Perhaps I didn’t make my point clear enough last time, for no one who shows outrage at Samak’s disgrace seems too eager to take up my sugggestion. So let me make the point even clearer: Here’s another case concerning a “Disgrace” about the 6 Tula events. It’s also an ONGOING case. I’m speaking of Thanin Kraiwichian.

Like Samak, Thanin went on TV regularly befor Oct6 to promote hatred of the student movement.

Even more than Samak, Thanin was the architech of the coup d’etat that took place on the night of October 6. He drafted a “plan” for a post-coup government more than six months before the eventual coup. (It was he who, in all probability, coined the term “Khana patirup kan pokkrong phaendin” – the name of the coup group.) He was also the drafter of the post-coup constitution which proclaimed a 12 year dictatorial regime. (Thankfully, it ended just after a year!)

Even more than Samak, Thanin after the coup assumed the top government post of PM using his power to hunt down, arrested survivors of the 6 Tula massacre. He also used the Article 21 of the Constitution he drafted to punish people including with execution, outside any juditial process.

Even more than Samak, Thanin after loosing his government job, has assumed a highly prestigeous position, richly paid by public money contunually for over 30 years now.

As regards the last point, if anyone would say without thinking that Thanin’s position is insignificant and powerless, let me ask: Isn’t it all the more reasonable to dis-continue spending public money on him given that his position has no importance? If he has had no power, then you all would surely be “safer” to mount a critique of him, wouldn’t you? Even more reasons to show outrage at his continution in the position.

So, how about that? Let’s start a campaign.
Who first?

“He said he was informed that there were only 59 drug suspects killed by the police and others had been killed by those in the same drug gangs.

Had they been innocent, they would not have been killed, he said.

Mr Samak suggested that those who had lost their relatives during the anti-drug campaign lodge complaints with police so wrongdoers could be taken to court.”
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=126099

and

“Speaking to Interior Mini-stry executives, provincial governors and district chiefs, Chalerm said it would be natural if more than 2,700 people were killed during the upcoming crackdown. “
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/02/23/headlines/headlines_30066235.php

Sunai Manomai-udom, head of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), was removed from his position yesterday. The big moves are starting as PMSamak and Chalerm self-combusts. Before the whole PPP house burns down, the urgent task left is to free the 111 banned politicians and manipulate PMThaksin and co’s corruption cases. PMThaksin could return to head the resurrected TRT and sweep to an easy election victory, distancing himself from his director’s role of the PPP demise (PMThaksin knows both the strong and weak points of his pawns and his oppositions – ask PMSurayud and watch how PMSamak is quickly being dragged down into the gutters in the media). If his gamble plays out rightly, he’ll come back very strong (but probably significantly less than at the peak of his powers in 2005 – but who knows what else he is capable of).

At that time, how will Thai democracy be re-defined by PMThaksin (or do we really think he will be inclusive?)? How will Thai democracy including key events of 1932, 1973, 197 6 , 1992, 1997, 2004-2006* be re-written, re-framed under a ‘reformed’ (or vengeful) PMThaksin?

(*Here I include PMThaksin’s War on Drugs, Krue-sae and Takbai as some of the darkest days of Thai democracy comparable to 1973 and 1976. It could be a generation gap here as I ‘lived’ through those events while I was only a child in 1973 and 1976)

On the other hand, the gamble could go terribly wrong. At this point it will depend on how the relationship between the man-in-power and the power-behind-the screens pan out. PMThaksin will not want PMSamak as his enemy while Samak heads the government… I suspect if he (PMSamak) is to go down, he will try to bring PMThaksin down with him. Just by dissolving parliament without lifting the ban means PMThaksin will have to piece together another very expensive nominee government.

Thanom passed away just a couple of years ago, i.e. in 2007 or ten years after Prapas. He was also royally cremated presided over by the Queen; the photos of the cremation ceremony have again been distributed on the net just last week, perhaps by pro-Thaksin activists, to counter the attack on Samak over the 6 Tula interview.

According to his Thai Wikipedia page, Field Marshal Prapass died in 22 August 1976. I can’t seem to find any other web page that will corroborate that death date. However, it’s known that he fled to Taipei after the events of October 1973, and sites like this one, with day-by-day accounts of the events leading up to October 6, mention his coming back to Thailand during August for medical treatment for glaucoma (โรคต้อหิน) and what I think means enlarged heart (โรคหัวใจโต). Students protested en masse, and the last it mentions of him on any web page I can find is that he fled Thailand again amidst the protests, on 22 August 1976, the day Wikipedia reports as the day of his death.

Can anyone else help sort out?

Samak becomes pale when shown his picture taken with Prapass

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej became pale when reporters showed him his picture s which he took with Field Marshal Prapass Jarusathien following the massacre of student activists on October 6 1976.

“Is that me? I didn’t know I took this picture. I didn’t know when I post for this picture and why,” Samak exclaimed when seeing the picture.

Reporters showed him the picture when he was giving a weekly interview to Government House reporters.

The reporters asked him to comment on the opposition’s plan to demand him to tell the House of his role during the October 6 event.

Samak insisted that only one student was killed at Sanam Luang and said he could not remember why he told Thai students in France that many students were killed.

The Nation 22 February 2008