Power to the people; will Thais take to the street?

[dr dave soul monsta]

[ the Nation]

POLITICAL TENSION: Keep the King out of rows: Surayud
Published on November 29, 2005

Monarchy should not be a part of political disputes: privy councillor. General Surayud Chulanont, a member of the Privy Council, called yesterday for people in-volved in political disputes to stop referring to His Majesty the King to win public support. “Recent references to the monarchy were inappropriate. The institution should not be involved in politics. Political disputes should be solved in a political way,” Surayud said.

Full story

http://nationmultimedia.com/2005/11/29/headlines/index.php?news=headlines_19281272.html

just another on of chaiman toxins sleazy tacktics to win favour
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"I don't often agree with the RSPCA as i believe it is an animals duty to be on my plate at supper time"

[buksida]

Its been plain from day one that most foreigners are anti TRT as their policies have made our lives harder from the day they came into power. The exceptions are the filthy rich ones which are not the majority. The government still maintains the same xenophobic policies towards us; come to Thailand for a short time, spend all your cash then f. off.

When Thais start to become affected by government action and policies then something must happen. Sondhi's primary concern is freedom of press and when Thaksin tried to shut him down by using and abusing his position Sondhi took it to the people and told them what had been going on.

While it is true that TRT's following is the lower income and rural Thai, the farmer, its also true that the future of the country lies in the hands of the educated and the middle classes, people who run businesses, and professionals in their field, who will stand up for democracy and are open to the truth. The students of today are the leaders of tomorrow, one may ask why Thaksin himself chose to be educated overseas.

I've already ordered my yellow t-shirt. Viva la revolution!

[Jaime]

[Norseman]

I must say that in thai politics, nothing should be taken for granted.
I thougt that Sondhi Limthongkul was an honest and free-spoken man, but after reading the Nation today I'm not so sure of him any longer.

The days of cheerleading
Published on December 03, 2005

Media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul said during a recent interview in his Thai Day newspaper that freedom of expression was his only motive in his ongoing confrontation with the government. But it is no secret that Sondhi once blacklisted a number of critical intellectuals and NGOs from speaking out against the government in his newspapers.

Regular critics such as Thailand Development Research Institute researcher Somkiat Tangkitvanich, Senator Chirmsak Pinthong and economist Ammar Siamwalla were barred from expressing their views in Sondhi’s papers when he enjoyed a healthy relationship with Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

These critics are now more than welcome to vent their anti-Thaksin rage in Sondhi’s newspapers, but most of them are still understandably suspicious of him.

Between 2001 and the middle of this year, Sondhi’s Manager Media Group acted as a cheerleader for the Thaksin government. But Manager Daily is full of anti-Thaksin rhetoric nowadays.

Here you'll find the full article:
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2005/12/03/headlines/index.php?news=headlines_19325680.html
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I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[buksida]

Norseman,
Yes we should look at both sides of the story however I know who I'll be siding with. This gets even better:

Supporting Sondhi could be criminal, MP warns
A senior official of the Thai Rak Thai party yesterday warned members of the public to stay away from Sondhi Limthongkul’s political talk show in Lumphini Park next Friday, claiming that those who attend could face charges of conspiracy to topple the government.

In a thinly veiled threat, Vichet Kasemthongsri, the party’s deputy secretary-general, said that those who attend the Thailand This Week show-cum-political rally on December 9 may be enticed to commit an offence under Article 63 of the Constitution, which prohibits the overthrow of a constitutionally elected government through unconstitutional means.

Vichet’s warning comes amid growing political tensions since Sondhi, founder of the Manager Media Group and chairman of ThaiDay’s editorial board, earlier announced that he would mount a major political offensive against the prime minister. Sondhi has said he wants 500,000 people to attend the show.

As such, December 9 is widely seen by most political observers as a crucial day in determining the outcome of the ongoing conflict between Sondhi and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Aside from prohibiting the overthrow of a constitutionally elected government, Article 63 also allows members of the public to ask the Supreme Attorney General and the Constitutional Court to take legal action against offenders. Individual offenders face criminal action and political parties face closure if found guilty.

