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The junta bans Thaksins interview with the Times paper



 
 
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Old November 10th, 2009, 05:34 PM posted to soc.culture.thai,rec.travel.asia
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Default The junta bans Thaksins interview with the Times paper

November 10, 2009
Thai government bans Thaksin Shinawatra interview with The Times
Thaksin Shinawatra

(Charney Magri/The Times)

Thaksin Shinawatra: wants reform of the monarchy
Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor

* 27 Comments

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The Thai government has banned an interview in The Times with the
ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and warned that its
security agencies will take “appropriate actions” against any media
organisations that report his remarks about the country’s royal
family.

A spokesman for Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Prime Minister, warned
journalists not to report the contents of the interview and hinted
that the Government would use the country’s draconian lèse-majesté
law, which imposes sentences of up to 12 years in jail for insulting
the king or his family.

Internet users in Thailand said last night that it was impossible to
access the news article, in which Thaksin spoke of his hopes for his
country after the death of the revered King, Bhumibol Adulyadej. It is
not clear whether this is a result of censorship but the Ministry of
Information routinely blocks web pages that are deemed to contain
information unflattering to the monarchy.

According to the Bangkok Post, Thepthai Senpong, Mr Abhisit’s
spokesman, said that “the comments in the interview were offensive to
the royal institution”. He added that the ruling Democrat Party would
recommend “appropriate action” by the Government and security agencies
against media that report the interview.
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“I would like to say that Thaksin’s interview violates the monarchy,
which is the country’s main institution,” Kasit Piromya, the Thai
Foreign Minister, told reporters in Bangkok. “I wonder what the hidden
agenda was that caused him to make this inappropriate move. In his
interview, there are several parts referring to His Majesty the King,
the Crown Prince and the monarchy, and [they] also refer to His
Majesty’s role in politics.”

He said that the Justice Ministry would consider whether to charge
Thaksin with lèse-majesté on top of the two-year prison sentence
imposed upon him in absentia for a land deal transacted during his
five years as Prime Minister.

The controversy over the interview focuses on Thaksin’s remarks about
Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn. He emphasised his loyalty to King
Bhumibol, who has been in hospital for seven weeks but spoke of his
hopes for a lesspoliticised royal palace after the king’s passing.

Mr Thaksin issued a statement saying that The Times’s report was
“distorted” and “untrue”. The text of the interview, posted on Times
Online, matches the recording of the conversation and was transcribed
by a press representative of Mr Thaksin.

Mr Kasit said that Thailand would begin extradition proceedings
against Mr Thaksin today, as he arrives in the Cambodian capital,
Phnom Penh. It will be his first time back in the region since fleeing
in August last year, and the trip is aggravating tensions between the
neighbours.
 




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