perpetrators brought to justice quickly, if there is to be any faith in the current regime's competence for the future.

I see that the big mango's finest did a stirling street cleansing job after the event so that any vital forensic evidence didnt mess up the pavement (just like they summarily bulldozed tsunami bodies into hasty trenches causing untold misery to relatives. They wouldnt let Khun Poj the governments forensic expert near the scene either (suspicious?)

If there really are dirty darks forces in the plod, the government had better deal with it pdq, or as commentators pointed out above, it could get very nasty

oh dear, Chicago in the 30's, mafia mobsters, bent mayors, corrupt officials, does it all have a familiar ring

[JacknDanny]

I know it,s Chistmas time and all that.

If you believe Thaksin ISN,T connected in some way either directly or as a third party then you must also think Father Christmas is real.

The muslims are being discredited to deflect the real culprits as time will tell so forget it.

They are conveniently used to distract the political under currents purposely started to smoke screen implicating the old govenment and their supporters for these dispicable incidents.

Once again innocent people being used as human collatera.l

They should sieze ALL the money held in Thailand Kamoy Thaksin hasn,t earned by HONEST endeavors and let him keep what,s left.

There,s a good word for you Thaksin, it,s a pity it hasn,t got the true meaning you think it has, in fact it,s the opposite, you got mixed up and meant DIS HONEST MISTAKE, yes we know what you really meant so don,t worry.

Let him also prove that his intentions towards Thai society aren,t for self interest and if not and he genuinely cares then............................................................

Keep the F### away and begrudgingly enjoy what you have illicitly acquired, otherwise you WILL live to regret it in my humble opinion.

To say the present government are involved as certain posters suggest is a load of <deleted> and a joke.

marshbags

P.S.

My M.Ban was 100% Thaksin and anyone who thinks the support is still here in my patch of the N.East should have listened to the conversations about him now.

You cannot fool all the people all the time and he is resented more than you would have believed and would certainly have enlightened you.

Their main subject by the way was the new airport and a list as long as your arm on the implications and mass corruption.

The bombings only got a few comments due to the timing and not to much detail.

I agree as usual marshbags.

One interesting statement in todays Bangkok Post made by Thaksin through his "lawyer"

He denied involvement, but instead of decrying the violence or coming out with something along the lines of not wanting to see anyone injured or killed.........He came out with a revealing statement, one which all you doubters should look at and understand where Thaksin is coming from. I cannot reveal it verbatum but it went along the lines of...." why would I do something like that when I was elected by the majority of people in Thailand to form their Government"

In other words he is once again stirring the pot up. He is out of sight but not out of mind. He is pulling strings behind the scenes and I really do fear the worst. Thaksin will not give up. I think the best thing they can do is let him come back to Thailand and let nature run its course. I would give him 48hrs before a bullet ended his existence

[Nam Plah]

What is suspicious about the entire scenario is:

The rapidity of pointing the finger of blame and freezing assets of Thaksin without proof.

The low-yield and rudimentary nature of the devices. (designed to cause panic, terror and awareness but not ultimately to wreak major casualties or destruction of vital infrastructure)

The (posted elsewhere) announcement that the current Gov had indications that there were going to be some type of disruption of the New Year's events (even knowing that there would be b*mbs) and yet not a single party has taken responsibility or announced its intentions, demands or message.

The destruction and obfuscation of vital forensic evidence during a criminal investigation.

The lack of any call for public support to assist in the gathering of information via an anonymous tip hotline or reward allowance for solving the crimes.

If I were Oliver Stone I might say that there is a conspiracy afoot.

Else it was just some hooligan's idea of a deadly prank.