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To date, Google lists 117 news articles reported by the media all around the world, it does not look like it is stopping there yet.

Please see:

http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&ned=au&ie=UTF-8&ncl=http://www.rfa.org/english/burmese/2006/11/03/burma_wedding

That’s one way of looking at it, Andrew, however another take on it could be that they are genuinely worried for their own lives because the know how ruthless Thaksin can be (see the discussion of the ‘war on drugs’ extra judicial killings in another thread).

You must know that superstition prevails in Thailand.

Now.. what about this fortune teller (in Thai):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmRR-hvLpJI

Thaksin had no cause to cause the death of thousands of villagers suspected of ya ba trafficking. It was madness.

Thaksin clearly deserve to be judicially prosecuted for this particular abuse of the constitutional rule of law . . as a murderer.

Reveal the truth of the death of a democratic hero

Reveal the truth of the death of a democratic hero (Mr. Nuamtong Priwan, the taxi driver who killed himself in protesting for democracy)

By: a friend of Mr. Nuamtong

At the end of September, Mr. Nuamtong drove his taxi and slammed it into a tank. He got injured and was admitted to Wachira Hospital. Two days after this incident I went to visit him, he said he had never agreed with military coups that occurred in Thailand. He said it was his determination since the October 14, October 6, and the black May incidents to defiant military coups. He believed that military coups brought the country to a vicious circle that had never ended since 1932. He was not hired or brain washed by anyone. He did not do it for Mr. Thaksin.

In fact he wanted himself to be killed in the incident, but he was not. His body was badly injured but his heart was hurt even worse. I asked him that did he not worry about his wife and his children. He answered that his wife and his children could support themselves, so he did not worry about them as much as he worried about the country when its democracy was robbed. I asked him had any public figures came to visit him at the hospital. He said there were Dr. Weng, Khru Prateep, and a lawyer. I asked him about his ruined taxi, how he would pay for it. He said the owner of the taxi said he could wait until he is fine again then he could come back to work and slowly pay back for the cost of the smashed taxi. I asked him “why do you have to risk yourself in this manner? The soldier will say you are a stupid man. People would not remember your story for longer than one day. After that all of them would forget about you and you would die for nothing.” He said he did not seek for fame and he did not want anyone to recognize his action. All he wanted was the soldiers to know that there were people out there who did not agree with the coup. He was willing to sacrifice his life for it. He said he was an honorable man who could died for the right course, unlike the soldiers who lied to the public that they would never stage the coup again, yet they did it.

He told me that he would do something about this again after his recovery. He would like to do it in October, since October was a cursed month (It was in September while I talked to him–he planed to do it before he knew about November 1, gathering). I told him not to kill himself and not to spend a lot of money. I told him he was one of very few people among 65 millions people of Thailand that deserved my respect. He deserved respect much more than those wicked generals who tear off our constitution. He did not say anything and I came out of his room.

After that I telephoned him often to ask about his physical and mental health. I especially called him on October 6 and 14, since I worried that he would do something dangerous to himself like he had said. He told me he still had his plan but something turned up and he was not able to carry it out. I begged him not to kill himself.

Yesterday (October 31), I was away and forgot my mobile phone at home. I came back home around 1800 hr and my wife told me that she received a number of calls from someone who would not say who he was from a public telephone booth near democracy monument. At that moment my mobile phone rang, and it was Mr. Nuam who called and said he was about to kill himself. I cried and begged him not to do it. I asked him where he was and I would pick him up. I said if he climbed onto the monument and jumped down, the soldier would pour liquor onto his body and said he was a dead drunk man who loosed his mind. His death would be a waste. He still insisted he would do it, therefore I faked a story to tell him. I said I heard from an internet web site that Gen. Prem and Gen. Sonthi would back off soon. Tomorrow (Nov 1) I would bring him to Sanam Luang to join the anti-coup protest. His voice changed. He sounded more relax. I told him to come back home, since his wife and his children were waiting. He hung up the phone.

After that I talked to his wife on the phone. I told her about what I had talked to Mr. Nuamtong earlier. His wife told me Mr. Nuamtong had left since in the early morning, said that he would go to see a doctor. After his family had learned about the conversation I had with him, they cried. Everyone in his family knew that Mr. Nuamtong was a strong-minded person. They believed he would finally kill himself for what he believed was right. I told them I had calmed him down and tomorrow I would go to his house to pick him up and we would go to the demonstration together.

Around 2200 hr, I called his wife again asked about Mr. Nuamtong. His wife said he was not back yet but said he would walk around in a shopping mall to relax himself then he would return home. I was suspicious since at that time it was very late and all of the shopping mall was closed.

The next morning, around 0800 hr, I called his wife again. His children were on the phone with me. They asked me who I was. I told them I was Mr. Nuamtong friend. His children said their mother was crying since they had heard that their father had died. I murmured I was so sorry and I hung up the phone. I searched for the news and I found the news of his death from the Manager website.

I would like to send my condolences to Mr. Nuamtong family. He is the real democratic hero.

P.S.

1. I was not a member of Thai rak Thai party, but I used to be involved in the October 14 and 6 event, and almost got myself killed in the incidents.

2. I did not fabricate this story. I call for the Manager website to erase any comments that falsely accusing this real hero as a stupid man who received money and brain washed from Mr. Thaksin. The Manager website also should erase the comments that accusing Mr. Nuamtong for killing himself because he wanted the donated money for his poor family. They also speculated that he was killed by the leader of the Nov 1, protest in order to make the protest more colorful. I cannot understand the people who made these kinds of comments. Why the writers are so hostile? Do they have no sympathy at all in their hearts? Please do not causes any more grieves to his family. They went through a lot already. We Thai people are also grieving with Mr. Nuamtong Priwan family and we will remember this democratic hero for ever.

There’s this red card, yellow card thing that disqualified MPs. I don’t really follow it but I think a number of MPs get into trouble with this.. maybe you should start from there as well.

I am directing this question to Bangkok Pundit.

Pundit . . after reading everything above (there are gruesome reports about the extrajudicials by merely googling) about Thaksin’s extrajudicial murderous rampage in Y2003, can you even begin to justify this patently despicable man Thaksin Shinawatra ever even leading Thailand again?

And on a purely personal judgement Pundit (forget whether or not the junta or PM Surayud’s government will prosecute Thaksin for the extrajudicials), do you or do you not believe that Thaksin violated the rule of law, Thaksin MURDERED, and he deserved to be jailed for the senseless extrajudicial slaughter of thousands of villagers?

Patiwat, jeru, James Haughton, nganadeeleg, et al are welcome to submit their judgement of Thaksin Shinawatra on the extrajudicial murders.