Facebook 
Twitter 
Soundcloud 
Youtube 
Rss 
Thaksin’s interview is a violation of the monarchy, which is the country’s core pillar and a highly respected institution. It is unacceptable and should have never taken place…Thaksin has also chosen to make a move when the entire nation is joining in wishing His Majesty the King a full recovery and good health. I wonder if he has a hidden agenda or is plotting an inappropriate move.
– Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya quoted in “Govt blasts Thaksin’s interview”, Bangkok Post, 10 November 2009.
Kasit supported Thaksin when he’s in power and turned against him when he’s ousted. Kasit also led the yellow shirted mob to seize the international and domestic airports. Aphisit dodged the draft, yet he’s declaring hostility against Cambodia. Majority of Thais did not choose these two persons. Thais have no channels to voice the concerns that affected their lives. Thais can’t we talk openly about the institution that involves with public affairs. We all know that where there’s an oppression, there’s a struggle against that. Kasit and Aphisit have been causing conflicts both inside Thailand and neighboring countries. Why do we continue to allow Kasit and Aphisit to manipulate the situation?
0
0
What the heck is Kasit talking about? I read The Times interview transcript in full and can find no insulting comments about the monarchy. Is there something there “in code” that only the Thais can understand? The Bangkok Post has an online poll in which something like 72% have voted that Thaksin has betrayed his country by becoming an economic adviser to Cambodia. Exactly why is this not allowed? This kind of stirring up of nationalist sentiment scares me, as it appears this “get Thaksin at any cost” beating of the drums will only lead to more looney behavior and possibly more hostilities with Cambodia. I don’t see any willingness on either side to back down, except for PTT with their 50% ownership in the Cambodian petrol distribution network!
0
0
Thaksin’s comments in his interview were [in this reader’s view] accurate, honest and well directed against certain mischief makers around the Palace. Abhisit did not like this because it is precisely these hands, together with the army, who aided Abhisit illegitimately to power…
0
0
When Kasit held post as ambassador, he asked for Thaksin’s money. He wanted to be chosen as the Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affair Ministry, but Thaksin found that Kasit was not qualified as he’s too aggressive and lack of diplomatic characteristics. So Thaksin appointed the current one.
Kasit began joining the PAD rally, and vowed to hunt down Thaksin.
He’s done nothing to improve the relationship to Thailand’s neighbors, only causes the dispute especially to Cambodia and Burma.
I agree Jim Taylor’s comment. Thaksin was right about the old palace elite needs reformed.
0
0
This is typical Thai, scared to lose face, when in fact this interview should be translated and discussed by all Thais. It’s too far and long that the Frangs post comments into what they have no knowledge about, nor do they understand that there is a silent of the people who does not agree with Thaksin nor the way this country is being run by the present situation. Western press are not on the ground here, they come here to vacation and write about places like Myanmar, where there is the real news, where the voice of the oppress is not heard. So, when they have an interview with the fugitive ex-prime minister, it is presented without the real understanding of the context, which us real Thais are living in. To comment on the other comments, firstly its ignorant to make such comments on the Foreign Minister, about his hypocrisy, since Thaksin himself came into power by the manipulations of the same council of people (and military and businessmen who are one and the same, often) he is now fighting against. Apisit did not come in to power by election, but he is an elected member of the parliament, his raise to Govern was based on the defection of parlimentary members of the ruling party, which at that time was in disarray and destabilizing for the country. The Democrats party (which were elected as well into the Parliament, by Thai voters, as well) made a parliamentary and political maneuver by seizing the members who then formed another political party and using the rules of Parliament to gain majority. When people make comments about how this government is illegitimate, they are either deeply ignorant of the parlimentary rules nor have they ever read the constitution. It does not make this government more or less legitimate. The idea of the army manipulating this country is not ridiculous but laughable, since half of the men in politics are from the military, so stop crying about the military this and the military that, we are not living in Cambodia nor Myanmmar nor Singapore for that matter where there is not even a seat (seed) in parliament for the idea of an opposition. As for Thaksin, he is on the move as one can read between the lines, and that is if you know where the lines are to be read, so Farangs are excluded from this reading. His constant denials about how he wants to prepare the country towards a Republic, are inconsistent between words and actions. His mention of a ‘fail state’ is precisely an instant of such an example, look around ourselves those of us who are not sitting in Dubai or London or Phanom Penn for that matter, that Thailand should become a ‘fail state’! Fear eats the soul, and Thaksin is with every ounce of any dignity he has is trying to instill fear into us, fellow Thais. Being the smart and cunning man as Thaksin is, he is also putting fear into anyone or any body willing to listen and go along. His (Thaksin) speech and commentaries about lost of investment or lost of shine to this country has no basis, and is a manipulation towards his own means, never do I feel an ounce of his sweat for this country.
