I must thank Dr.Chris Baker for raising this issue. I admit when I first listened to Thaksin’s speech ‘live’, the phrase didn’t catch my attention. Even after I went back to re-listen to it (following Dr.Baker’s question) I still thought Thaksin used the phrase simply because he was in the “I-am-a-friend-of-Isan-people” mode and the phrase is quite naturally a piece of Isan coloquialism. In other words, Thaksin didn’t mean much and we shouldn’t read much into it. I am still inclined to think so. But now I should draw attention to this news, that some people who are high-up in the power hierarchy apparently took the phrase very seriously.

The current Commander of Royal Thai Air Force yesterday singled out exactly Thaksin’s use of this phrase.

“พล.อ.อ.อิทธพร ศุภวงศ์ ผู้บัญชาการทหารอากาศ (ผบ.ทอ.)….ขอให้คนไทยย้อนนึกถึงคำศัพท์ที่คนสร้างเงื่อนไขพูด ทั้ง “วันเสียงปืนแตก” และ “ปฏิวัติประชาชน” เป็นศัพท์ของคอมมิวนิสต์เก่าทั้งนั้น”
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9520000040231

Interestingly, the charge that Thaksin and/or “his people” are “communists” began to be heard quite often in recent days. See for example, this headline by Manager:

“ถ่อยแดง” ผีคอมมิวนิสต์เข้าสิง

http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9520000040627

I don’t know the real reason as I’m not US Ambassador. But isn’t it Gen Prem’s birthday?

Having just read all the comments, it seems to me that you guys are talking about “evidences.” I would love to see evidences too, both in favour and against Thaksin, regarding all the issues you’re talking about here. Could someone please gather all in one comment ? And, if you’re kind enough, having just heard from the news this early night, could someone also provide me evidence –for and against– for the claim that Thaksin has a REALLY large sum of money somewhere at Cayman Islands?

I realise that it is important subject for many non-Thais but I have only long arms length experience on the behaviour of Thai immigration and their handling of non-Thai entry and residence matters.”

You seem rather confused about what your observations or your informants’ observations pertain to. If the process for Thai citizens to obtain and amend passports was improved under Thaksin, that is a far cry from saying that the Immigration Bureau was made more efficient and corruption free under Thaksin. Apart from stamping Thais passports on exiting or entering the country, Immigration deals exclusively with foreigners. Thais get their passports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Passport Office which has been generally known to be efficient and corruption free for as long as I can remember, certainly since long before Thaksin went into politics. Immigration and other procedures for foreigners for the most part more difficult under Thaksin but, to be fair, the Saruyudh government was more than happy to pick up the xenophobia ball and run with it.

David Brown, are you Thai?

Well, what exactly were you expecting?

People might have been a little more welcoming if you were actually presenting cogent arguments rather than insisting they were arrogant and picking on you when they questioned your unsupported assertions.

See you on the Manager web boards, I guess. Cheerio.

Based on your comment “Peter, you keep saying I could not believe what I said “being frank & impartial” would affect you this much, …”, would you count for all the readers here exactly how many time I’ve said it? There is no doubt at all that you & a few other Farangs posting comments have definite advantage in English proficiency over non-native speakers using English expressing point of views here. You guys are so good in all sorts of beautiful vocabularies including idioms & slangs which pose some problems for us non-native speakers. But 2 things I detected from your comment here: (1) You don’t know how to count; that’s why you used the phrase “KEEP SAYING”. (2) You just love to exaggerate based on the phrase “KEEP SAYING’ phrase!

Well, ladies & gentlemen: I’ve to say goodbye. It’s going to be a long while for me to return to post comments to this website because it won’t worth my time here. Sayonara. Laa Gon.

I was simply asking you to support your assertion about Matichon. You have not done so, or even bothered to answer a simple question to help us see what you consider good journalism.

I will answer yours. It is not an either/or situation.

Newspapers should publish detailed and balanced stories. They should not publish stories that are not factual (if by that you mean inaccurate or biased reporting. Opinion is fine, if it is clearly opinion.)

That’s Journalism 101.

I used the word “lizard” because this is the word that has been used to describe Thaksin by PAD speakers… just as an example of the language used by people inspired by Sondhi Lim

and, briefly, I did not say that the military, etc are “just as corrupted” as Thaksin

I believe they are much more corrupted than Thaksin. Entrenched, traditional corruption. Being traditional does not make it right!

I am not claiming two wrongs make a right, I am claiming the wrongs must be addressed for Thailand to achieve equity of opportunity for all its people.

THE NATION
April 3, 2009 : Last updated 02:03 pm

US envoy visits Gen Prem

US Ambassador to Thailand Eric G John met Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda at his residence Thursday.

It is unclear about objectives of the John’s visit.
Also visiting Prem were Suankulab alumni who said they wished to give moral support to Prem. However they could not meet him due to Prem’s meeting with John.

Vice Admiral Pajun Tamprateep, a head of the Office of the Statesman Foundation, recieved a bouquet from the group on behalf of Prem. Pajunsaid that Prem thanked everyone for coming.