Thailand reaches boiling point
Things are heating up in Bangkok and around Thailand as people react to the news that arrest warrants were this week issued for Thaksin and his wife, while the imminent referendum on the draft constitution is fast approaching.
It’s been a rollercoaster 11 months since the military coup last September. After ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra failed to show up in court to face corruption charges, Thailand will now seek to have square face extradited from England. Meanwhile, Thaksin has been busy buying Manchester City and giving interviews to deranged military reporters.
Prime Minister Surayud said, “The [Thai] government will help facilitate the process. We have an extradition treaty with Britain. It will just have to follow due process.”
It’s unlikely that Britain will agree to extradite Thaksin at this time, and even if it does, it will be some time before any headway is made. Thaksin’s safety will apparently be guaranteed now, despite Sonthi stating previously that Thai authorities would not be able to guarantee the safety of Thaksin and his wife were they to return to Thailand.
In Bangkok today, more than 10,000 supporters gathered at Sanam Luang, the favored meeting place for those pissed off with authority.
I will be in Bangkok this weekend and will have a snoop around to see what pictures I can get.
Techno' tags: Thailand, Bangkok, Thai politics
I'll be shooting a multimedia story in the slums if you fancy a beer afterwards?
Sounds good mate. Email your phone number would you.
will thaksin be forced back? Two words: Pridi Panomwong
Do you know if the text of the draft charter can be found on the internet somewhere?
I agree that Britain is unlikely to agree to the extradition, so perhaps the Thai Goverment should agree to try him in a netural country? That way the world, and Thaksin, can be sure that everything will be clean and fair.
Thaksin will never be extradited. Thaksin will never be tried in a third country. The reason is that the rules that govern Thai justice are not the same criminal rules of procedure in the West.
Can you imagine the Thai prosecutors, barely literate in the English language, going before a British magistrate with what they have? I guarantee that they will be laughed out of court.
In the West, you actually need evidence to convict somebody of a crime.
Besides, a coup is an illegal political act. Why would the British take the word of junta appointed prosecutors who clearly have a political axe to grind and whose sole purpose of existence is to get Thaksin?
As far as I know, neither the EU nor the British government have officially recognized the junta or the puppet Surayud government, so basically all this nonsense about extraditing Thaksin is nothing but a propaganda ploy that will go nowhere.
hi i enjoyed the read
"square face"? … "deranged military reporters"? That's really mature!
If there is an extradition agreement between Thailand and (once) Great Britain, then there should be no question about them sending him back ASAP. Otherwise, what have they agreed to? If the (O)GB government dishonor that agreement then Thailand, whoever is in power, should consider that agreement as null and void and ignore any subsequent extradition requests from that country.
Unfortunately, the UK establishment have a history of protecting those, both foreign and domestic, who are guilty of abused positions of power (Bush and his murderous Iraq/oil war for example) when enough incentive is offered. As far as UK being a neutral country is concerned: I don't think any puppet of the 4th Reich (USA) can can be trusted as such if the subject nation (Thailand) has any natural resources available for pillage.
"Two words: Pridi Panomwong": Seeing that this is an english language page, perhaps you should translate from Thai, or even not use it at all.