Thaksin plays victim
Deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told ecstatic but peaceful supporters on Saturday that only royal kindness and people's power would allow him to return home.
He spoke by telephone to tens of thousands of pro-government backers who filled the 60,000 seats in a sea of read and overflowed onto the entire football pitch and running track at Rajamangala National Stadium.
"Good evening fellow citizens who love democracy. Can you remember my voice? I miss you."
- Mr Thaksin begins his address
He told his supporters that he could not return to Thailand because he had been sentenced to prison. But he suggested a royal pardon could allow him to come home.
"No one can bring me home apart from royal kindness or the power of the people," he said in a videophone appearance. It was unclear whether he planned to seek a royal pardon.
"Injustice has risen because of a need to get one man and one party. Democracy is being challenged. We must stand up to resist a military coup because democracy is the soul of national administration. The economy will stabilise only when the political system is just," he said.
"The political system is marred with injustice. Law enforcement is futile. The government is helpless. This is all the fruits of a coup.
"Independent agencies are deprived of independence. There is a divisiveness in ideology which is the result of the justice system. If we cannot do away with dictatorship, there is no chance for Thailand to return to peace," he said.
A second video presentation, produced by political talk show Kwam Jing Wan Nee (The Truth Today), recounted Thaksin's misfortune during his time as prime minister. It was shown as a prelude before Thaksin phoned in.
Mr Thaksin's phone call and the two video presentations were the highlight of the 12-hour political rally organised by the pro-government United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD).
It was the first time Mr. Thaksin had spoken directly to supporters since he fled the country in August amid corruption charges. He has since been sentenced to two years in prison by the Supreme Court's special section for politicians.
At least 2,000 police and soldiers were mobilised to guard against violence at the rally amid long-running political unrest in the capital. But in the end, they were unneeded. The gathering was peaceful, and there was no confrontation by anti-government groups.
Mr. Thaksin's opponents - led by the Peoples Alliance for Democracy - have occupied Government House, the prime minister's residence, since August demanding the government step down.
Gothom Arya, the director of the Research Centre for Peace Building at Mahidol University, deplored Thaksin's speech, saying it was not likely to resolve the political stalemate.
The former prime minister's comments were aimed at restoring his own reputation and seeking a return to Thailand, he said.
Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, the rector of the Institute of Development Administration (Nida), said a royal pardon in Thaksin's case was not possible because he has not started serving his time. An amnesty law also is not the way out. Thaksin cannot expect a law to be enacted exclusively to exonerate him.
PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila denounced Thaksin for making references to the monarchy, saying the former prime minister's remarks could mislead the public to think that his return depended on the institution.
Bangkok Post Nov. 2, 2008Of course convicted felons on the run cannot risk incarceration by coming home. But how could the king pardon him as long as he's on the run? He would have to start doing his time first. And "people power" to help him? How could "people power" overturn his sentence legitimately? I expected more of that guy.