 |
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| HOT: Thaksin Continues to Be Thorn on Side for Govt | |||||||||||||||||||
| UPDATE : 22 February 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Another year has gone by with the convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is in self-imposed exile, actively engaging in a flurry of activities in a bid to regain his power and take back his seized assets while the Thai government is playing a catch-up. Here’s a recap of Thaksin’s movements and the government’s response. A series of phone-ins and video-link addresses were made by Thaksin Shinawatra throughout the year, particularly during anti-government rallies of the pro-Thaksin Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship, or DAAD, which took place almost every month. Through the DAAD’s satellite television, DTV, his own website Thaksinlive.com, or a mere phone call, Thaksin’s typical messages were delivered to his supporters, inspiring them to press on with efforts to overthrow the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration. Thaksin even posed a challenge to the government by appearing on the state media for a couple of occasions, the most notable of which was his live interview on the state-owned MCOT’s radio program on FM 100.5 on September 6, hosted by Jom Phetpradab. The main issue of the interview was Thaksin’s offer to hold peace talks with the Democrats and his other rivals and his defense against allegations. The program host resigned after the incident and MCOT was ordered to conduct a probe and prevent the same incident from reoccurring. Besides the mainstream media, the 23rd prime minister of Thailand also made use of the new media, highlighted by his presence on the online media publishing service Twitter. Also in July, Thaksin announced a new Internet television channel called Voice TV. But it turned out to be his children, Panthongtae and Pinthongta, who made the official launch of the channel later, on November 23. They claimed the channel was not politically motivated nor will it become a mouthpiece for their father. On September 1, Thaksin opened a web-based radio talk program with the title ‘Talk around the World.’ The program is broadcast weekly on his website. Late October saw the launch of the free short-message or SMS news service and the first two channels on his 100-channel satellite television network. For the text-message service, short messages are delivered to subscribers free of charge three times a day, targeting his red-shirt supporters and those who are politically neutral. Despite being labeled as a political criminal and hotly wanted by the Thai authorities, Thaksin lived his life as a free man overseas, relentlessly attacking the Democrat-led government, the Thai judiciary system as well as the Privy Council. He has used the coastal Arab city of Dubai as his asylum and political ground zero. Over the past year, the 59-year-old billionaire tycoon traveled to various countries around world, purportedly to explore business opportunities. Thaksin is said to have bought a small island in the Balkan country of Montenegro and invested in the diamond and gold mining industries in several African countries, such as Uganda, Liberia and Swaziland. However, Thaksin’s status as a fugitive, convicted of corruption, rendered him persona non grata in many countries. Rumors of visa cancellation came out from countries such as the United States and Japan. But it was Germany that officially banned the former prime minister from entering the country in June. The United Kingdom was the first country to cancel Thaksin’s visa in December last year. Yet, the most disturbing move by Thaksin came late in November when he gave a slanderous interview to Time Online that touches upon the Thai monarchy and its royal successor. Amid widespread criticism, the one-time Manchester City owner blamed the British online press for misquoting him. Time Online later came out with a full transcript of the interview to prove he indeed made those comments, deemed by many to constitute lese majeste. Also appalling was his partnership with a neighboring country across the Khong river. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced just before the 15th Asean Summit in Hua Hin that Thaksin was always welcomed in Cambodia and he would not hand the deposed Thai premier to the Thai government. On November 5, Thaksin was appointed by Hun Sen as Cambodia’s economic adviser. He made a visit to Cambodia the following week to give a lecture on economics to over 300 Cambodian businessmen. Thaksin’s alliance with Hun Sen is said to have taken this game of catch me if you can to an international conflict, as made evident by a heightened tension between Thailand and Cambodia. And what was the government’s response to Thaksin’s movements during the year? In April, the Foreign Affairs Ministry revoked Thaksin’s regular passport, which was his last travel document issued by Thailand. The Thai government also made extradition requests to countries in which Thaksin was reported to be staying, namely the United Arab Emirates, Nicaragua and Cambodia. It also sought Interpol’s help to hunt for the fugitive former prime minister. In October, the Council of State suggested Thaksin’s police rank of police lieutenant colonel and royal decorations be recalled, taking into account his conviction and jail sentence. The recommendation was submitted to the Cabinet Secretariat and the reviewing process is ongoing. That will certainly not be all between the Abhisit administration and the country's most notorious convict. We'll have to see what other battles Thaksin will hatch against Thailand in 2010. |
|||||||||||||||||
Go to Top  |
|||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| 2009 © TAN Network. All rights reserved.
|