“It’s high time for any politically motivated movements to end their campaigns to overthrow the government since the Thaksin government has been elected by the majority of the people under the democratic system with His Majesty the King as head of state. These movements have caused confusion and fostered suspicion among the public [over the legitimacy of the government],” Vichet said.

He added that the tensions have damaged the country’s economy and security. “This is very unfortunate since the country has already been suffering from the prolonged insurgency [in the Muslim-dominated southern provinces],” he said.

Political analysts viewed Vichet’s warning yesterday as a clear attempt to discourage people from flocking to Sondhi’s talk show next Friday.

“[The warning] did not come as a surprise because Sondhi’s mobile talk show has been drawing increasing audience numbers. The government side has evidently seen this as a serious threat,” said one analyst who asked to remain anonymous.

Vichet’s warning also came on the heels of comments by Samak Sundaravej, a pro-government former governor of Bangkok, who demanded earlier this week that the Supreme Attorney General investigate and take legal action against Sondhi under Article 63.

Samak made his position clear in his daily talk show on state-controlled Channel 9, the same TV station that canceled Sondhi’s Thailand This Week in September. Samak claimed that he would lodge complaints with the police within seven days if the Supreme Attorney General fails to take action.

Commenting on Samak’s demands yesterday, Supreme Attorney-General Pachara Yutidhammadamrong indicated that it is unlikely that Sondhi’s actions so far could be construed as an attempt to overthrow the government through unconstitutional means.

Maintaining that there are, for now, no organic laws defining the scope of Article 63, Pachara said the contents of the article are rather broad and that it is primarily meant to avert a coup d’etat.

Pachara said people gathering in Lumphini Park for the show probably would not be considered members of a coup attempt.

Responding to Samak’s demand for action, Pachara said no one can force him to do anything in his capacity as supreme attorney-general but added that Samak can submit evidence or take whatever action he deems fit.

“This spat between Samak and Sondhi…isn’t this something personal between the two of them? I’m of the view that perhaps silence is golden,” he said.

Source: Thai Day
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I've got a bad feeling about this

[lomuamart]

Good grief,
People can't critise a government in a supposed democracy without the possibility of facing a charge of attempting a coup?
Really, someone should be making notes of the quotes these morons are making. There'll be enough to fill a novel soon and it would make interesting reading when looking back in a few years time.
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"I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars - the rest I just squandered". George Best.

[Norseman]

[buksida]

Interesting article in The Nation about Thaksin's failing popularity:

Beginning of the end?

December 13 , 2005 - When the next election comes about, or when the next government is formed, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra won’t be making a comeback.

Hard to believe, perhaps, but insiders and political watchers are looking at the possibility of non-Thaksin politics with growing interest, as the “five pillars” that once supported his leadership are beginning to crack.

“Key members of Thai Rak Thai understand the grave situation. They realise Thai Rak Thai won’t return to power again in the next election. That’s why they are planning to jump ship,” said an aide to an ex-Cabinet member in Thaksin’s government.

“They can quickly catch the scent of things. The story that Sanan Kachornprasart has been in talks with Somsak Thepsuthin, Suriya Jungrungreangkit and Pinij Jarusombat is all true. It appears they may be forming something like a grand coalition with the Democrats.”

Thaksin had a meal with key Thai Rak Thai members last week after Kom Chad Luek, the mass-circulation Thai daily, broke a story that his lieutenants were considering a mass defection.

Somsak, Pinij and others came out to deny the report, which they said, was leaked by someone with ill intentions toward them and the party. Snoh Thienthong’s Wang Nam Yen faction has been lurking silently in the wings, ready to pounce on Thaksin at any given time.

Yet the damage was done. It marked the first sign of cracks in Thai Rak Thai, which is made up of several factions. Money politics brought these factions together. But if Thaksin’s popularity sinks further – a likely scenario – defection or change within the party should accelerate and it might collapse like a house of cards.

Thai Rak Thai’s domination of Parliament is one of the five pillars that allowed Thaksin to control of the country. And it looks like it’s starting to crumble.

