pywong
19th November 2008, 09:49 AM
1. Thaksin to announce his return
2. Thaksin issues ultimatum through divorce tactic
The Nation Thailang
Published on November 19, 2008
Thaksin to announce his return
By Somroutai Sapsomboon,
Naya Jaikawang
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will announce his return to
Thai politics next month during another mobile TV talk show before his
red-shirted supporters at the National Stadium, People Power Party MP
Jatuporn Promphan said.
Thaksin will challenge his political enemies for an eye-for-an-eye
fight because he is no longer going to sit still, he added.
"Thaksin will announce on December 14 that he will return to politics
to fight and to defend his name. He will no longer stand still. He has
decided to come out to fight as he no longer wants to be attacked and
cornered any more," Jatuporn said in an exclusive interview with The
Nation.
"Thaksin will no longer wait to be attacked, he will fight back by all
means, particularly with an eye-for-an-eye strategy, from now on.
Thaksin now believes that the only way for him to survive and to live
is to fight for his name," Jatuporn said.
The announcement will be made in the Kwamjing Wannee Sanjon (Mobile
Truth Today) to be held in Supachalasai National Stadium on December
14.
The programme was rescheduled from December 10 after the organisers
learnt that the stadium is scheduled to host an Asean football
competition on December 9-10.
Before going for a decisive political war, Thaksin has settled his
family affair and worked on a strategy to boost up his international
image after the UK government dealt him a big political blow by
denying his visa. He has divorced his wife Khunying Pojaman and set up
a foundation to build up regional leadership.
The Building a Better Future Foundation, www.BuildingBetterFuture.org,
has been hastily put together, with offices in Hong Kong and Dubai.
Its objective is to address the financial, economic and social
development in the developing nations, but it is seen as Thaksin's
attempt to win back his international image tarnished by the UK
government's denial of his visa.
Jatuporn also said the main reason Thaksin divorced his wife, Khunying
Pojamarn, was because he had decided to return to politics.
"Thaksin and his wife had decided earlier, after the coup d'etat in
2006, that they would separate if he decided to return to politics. It
is a promise between them. So they have decided to part from each
other now that Thaksin will return to politics," he said.
"However, their divorce does not mean that they are no longer in
love," Jatuporn said.
Surasith Jiamvichak, a Chiang Rai MP of the People Power Party, said
Thaksin's new foundation is not politically motivated.
"Thaksin is a man of action. He can't sit still and do nothing. He
would like to contribute to the global society," he said.
"Whatever he does is subject to criticism. In a way, this can't be
helped because Thaksin is really an international person."
He added: "It would be good for Thailand if Thaksin can return home
because the country needs a capable person like him. There is a
possibility that Thaksin will become prime minister again."
Thepthai Senphong of the Democrat Party expressed his concern that
Thai politics might escalate into violence after His Majesty the
King's Birthday in December. "They are adding wood to fire so that the
country plunges into the deepest crisis," he said.
The only one word from Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat about
Thaksin's planned phone-in was "I don't know". Although reporters
tried to ask more questions about this issue, the prime minister, who
is Thaksin's brother-in-law, said nothing.
+++++++
STOPPAGE TIME
2. Thaksin issues ultimatum through divorce tactic
By Tulsathit Taptim
The Nation
Published on November 19, 2008
Last week this column mentioned that it would take James Bond or Jason
Bourne to keep abreast of what Thaksin Shinawatra is up to. That was
quickly proven to be an understatement. Our real-life democracy hero,
an increasingly hopeless fugitive with fewer places to hide, walked
undisguised into the Thai consulate in Hong Kong, signed divorce
papers, sipped a couple of cups of Chinese tea, then walked out and
disappeared into the sunset.
Beat that James and Jason. And, may I add, Ethan Hunt from "Mission
Impossible". Thaksin did this without an invisible car, a
super-computer, or a perfectly real mask that comes with an imitation
voice. He just walked in there with his wife and told awe-struck
officials, "We want a divorce, please."
You have to feel for those guys. Of course, scepticism is getting
louder after the two fugitive guests nonchalantly set foot on what is
effectively Thai sovereign soil, amid worldwide talk about their
arrest warrants, extradition proceedings and visa cancellation.
Surely, the embassy officials must have had courses on international
law, bilateral treaties and diplomatic etiquette and so on. In their
defence, though, the officials may not have read any of those papers
lately.
You would expect Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to at least pretend
to be concerned by the ease with which the fugitive couple popped into
- and out of - the Thai Consulate. However, "I don't know that. It's a
private matter" was the best he could offer publicly. The Thai Foreign
Ministry outdid him with its deafening silence.
So much for "political persecution".
