Thailand has become a police state, according to
former Cabinet Secretary Borwornsak Uwanno, who claimed the
government tapped the phones of political figures and that
some key Thaksin Shinawatra loyalists remained in place out
of fear. In a September 5 call on the Ambassador, Borwornsak
explained that he resigned in June under pressure from a
member of the Privy Council. The entire Privy Council was
against Thaksin; one Privy Councilor had a tape of the Prime
Minister discussing how to "neutralize" (politically) the
King. Borwornsak cited possible upcoming events that could
lead to further resignations of Thaksin loyalists. He raised
the prospect of military intervention in politics; the
Ambassador stressed the USG would respond negatively to such
a move. Borwornsak was uncertain whether the recent car bomb
incident was genuine, but he claimed he could imagine
assassination attempts against the Prime Minister, whose
family members might also be targeted. End Summary