A political insider in government said Thaksin’s ability to stay in power depends on his ability to cope with the five pillars – the monarchy, the people, the media, parliament and the military.

Backed by a strong political mandate, Thaksin appeared to be doing rather well in his first term where he used a delicate, yet strong-handed approach to balance his relationship with the five pillars. With 19 million votes for Thai Rak Thai, Thaksin convincingly won a second term in the February election, winning 377 out of 500 seats in the Lower House.

But in recent months, the tide has turned against him, due to the public’s pent-up anger at his arrogance and overconfidence, traits that have damaged his credibility beyond repair. Anti-Thaksin sentiment is also quickly spreading.

His administration was badly hurt by the CTX bomb-detectors scandal at the new airport. Then came the “conspiracy” to buy Matichon Publishing Group and Post Publishing Group. Thaksin was also damaged by Thai Rak Thai’s opposition to extend the Skytrain to Thon Buri, which infuriated local residents.

The government’s real agenda for privatising Egat Plc has never been fully explained and the initial public offering of Egat was recently blocked by the Supreme Administrative Court.

Teachers have also been up in arms, staging demonstrations opposing Thaksin’s decentralisation policy.

Most recently, media maverick Sondhi Limthongkul has exposed a series of corruption scandals that have rocked Thaksin and his cronies.

In regard to the “first pillar”, the monarchy, Thaksin appears to have all but lost the confidence of the Royal institution.

In an address on December 4, His Majesty the King rebuked the PM on several counts, particularly his intolerance of criticism. The King said the King can do wrong and that Thai people are entitled to criticise him. The following day Thaksin told his lawyer to drop all libel charges, worth Bt2 billion in claims, against Sondhi.

The revered King also used the words “dead” or “die” seven times in his speech – something he had never done before – to back his warnings as to what bad political steps could lead to. He said everyone should practice awareness in everything they do and think. He admitted that before becoming King, he experienced moments of regret, but after taking the throne, he became more careful about his thoughts and actions.

“Had I not been careful enough, I would have been dead,” the King said. “If we do wrong, we will also die. Everybody is in this same situation. Those who hold high rank in society, if they are not careful enough, they will die too ... I am not condemning anyone, but if we are not careful, Thailand will perish. I ask you all to be careful, very careful with what you think, speak, or do. If you think it is right, go ahead and do it.”

Denis Gray, of Associated Press, summed up: “So a few words of royal rebuke against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have been enough to send tremors through the political arena, already shaken by escalating attacks against Thaksin’s government for alleged corruption, cronyism and abuse of power on a massive scale.

“Some analysts say this rare intervention by revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej may even signal the beginning of the end for Thaksin, who enjoyed an overwhelming re-election victory just 10 months ago.”

In regard to the “second pillar”, the people, Thaksin is seeing his popularity sink. A recent survey found his rating at an eight-month low. And while the rural populace may not be fully aware of political developments taking place, they are seeing their debts accumulate. For the moment, however, their anger is contained.

But the middle-class has increasingly become disillusioned with Thaksin. There is a pent-up frustration over state controls and dirty politics, and the anger appears ready to burst out at any time. That is why more people turned out at Sondhi’s talk show on Friday to listen to his exposure of state corruption and scandals.

On websites for political debates, Thaksin has fewer defenders and most are out to criticise the prime minister and his government with harsh and abusive language.

Thaksin’s relationship with the “third pillar”, the media, is getting badly out of control. He thought he had subjugated state-owned media and had major publications on his side, in the style of Singapore and Malaysia. But Thailand is not Singapore or Malaysia. And it is Thaksin’s folly to believe he can sway the press forever.

When Grammy GMM sought to take over Matichon, there was public furore. Civic groups forced Grammy GMM to retreat. But the fall-out struck Thaksin hard, with the public firmly believing the newspaper buy-ups were linked to his government’s continual moves to muffle the press.