Imagine Aung San Suu Kyi entering a Burmese Embassy somewhere
overseas, two weeks after being convicted of fraud and five days after
addressing a 100,000-strong crowd in Rangoon via satellite, and saying
to officials, "I want to change my name to make it a bit harder to
trace my financial activities, please."
Having ripped apart textbooks on democracy, human rights, law and
equality, and sovereign rights, Thaksin has written new ones on press
freedom. His half-page ad in The Financial Times this week, a few days
after the UK effectively made him persona non grata, defied all the
rules and gave London a good slap in the face.
The ad seeks to recruit the world's best brains to help him create a
foundation to serve as an international think tank to maximise Asia's
potential and prospects, and thus build a better world. Question is,
why did the UK throw out such an angel and lock the door?
As for the prestigious Financial Times, its future editorials on
Thaksin will be interesting. That the ad appeared on the same page as
news stories on Thailand (one on the political crisis and the other on
the princess's funeral) can be presumed a coincidence, however.
Get ready for the "Building a Better Future Foundation" to hold an
international conference in Manchester, with Thaksin addressing the
participants via satellite from a beach somewhere in Africa. Another
possibility is a workshop in Liverpool on subjects like "Taxation,
Nominees and Corporate Ethics". Well, the Brits can't say we didn't
warn them.
For Thailand, some of today's local headlines will aggravate the pain
of learning his noble, global purpose. Thaksin is reportedly set to
declare an all-out war on his enemies in the country, so we can kiss
any lingering hope for a "better future" goodbye. He is hell-bent on
revenge, sources say, and not even a veto from his think tank in the
foundation can stop that.
His opponents are in a dilemma. One school of thought proposes a
back-to-basics solution, a compromise. Give Thaksin part of what he
wants - some money and some dignity. The other school says, "Look at
what he has done 'without' the money; God help Thailand if he's armed
with Bt40 billion."
So, all signs point to new turbulence. It doesn't matter whether the
couple decided to separate because, a) they want to make it easier to
reclaim the frozen assets, or b) Pojaman Shinawatra is through with
his political obsession, or c) Thaksin wants to protect her. All three
possible motives carry the same underlying message: the man is going
for broke.
And the message has been conveyed from the Thai Consulate in Hong Kong
in the most defiant manner. It reminds us of Jason Bourne when he
sneaked into the CIA and used a house phone to call those who were
hunting him. The only difference is, Bourne was trying to rediscover
his true identity, whereas Thaksin is fast losing his.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/
2. Thaksin issues ultimatum through divorce tactic
The Nation Thailang
Published on November 19, 2008
Thaksin to announce his return
By Somroutai Sapsomboon,
Naya Jaikawang
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will announce his return to
Thai politics next month during another mobile TV talk show before his
red-shirted supporters at the National Stadium, People Power Party MP
Jatuporn Promphan said.
Thaksin will challenge his political enemies for an eye-for-an-eye
fight because he is no longer going to sit still, he added.
"Thaksin will announce on December 14 that he will return to politics
to fight and to defend his name. He will no longer stand still. He has
decided to come out to fight as he no longer wants to be attacked and
cornered any more," Jatuporn said in an exclusive interview with The
Nation.
"Thaksin will no longer wait to be attacked, he will fight back by all
means, particularly with an eye-for-an-eye strategy, from now on.
Thaksin now believes that the only way for him to survive and to live
is to fight for his name," Jatuporn said.
The announcement will be made in the Kwamjing Wannee Sanjon (Mobile
Truth Today) to be held in Supachalasai National Stadium on December
14.
The programme was rescheduled from December 10 after the organisers
learnt that the stadium is scheduled to host an Asean football
competition on December 9-10.
Before going for a decisive political war, Thaksin has settled his
family affair and worked on a strategy to boost up his international
image after the UK government dealt him a big political blow by
denying his visa. He has divorced his wife Khunying Pojaman and set up
a foundation to build up regional leadership.
The Building a Better Future Foundation, www.BuildingBetterFuture.org,
has been hastily put together, with offices in Hong Kong and Dubai.
Its objective is to address the financial, economic and social
development in the developing nations, but it is seen as Thaksin's
attempt to win back his international image tarnished by the UK
government's denial of his visa.
Jatuporn also said the main reason Thaksin divorced his wife, Khunying
Pojamarn, was because he had decided to return to politics.
"Thaksin and his wife had decided earlier, after the coup d'etat in
2006, that they would separate if he decided to return to politics. It
is a promise between them. So they have decided to part from each
other now that Thaksin will return to politics," he said.
"However, their divorce does not mean that they are no longer in
love," Jatuporn said.
Surasith Jiamvichak, a Chiang Rai MP of the People Power Party, said
Thaksin's new foundation is not politically motivated.
