Back in December 1995 Sondhi Limthongkul was the subject of a long profile by Asiaweek’s Julian Gearing. Readers looking to understand one of the more public faces of the People’s Alliance for Democracy’s (PAD) protests in Bangkok may find the following quotes from this cover-story are worth digesting:
“I’m not the type of person who likes to stash away money. I’m 48 years old. I don’t have much time left in this world, maybe 12 more years. When you die, what can you do with money?”
“I never play stocks. That’s a lot of bullshit. There are many myths about me.”
“Seventeen years ago when I was young. I wrote a bad check. I was sent to prison awaiting trial for 20 days. When the trial started, the plaintiff withdrew the charge. There was no secret about it. I was only 31.”
“I always think when I die I want to die as a pioneer; as the first Asian to get up and fight the Western press.”
Beyond these fragments, the profile carries some other interesting, but not entirely surprising, details. There is mention, for instance, that “after a press conference to announce the Laotian satellite deal, Sondhi hosted a dinner for several politicians and businessmen, including Thai Deputy Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and an old friend, Justice Minister Chalerm Yubamroong.” There is also note of Sondhi’s activities during an earlier period of Thai political drama. Gearing reports that:
The agitation on U.S. campuses was echoed in the student activism he found on his return to Thailand. Sondhi took up work for the newspaper Prachatipatai (Democracy) as reporter and managing editor from 1973 to 1974, running into some of the people who would later join him in his media ventures. Sondhi had an outstanding political mind, a friend says, and wrote insightful exposes of the political developments that led to the bloodshed on Oct. 14, 1973, an event that brought the government down.
The article also offers useful details on the early years of the Manager media empire, and its various starts and stumbles. It does tell us that long before he led the PAD, Sondhi expressed grand dreams of pioneering a media empire with a distinctively “Asian” voice. His stated goal was to take on the Asian Wall Street Journal. I wonder — is this what he had in mind?
12 responses so far ↓
1 BangkokDan // Sep 11, 2008 at 4:32 pm
Nice find.
Vividly remember his (printed) Asia Times. What a newspaper. Excellent layout, great photos, the “Voice of Asia.”
The rest of the story we know.
His voice didn’t make it. Back then.
2 jonfernquest // Sep 11, 2008 at 9:01 pm
“His voice didn’t make it. Back then.”
That’s not entirely true. Sondhi was at the forefront of giving academics a voice in the media in the 1990s through the writing of op-ed pieces in his newspaper. (See Duncan McCargo, Politics and the Press in Thailand: Media Machinations (Routledge 2000, Garuda 2002).
“…is this what he had in mind?”
Obviously not. Though Sondhi certainly has made himself relevant to many people in Thailand as a journalist. His website is infinitely more popular than any news website in Thailand according to Truehits. He has also thwarted the concentration of total power in one man and party. A hero, controversial, but a hero nonetheless.
3 Jim Taylor // Sep 11, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Sondhi has led the Thai media into disrepute and lack of any credibility; his Manager and ASTV churns out political spin day in day – much of which lacks any credibility at all. For readers here is the brief background to the personal hate campaign against Thaksin which has led the country to the current crisis:
Sondhi has 65 court cases pending for inability to repay debts to 10 financial institutions in Thailand. He initially put up a single land deed for all the dodgy loans he received from these institutions. A senior financier by the name of Prapat SriSathhayakun working at one of the banks found this out and reported to DSI. Sondhi wanted to compete with Thaksin’s communication empire and aspired to be successful like him. He then went to the Lao government and asked them to put up USD 300 million for co-financing a communications project. They eventually found the money only to find that Sondhi was not able to put up his money as he promised. He tried to bullshit his way through. As of now he is not allowed back in that country.