Thaksin blundered further when Channel 9 removed Sondhi’s Thailand Weekly political talk show in September because of its unfriendly criticism of the government. As a result, Sondhi held his talk show in public arenas and drew crowds several-hundred-thousand strong through cable TV, live Internet broadcasts and newspaper reports. The media has hit back, making it virtually impossible for Thaksin to silence critics.

Sondhi’s weekly talk show has become a big embarrassment to the PM because he has exposed corruption scandals. He has attacked Thaksin directly and last week shifted his target to ACM Kongsak Wantana, the interior minister.

“Sondhi is likely to go after the Cabinet members of Thaksin one by one. The next big fish may be Suriya [Jungrungreangkit],” a political insider said.

Thaksin’s control of the “fourth pillar”, Parliament, is also no longer unbreakable. Before the February election, he wanted to muster 400 MPs to claim absolute control of Parliament. But Thai Rak Thai has been shown to be a marriage of convenience with its factions, not unlike the Samakkhitham Party during the Suchinda era.

Once key members of Thai Rak Thai start to defect – hard under current constitutional circumstances but not impossible – the party will fall. Civic and democracy movements have been calling for political reform to end his one-party rule. Sondhi also tried to highlight political reform in one of his attacks.

Thaksin’s relationship with the “fifth pillar”, the military, is far from smooth, although the public perception is that he has absolute control over the three armed forces. In truth, if a crisis breaks out, Thaksin cannot count on the police, Army, Navy and Air Force coming to his side. The last military reshuffle, which faced unprecedented 24-day delay before winning royal assent, Thaksin was stopped from putting certain people into key positions because of intervention from Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, chairman of the Privy Council.

As the wind of change blows, Thailand is headed for political confrontation, one that will be decisive and abrupt. But there should be no bloodshed. In the end, it is hard to see how Thaksin can escape the whirlwind that’s sweeping the playing field.

Source : The Nation

[Farang]

"
Power to the people; will Thais take to the street?

"

Did power go to the people; did Thais take to the street?
,

[Norseman]

Published on Jan 13 , 2006

Media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul Friday played video footages during his Thailand Weekly talk show to prove that Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat had organised employees of the National Parks Department to rally at the Lumpini Park in Bangkok to confront anti-government rally.

The video clips showed young men being gathered at several spots in several northern provinces, including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Trat.

Sondhi said the director-general of the department would finance the trips by park employees to Bangkok through expense reimbursement later.

Sondhi played the clips and warned whom he called park temporary employees that he had taken pictures of all of them so they should not many any violent move or they could end up in jail.

He said the employees were hired Bt300 a day to come to Bangkok to counter the anti-government rally.
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I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[caller]

[Farang]

[Norseman]

20,000 police mobilised for Sondhi's rally

Published on Jan 23 , 2006 The Nation.

The Metropolitan Police will deploy 20,000 policemen to keep law and order at Sanam Luang on February 4 when media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul will organise a massive rally against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Wiroj Jantarangsri said 20,000 policemen would be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

Sondhi called his audience to come out to Sanam Luang and he would march to the Royal Plaza to submit a petition to His Majesty through Privy Council Chairman Gen Prem Tinsulanonda, calling for constitutional amendments and political reform as well as ouster of Thaksin.
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I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[Norseman]

Radio Thailand: early protesters peaceful

Members of at least 10 anti-government organisations began to gather this morning in front of the Government House and King Rama V Equestrian Statue, said Radio Thailand. Meanwhile, metropolitan police officers handed out the first of more than 20,000 instructional and guideline leaflets to the demonstrators.

Groups of teachers, anti-EGAT privatisation and anti-alcohol protesters were preparing for a demonstration this afternoon, led by media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul

Around the protest area, police made signs and posters to ensure that the gatherers would remain peaceful and follow the law, to prevent any possible unrest. Buddhist teach-ins were staged nearby, in an attempt to use dharma principles to control the situation.

Officials also prepared mobile restrooms and security units, to provide convenience and safety to the general public.
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I intend to live forever -- so far, so good.

[lomuamart]

It's going to be an interesting day. Hope things don't get out of hand.
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"I spent a lot of my money on booze, birds and fast cars - the rest I just squandered". George Best.