“Thailand is near to being a ‘failed state’. Because every institution almost cannot function because you don’t allow the rules of the game to take their course. You don’t allow the rule of law to prevail and you are biased against others. You don’t shine before the whole world. You just want to control power regardless. That’s why I’m saying Thailand has almost become a failed state, because no one trusts each other.”
The you Thaksin mentions in this statement, pretty much applies to how one feels when he was the Prime Minister, for a lot of the population. Thaksin’s rules of the game was and still is for SHIN Corp. not the people of the grassroots not for democracy. The shine before the world was the shameful purchase of a Premiership football team which he was manipulating financially and propagandistically. The ‘you’ Thaksin is talking about is himself!
The capital gains tax laws which exempt revenue on capital gains was put into law by Thaksin Shinawatra’s government, again it is the rules of his game. To say that he didn’t understand the culture of Thai politics is laughable, since he himself from the very beginning of his political career has manipulate every root and branch of the institutions, so he can now sit back and claim that we can not trust the institutions, we can not trust the government, we can not trust our system of Monarchy!
“Its the jealousy of the elite.” Yet everything Thaksin did in his time in power was to build up the Elite, there was Elite for everyone from everywhere who can pay to buy into the Elite Shinawatra Company, he never offered it to the grassroots or for that fact to any Thai’s. He is the Elite, he speaks of millions in his wealth and his existence and then he blames the Elite for taking him down? Like people in their position of power they can not see the end of their own nose and how the lies hang on it!
0
0
Arthit and Jim agree with Thaksin’s comments about “mischief makers” around the palace but now Thaksin himself is saying that he doesn’t agree with these remarks which he claims were made up by Lloyd Parry. So what is his view on the monarchy? Did Lloyd Parry also invent his remarks about his enduring loyalty to the institution and his interest in sacrificing the lives of his family members for it? He seems to have got himself into a bit of a muddle.
Rirkrit, Thaksin didn’t introduce the waiver on capital gains tax on gains from listed securities. That was in existence long before Thaksin entered politics. What he did do was to create a fake transaction selling the shares from Ample Rich to his children at a nominal price, so that they could then sell the shares to Temasek the next day at the full transaction price. Since Ample Rich was a British Virgin Islands company and BVI companies are not covered by the waiver from Thai capital gains but Thai individual investors are, this was a deliberate attempt to evade capital gains tax. It is not often referred to because few people understand the complexities of Thailand’s tax laws and double tax treaties. It is simpler but inaccurate to complain that Thaksin evaded capital gains tax on the entire transaction. Nevertheless, the amount of tax he evaded in the Ample Rich transaction was still very material and not exactly a shining example from a sitting prime minister. He has also never properly clarified how he came to have the funds overseas in the Ample Rich account in the first place or all the other funds he seems to have overseas.
In addition, Thaksin increased the foreign ownership limit in the Telecoms Act from 40% to 49% a couple of days before the sale of Shin Corp to accomodate Temasek’s need for maximum legitimate foreign ownership. He also aided and abetted holding of shares in excess of 49% by Temasek through nominees in contravention of the Act by knowingly selling the shares to the nominees. Personally I think the foreign ownership limits in the Foreign Business Act and other laws stink of protectionism and do great damage to the competitiveness of the Thai economy. If Thaksin also disagreed with the laws that prohibit majority foreign ownership, as prime minister, he was in a position to reform them for the benefit of all. Instead, he just chose to bend the rules for his own personal enrichment.
Alas, Rirkrit, you have probably realized that most of the farang readers of NM have bought into the romantic notion of Thaksin as a latter day Robin Hood and champion of democracy that he has sold them and are willing to overlook all of his blatant corruption and thievery along with the thousands of murders he presided over.
