whitelotuslane Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Full interview is here. Thaksin has a point. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6909258.ece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Of course he has a point, what happens regarding the monarchy is of enormous importance to the Thais; this will have wide appeal to his younger supporters and denying the interview will be a sop to the traditionalists in the ranks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thaksin's view of things ... 50% is a landslide. << Thaksin Shinawatra: [My election victory in 2001] was the first time in Thai history that one party won half of parliament's seats. [color:blue]We won a landslide – half of parliament's seats - and we formed a[/color] [color:red]coalition government[/color]. >> Point everyone is missing is that one DOES NOT DISCUSS THE ROYAL FAMILY (except in private). A politician's doing so amounts to dragging them into politics. That's what Wacky T seems to have belatedly realised ... and is now backpedalling like mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckwoww Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Reading the interview it seems the reporter was out to trick him and he almost fell for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 My only reaction is what was he thinking? TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wallenda Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 "I would like to repeat again that my family and I are loyal to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen and, ... ready to sacrifice our lives to protect the monarchy." Hey there's an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Seppuku??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadfly Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Point everyone is missing is that one DOES NOT DISCUSS THE ROYAL FAMILY (except in private). A politician's doing so amounts to dragging them into politics. How then does anyone respond when they are accused of being disloyal to the royal family? If you silent in the face of such serious claims, it is deemed an admission (PAD made exactly this argument). It really looks bad to the average Thai. But if you deny it, and discuss how you have been loyal to the monarchy, then you're guilty of LM? Damned if you do and damned if you don't. And why doesn't this same logic work against PAD? This is the fundamental problem with LM and defamation laws, at least as they seem to be applied in Thailand. I detest Thaksin, but none of this seems right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitelotuslane Posted November 10, 2009 Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 Thaksin's view of things ... 50% is a landslide. Of course it is.. Did you forget what the election results were pre-Thaksin? Unstable coalitions of multiple small parties, nobody got anywhere close to a workable majority. This was just he way the powers-that-be liked it; divide and conquer, playing squabbling factions against each other, politicians leaving and joining political parties like football players switch clubs, etc. Thai Rak Thai changed all that, first by buying all the regional power brokers, then by delivering on promises to the rural masses. At that point, Thaksin became very powerful indeed. But.. not as powerful as the military and so on. Point everyone is missing is that one DOES NOT DISCUSS THE ROYAL FAMILY (except in private). If nobody ever does then nothing will ever change. Clearly LM laws are out of control when a woman is sentenced to 18 years in jail for a political speech. Just which countries are at that level in the world. Burma, probably. North Korea, and a couple more. Thailand used to be the Land of the Free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted November 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2009 << Thailand used to be the Land of the Free >> When was that? It wasn't when I came here in 1973. I also remember a time when one could be arrested for gathering on the street in a group larger than three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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