The reason he hates Thaksin relates to the end of the Chuan Government and conflict he had with the then Minister of Finance. At this time Sondhi was pro-Democrat Party. He was heavily in debt at that time and changed sides to try and get Thaksin to help him under the table. He left the Democrats at a whim and supported Thaksin saying that this guy is the BEST PM Thailand has ever had! But as his debts further increased over his print media business he realised that to make bug bucks to repay his loans and achieve his mega-ambitions he needed to go into telecommunications and his own TV channel. He asked Thaksin to help him get a channel called 11/1. But the Public Relations Department had already given a concession to RNT Company (Ruam Nakhorn). This company however gave Sondhi management rights which he ran called Thai-Day.com. But there was a problem in the contract and the concession was cancelled. So he asked Thaksin to solve this problem with Channel 11/1 -by any means. But Thaksin played according to the rules as always and could not help. Thai-Day.com is under Sondhi’s son’s name. This was the first big upset for Sondhi re-Thaksin. The second event was to do with concerns over the appointment of the Krungthai Bank General Manager (now deceased) named Viroj Nuankhae. This guy had helped Sondhi earlier facilitate dodgy finance credits under the table. When Viroj finished his term Sondhi asked Thaksin to help get him reappointed. But Thaksin could not help because the Min of Finance had already sent a letter to the Bank of Thailand indicating the Viroj has some “problems”. Sondhi was disappointed in Thaksin again. Thereafter, Sondhi (being the bullshit artist par excellance), started a war against Thaksin through his print media “The Manager” and initially a program on Channel 9. Every week on this program he would bombard listeners with fiction on Thaksin – the successful man he wanted to be. It has not stopped since as he gained satellite rights on ASTV. Sondhi has nothing to lose. His son has inherited a massive debt from his father. He is angry. So please, before I read further nonsense on New Mandala by people who don’t know about these facts and believe in Sondhi media and friends- find out the real truth first. (e.g try “thai-grassroots.com” and an article called “Prachatouch”)
4 matty // Sep 11, 2008 at 10:23 pm
Everybody in Thailand knows about Sondhi L and his bankruptcy. I also wonder why people would listen to a bankrupt and a demagogue.
But Jim Taylor what has that got to do with your ongoing love affair with that most notorious Thai fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra?
Jim Taylor if you can manage to convince the Thai authorities to lock up Sondhi L. for rebellion and insurrection and bankruptcy and insulting your hero Thaksin Shinawatra, I personally eternally be full of gratitude.
5 fall // Sep 12, 2008 at 12:28 am
Mogul in the Making?
12 years later, bankruptcy, 2 lese majeste convicted, trespass and treason charge waiting, and a lot less hair.
I would say NO.
6 Jim Taylor // Sep 12, 2008 at 9:37 am
…a further clarification is needed: …Therefore, if Sondhi has nothing to lose, he must have lots to gain from shifting back to the Democrats including clearing his massive debts promised by Abhisit for bad mouthing Thaksin through his media and in bringing him and his Party down. The plan has been working well up to this point. The Democrats have long had a reputation – even during Oct ’76 – of siding with military for furthering their own interests. Events in 2006 including alignments and mischief making involving an unholy alliance should come as no surprise to my fellow Thai specialists and academic colleagues. And, as for the “romance”, thanks for that bit of nonsence, if I have to drop my pants Matty I’d rather do that for a good person. And as for Sondhi’s website having a lot of hits; this does not mean that it is right especially if you read my background in relation to Sondhi’s long running jealousy and personal vendetta against Thaksin does it? In a different context but of equal hate value Hitler did the same thing that Sondhi has been doing on a more radical scale against the Jewish people in the 1920s. An effective propaganda machine, and within a decade he had won over most of Germany: Does this make it right? Only in Thailand the majority of folk, most silent, can see through Sondhi and his game play: Except “intelligent” but poorly informed farang like…Matty and jonfernquest!!
7 rookie // Sep 12, 2008 at 11:32 am
Interesting discussions. But why does one have to be branded as pro-Thaksin if he/she criticizes or exposes Sondhi’s past background?
8 matty // Sep 12, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Do you really think Jim Taylor that Sondhi L and the Democrats are sleeping together? Sondhi L’s bankruptcy accelerated during Chuan-Nimmanhaeminda 1997-2001 administration-rescue of Thailand from the Thai financial crisis (authored by Chavalit-Thaksin remember?) so how could the romance be ever possible?