0
0
[…] Thaksin (although we suspect a hoax on this one for the Not the Nation tone) but see here as well, Kasit Piromya on the same interview, and the prince. Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)New: Democrats, Thaksin and the […]
0
0
It seems Thaksin has now admitted he made a mistsake by answering a question and forgetting something. Quite how any Thai person would have forgotten that is questionable especially one so heavily involved in politics but hey ho here we go.
0
0
By Portman – in response to Rirkrit
“Thaksin didn’t introduce the waiver on capital gains tax on gains from listed securities. That was in existence long before Thaksin entered politics.”
This represents the whole problem with Thai “intellectuals”, particularly those aligned with the PAD / Democrats. Tell a blatant lie to augment their arguments and hopes no one will notice. Thought they have been getting away with this and other outright lies – in bangkok Post / Nation etc, there’s no getting away with it here – thank goodness.
A lie is a lie Rirkrit, no matter how eloquently put.
0
0
Portman says: “Alas, Rirkrit, you have probably realized that most of the farang readers of NM have bought into the romantic notion of Thaksin as a latter day Robin Hood and champion of democracy that he has sold them and are willing to overlook all of his blatant corruption and thievery along with the thousands of murders he presided over.” How do you work this out? Most? Really? You’d have to be reading with one eye closed to imagine this.
0
0
Re comments by Portman and Rirkrit that most farang readers of NM have bought into romantic notions of Thaksin or are ignorant about how most Thais feel.
I didn’t like Thaksin when he was in power and I still don’t like him. I have friends who knew innocent people who died during his campaign of extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs. I and many Thais close to me were very offended by his blatant abuse of power to avoid capital gains taxes in the Shin Corp sale.
It is just that I have come to believe that the PAD, the Democrats, the Royalists, the ‘King Taksin’ thugs, and especially the MICT under the current administration are as bad if not worse than the TRT when they were in power. Thaksin as PM was no saint and displayed some very Machiavellian tendencies, but at least he got the 30 baht plan and OTOP going. What have the Democrats done for the rural poor?
Abisit talks to talk but doesn’t walk the walk. Setting the Rohingya boat refugees adrift at sea happened during his watch, remember? He currently opposes an autonomous region for Pattani for no good reason. Now we have this more or less constant (and idiotic) drumbeat for war with Cambodia. Perhaps the most egregious sin of the Democrats and the PAD is that they want to disenfrancise the Isaan voters on the grounds that they are just too ignorant to vote for the right candidates! I groan whenever I read the propagandist headlines in the Bangkok Post these days, and I have stopped reading The Nation altogether. It looks like events are headed for some kind of a show down, and in these types of situations just one miscalculation can get a lot of folks killed.
0
0
I apologize my overly dramatic concerning Thaksin and tax laws, it is correct at Portman wrote in correction of my comment. How ever, his attempt at putting the “Economic Zone Act” of 2005, ( Please read these two articles for clarification, http://www.asialaw.com/Article/1971350/Search/Results/Taxing-Times-for-Thailand-over-Capital-Gains-Loophole.html?Keywords=Tax+law+reforms; http://www.nationmultimedia.com/Election2005/news/news.php?news=02/03020504.htm) which many protested against was more or less what I deemed Thaksin policy which seeks to influence the rules of the laws towards self gain.
I used the term “Farang”, as an effect, to demand my ground the ground which myself as a Thai person stood, and that “Others” are others, outsiders. It is a right and a privilege position to be in the position to speak, but to speak for others, its problematic for me to see and hear.
I am not PDA nor Democrat (as in the party) which HC seems to have a disdain for, and you are correct to bring up the lie on lies, issue. I am not here to present a white paper on Thaksin’s misdeeds as a Prime Minister. As a person who grew up in this society, in this culture, I can see and smell “self-interest” which often comes a long with corruption, from miles away. That goes equally to PADs, Democrats to red white and blue and green and kaki, but we are Thai’s and we will have to fight it out. You can sit on the side and complain about how this (Thai) society, this culture, this Government or the Monarchy, but you are as I have said a Farang.