"Thaksin is a man of action. He can't sit still and do nothing. He
would like to contribute to the global society," he said.
"Whatever he does is subject to criticism. In a way, this can't be
helped because Thaksin is really an international person."
He added: "It would be good for Thailand if Thaksin can return home
because the country needs a capable person like him. There is a
possibility that Thaksin will become prime minister again."
Thepthai Senphong of the Democrat Party expressed his concern that
Thai politics might escalate into violence after His Majesty the
King's Birthday in December. "They are adding wood to fire so that the
country plunges into the deepest crisis," he said.
The only one word from Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat about
Thaksin's planned phone-in was "I don't know". Although reporters
tried to ask more questions about this issue, the prime minister, who
is Thaksin's brother-in-law, said nothing.
+++++++
STOPPAGE TIME
2. Thaksin issues ultimatum through divorce tactic
By Tulsathit Taptim
The Nation
Published on November 19, 2008
Last week this column mentioned that it would take James Bond or Jason
Bourne to keep abreast of what Thaksin Shinawatra is up to. That was
quickly proven to be an understatement. Our real-life democracy hero,
an increasingly hopeless fugitive with fewer places to hide, walked
undisguised into the Thai consulate in Hong Kong, signed divorce
papers, sipped a couple of cups of Chinese tea, then walked out and
disappeared into the sunset.
Beat that James and Jason. And, may I add, Ethan Hunt from "Mission
Impossible". Thaksin did this without an invisible car, a
super-computer, or a perfectly real mask that comes with an imitation
voice. He just walked in there with his wife and told awe-struck
officials, "We want a divorce, please."
You have to feel for those guys. Of course, scepticism is getting
louder after the two fugitive guests nonchalantly set foot on what is
effectively Thai sovereign soil, amid worldwide talk about their
arrest warrants, extradition proceedings and visa cancellation.
Surely, the embassy officials must have had courses on international
law, bilateral treaties and diplomatic etiquette and so on. In their
defence, though, the officials may not have read any of those papers
lately.
You would expect Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to at least pretend
to be concerned by the ease with which the fugitive couple popped into
- and out of - the Thai Consulate. However, "I don't know that. It's a
private matter" was the best he could offer publicly. The Thai Foreign
Ministry outdid him with its deafening silence.
So much for "political persecution".
Imagine Aung San Suu Kyi entering a Burmese Embassy somewhere
overseas, two weeks after being convicted of fraud and five days after
addressing a 100,000-strong crowd in Rangoon via satellite, and saying
to officials, "I want to change my name to make it a bit harder to
trace my financial activities, please."
Having ripped apart textbooks on democracy, human rights, law and
equality, and sovereign rights, Thaksin has written new ones on press
freedom. His half-page ad in The Financial Times this week, a few days
after the UK effectively made him persona non grata, defied all the
rules and gave London a good slap in the face.
The ad seeks to recruit the world's best brains to help him create a
foundation to serve as an international think tank to maximise Asia's
potential and prospects, and thus build a better world. Question is,
why did the UK throw out such an angel and lock the door?
As for the prestigious Financial Times, its future editorials on
Thaksin will be interesting. That the ad appeared on the same page as
news stories on Thailand (one on the political crisis and the other on
the princess's funeral) can be presumed a coincidence, however.
Get ready for the "Building a Better Future Foundation" to hold an
international conference in Manchester, with Thaksin addressing the
participants via satellite from a beach somewhere in Africa. Another
possibility is a workshop in Liverpool on subjects like "Taxation,
Nominees and Corporate Ethics". Well, the Brits can't say we didn't
warn them.
For Thailand, some of today's local headlines will aggravate the pain
of learning his noble, global purpose. Thaksin is reportedly set to
declare an all-out war on his enemies in the country, so we can kiss
any lingering hope for a "better future" goodbye. He is hell-bent on
revenge, sources say, and not even a veto from his think tank in the
foundation can stop that.
His opponents are in a dilemma. One school of thought proposes a
back-to-basics solution, a compromise. Give Thaksin part of what he
wants - some money and some dignity. The other school says, "Look at
what he has done 'without' the money; God help Thailand if he's armed
with Bt40 billion."
So, all signs point to new turbulence. It doesn't matter whether the
couple decided to separate because, a) they want to make it easier to
reclaim the frozen assets, or b) Pojaman Shinawatra is through with
his political obsession, or c) Thaksin wants to protect her. All three
possible motives carry the same underlying message: the man is going
for broke.
And the message has been conveyed from the Thai Consulate in Hong Kong
in the most defiant manner. It reminds us of Jason Bourne when he
sneaked into the CIA and used a house phone to call those who were
hunting him. The only difference is, Bourne was trying to rediscover
his true identity, whereas Thaksin is fast losing his.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/