THAILAND: Military blasts Thaksin for involving King
Also, Democrat party leader asks prime minister to block 'Kwam Jing Wan Nee' talk show's broadcast of the former prime minister's speech on state-run NBT
Bangkok Post
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
By Wassana Nanuam and Manop Thip-osod
1.The military top brass yesterday declared fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's speech at the Rajamangala Stadium rally "out of bounds".
2.The remarks, made during a 10-minute phone-in on Saturday, were the centre of yesterday's meeting of the armed forces leaders, the supreme commander and the defence permanent secretary.
3.According to a highly-placed military source, Thaksin's speech was "out of bounds" and appeared to put pressure on His Majesty the King.
4.In one of the most controversial parts of his speech, Thaksin told his supporters at the rally that nothing could bring him home apart from royal clemency or the power of the people.
5."[Thaksin's remarks] have involved His Majesty in politics. His comments are out of bounds. He was talking about royal clemency in spite of a guilty verdict by the court," said the source.
6.The military leaders would coordinate with the Lawyers Council in carefully examining Thaksin's remarks for lese majeste, said the source.
7.They also believed Thaksin was likely to make similar comments again.
8.The source said the top brass were concerned Thaksin's remarks will be used to incite his supporters to campaign against the two-year jail sentence in the Ratchadapisek land case given him by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.
9.Defence permanent secretary Gen Apichart Penkitti said Thaksin's speech troubled military leaders.
10."To us, Thaksin's remarks bring discomfort to His Majesty the King. He should not have involved His Majesty," Gen Apichart said.
11.Opposition and Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called on Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to block the planned broadcast of Thaksin's Saturday night speech on the Kwam Jing Wan Nee (Truth Today) political talk show on the state-run NBT channel.
12.Mr Abhisit said Thaksin's speech was widely seen as highly controversial and could be insulting to the judiciary and the monarchy.
13.He said broadcasting it would show the government's insincerity about solving the political stalemate and its willingness to be Thaksin's mouthpiece.