I agree that Nationalism from either side of the dividing line is unacceptable, and as manipulative as going to have a photo-op. with Hun-Sen. The current situation in Thai politics is untennable, but we have been in a snake eating it own tail, since the word Constitutional Monarchy came to being, (further read, http://journals.cambridge.org/download.php?file=%2FJJP%2FJJP7_02%2FS1468109906002246a.pdf&code=ae3541ca19bb124a3d961c531b3262e2) but this is the turning point of this country, weather we go forward with some ground rules which we abide by or we are just going to constantly change the game to suit our power structure to be enriched on the backs of people who work everyday in the sun! Apisit may be ineffectual and as Arthurson says not walk the walk or talk the talk, but one can see that its a tight rope he is on, and I would give him his credit for trying to (this is my opinion, based on my observations… I am sure you will debate this out) keep by the rules and stick to what ever shaky ground there is. But in the end, an election will be called, and now that the PAD fraction has entered itself in to a legitimate arena ( I also thinks a (self proclaimed) Socialist like Ji Ungpakorn, should also enter into this arena, instead of mouthing off on the sideline all air and no action!), we will have to wait and see. But as much as I don’t believe in the way Thaksin or perhaps any number of Thai politicians, run and conduct the affairs of this country, I know that I have my vote to cast and it is just the one. I will accept the outcome of the election, and always have, and I will criticizes what I see and find to be of ill judgement, of injustices and of corruption, I will do what I can as a voice in this society. I will accept the successes of governments I don’t not agree with if it is for the majority of the people, but I will condemn to hell anyone who seeks to take advantage of those who are not in position of power and exploit their innocence, their gullibility, nor their poverty.
0
0
Ralph, I think Portman was being ironic with his last paragraph in #6.
Arthurson, I’m with you. Hated Thaksin, hating the alternative more. Would take an elected populist autocrat over elitist royalist religious demagoguery, barely. You lose the free press either way, might as well help the economy.
0
0
We will know by the end of tomorrow – Sunday November 15th, a lot of things, but especially :
Whether Thaksin has made a major miscalculation – or his opponents have.
I’m not expecting Sunday’s PAD rally to end in anything other than a major bloodbath – likely there will be too many agent provocateurs stirring trouble, to prevent that.
And apparently Abhisit has only been able to muster 450 police to control an expected crowd of 30,000 !!
0
0
HC
tell a lie and hope nobody will notice is hardly something the Dems/PAD have a lock on. The red/UDD/PTP side are quite adept at that game too.
On other stuff
I dont buy into the I dont like Thaksin and only side with him because the other side is worse arguiment. Nobody is forcing anyone to take sides. It is a perfectly reasonable position to condemn both.
For those arguing that at least Thaksin got this or that done. He also had a lot ofpeople killed. Mussolini made the trains run on time…..
As for Sunday I doubt the PAD will get more than 10,000 or not many more.
0
0
Response to rirkrit
First of, an executive branch making a law to benefit whoever, as long as it is conforms with certain unwritten, universal principles of fairness, morality, and justice that transcend human legal systems, it does not considering as influence “rule of law”, the extreme example of this should be “legal to kill” or “retrospective act”.
Moreover, you said “self-interest” and corrupting are linked, although it can be temp to be use on the same ground, but in reality it is base totally on a different level, for example, a government can reduce VAT from 7% to 1%, this will surely a benefit to the whole of Thailand, and of cause, to those that propose it, but that is also can be considered as “self interest” as well.
You said you will respect the vote outcome, I hope you didnt agree with the coup we had in 2006.
0
0
Glad to see I’ve been proved wrong about last Sunday’s PAD rally : no boodbath, only a bombing, bad enough as that is.
Congratulations Thais – for keeping your composure and cool.
0
0
Nobody #16: ” Nobody is forcing anyone to take sides. It is a perfectly reasonable position to condemn both.”
I don’t support either side, but recent observations lead me to believe that it’s a bit of a mistake to take the position of condemning both, at this stage. I think a lot of former Yellow supporters are disenchanted with their leadership’s violent rhetoric (as seen on Sunday), and a lot of Reds are not pro-Thaksin, and they’re absolutely not anti-HMK.
As one of my friends, who came out as Red-but-anti-Thaksin recently said, ” the only way to get democracy going is to DO it. Stop the fighting & the rhetoric, stop expecting to be given it, drop Thaksin, & just do it.”
0
0