You are full of malarkey Jim Taylor but I was shocked to learn that you are a bit of a flasher too!
9 Jim Taylor // Sep 12, 2008 at 1:28 pm
The financial crisis was rescued by Thaksin in the first two years of his government as he paid back the IMF debts generated by a long period of Democrat Govt mishandling of the economy so I dont know what newspaper you have been reading Matty- probably the “Beano”??
10 Bangkok Pundit // Sep 12, 2008 at 2:40 pm
The reason he hates Thaksin relates to the end of the Chuan Government and conflict he had with the then Minister of Finance. At this time Sondhi was pro-Democrat Party.
This sounds surprising to me. Sondhi L and the other nationalist tycoons were anti-Democrat at least more vocally 2000. It was the Chuan-led government that finally passed the amendments to the bankruptcy laws in 1998 and 1999 in strong opposition to those senators with business interests (Prachai was one of those senators). The draft has been prepared in 1992 and previous governments had failed in getting it passed, the Chuan-led government didn’t.
The difference between then and now was that the Democrats had lost popular support by 2000 . The nationalist elite knew the Democrats were likely to lose the 2001 election and thus “New Politics” wasn’t necessary and they believed that Thaksin would help their agenda – no doubt helped by some of Thaksin’s “anti-IMF rhetoric”.
11 jonfernquest // Sep 12, 2008 at 8:42 pm
“Sondhi has led the Thai media into disrepute and lack of any credibility…So please, before I read further nonsense on New Mandala by people who don’t know about these facts and believe in Sondhi media and friends- find out the real truth first.”
Ad hominem arguments are simply not relevant to the issue of whether Sondhi’s current leadership of PAD has any instrinsic value or not.
Sondhi hardly “led the Thai media into disrepute.” Read the conditions under which Thai Rath rose to prominence, supported by the police chief Phao, I believe. The Sondhi story actually sounds a little like the Donald Trump story. The history of Thaksin’s early finances before he struck it rich with an exclusive government concession hardly seem cleaner than Sondhi’s. But ad hominem arguments in the end are really besides the point. Sondhi could be the ultimate prodigal child and still be a hero.
[In general, money and pandering to public taste has been a continual complaint lodged against the media everywhere. It was the fear behind Rupert Murdoch's recent purchase of the Wall Street journal. And for-profit Thai language media can do no better than the norms and constraints of the society that it works in, muzzled by the defamation suits that Thaksin popularized, that's why the coup-appointed government started Thailand's first public broadcastign station (TBS). (three examples, or rather tips of the iceberg : at a university, a law professor, a vice president of the university, a used car salesman, a convenience store owner, and the local bank manager, all arrested for running a child prostitution ring, the story covered once in Matichon with the name of the university, then I believe twice after that without the name of the university, then the story disappeared entirely, and what is truly amazing is that at the university itself there was hardly any mention or discussion of this incident at all among students, there was light gossip among the faculty. Two people who I once knew, one computer programmer from Florida who got shot by a gunman hired by his ex-wife, the other NGO worker who hung himself in his jail cell after extortion attempts by the Thai police, none of these people's names were even spelt correctly in the Thai language newspaper articles documenting their deaths, nor was there any attempt by the media to follow the story and find out what happened and why, even though there was some attempt to do this by the police in the hitman case, there was a nice morgue photo featuring the hitman victim's distended beer belly though. A Nation op-ed piece called for paying more attention to what rural folk consider important yesterday and I would guess that such photos would clearly qualify.) ]
12 Ed Norton // Sep 14, 2008 at 3:40 am
It is certainly true that Sondhi Lim has not been a proponent of an independent and vigorous press. But that is true of much of the Thai press. Who were strong in their condemnation of military control of the press following the coup. Very few voices from the media itself.
It is also likely that elements of the Thai middle class and the elite have indeed found their hero in a flawed character like Sondhi. That says much about these groups and the nature of Thai society.
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