Food for thought

.... just for FOOD FOR THOUGHT ... courtesy of Peacefulness, translated by Khun Krajog

"MATICHON Daily, Aug. 4, 2009
edition 11469

The War We Will Never Be Defeated
By Vasit Dejkunchorn *

I have sympathized with those who told me that they are fed up and tired of the campaign of the supporters of Thaksin, the ex-PM who fled the country to avoid his court conviction for his criminal act and lives as a fugitive abroad. Those who complained to me gave their reasons that the campaign organized by Thaksin’s supporters was repetitive and boring old stuff. And we know they have done it not out of foolishness or lack of sense for reality. But they do it intentionally and shamelessly. They all know what they are doing is grossly deceitful.

I know about it same with those complainants. But I do not allow my self to be tired of it or get bored with it. Because I believe that the rally organized by Thaksin’s supporters is part of the psychological warfare to brain-wash the people to the point that they all lose their confident in the democratic system with a monarch as head of state. Their final aim is to allow Thaksin to return to Thailand triumphantly as if he is free of any guilt despite the fact that he has been found committing many serious crimes and yet to serve his sentence and still has to face the court in many cases.

If we feel tired or get bored with the situation and do nothing, allowing Thaksin and his mobsters to make noise as pleased at their rally stages and through all kinds of media. It may make some people to falsely believe in what they hear. If so, the situation will be as Thaksin and his supporters want it to be.

I have written about the tactics of Thaksin’s psychological warfare but I would like to sum it up again in this column for the readers to understand.
Thaksin’s tactics include the following steps of action.

(1) Making attempt to destroy the Thai people’s trust and confidence in the monarchy. It’s not a direct attack at the monarch but by way of attacking the Privy Council demanding the President of the Privy Council and other councilors to resign their posts. Thaksin’s supporters know well that all privy councilors were appointed by the king under his own discretion and in accordance with the royal prerogatives as provided in the constitution.

(2) Thaksin had given interview to foreign reporters saying that His Majesty the King knew in advance of the Sept. 2006 military coup, implying that His Majesty did agree with and support the coup makers.

(3) During his many phone-in to address his supporters at their rallies, Thaksin announced that he can only return to Thailand under the kindness of His Majesty the King. This was intentionally to give his supporters a false understanding that His Majesty the King has the royal prerogatives to give him the royal permission for his return to Thailand even though he is a convict and still being charged with criminal offences.

(4) The newest tactic of Thaksin’s supporters is to persuade (deceive) the unsuspecting people to submit their names to support the petition prepared by those Thaksin’s supporters for presenting to H.M. the King. The petition aims to request for the granting of the royal pardon for Thaksin’s crimes. They all know that the ancient tradition of presenting a petition to the king must be done by the person who is serving his court sentence or suffering a hardship unless that person is unable to do so by himself. Thaksin, currently, does not serve his jail term as convicted but lives comfortably in his private residence as a billionaire with a private jet to fly anywhere as he wants. He also boasts about his ability to invest in any mega-project abroad.

(5) At the same time, the cronies of Thaksin had repeatedly run a TV documentary on French Revolution in 1789-99. It was implying that the French Revolution resulted in the end of the absolute monarchy system of government in France while Thailand is still in a democratic system, in which a monarch is head of state in accordance with the constitution.

Thaksin and his cronies are well aware that the petition cannot be served directly to His Majesty the King. It must be delivered to the Royal Secretariat, the official channel for all petitions. Supposing that the name list of the petition makers contains up to a million names or more as claimed, it would be the duty of the Royal Secretariat to check the authenticity of all the names. This will take a lot of time, possibly several months. It’s possible that in the meantime, Thaksin and his supporters would launch an attack that the Royal Secretariat might use a delay tactic unfairly and other accusations. And that may make those people doubtful of His Majesty’s kindness and helpfulness.

If H.M. The King cannot grant the royal pardon on technicality, the possibility is that His Majesty would be accused of lacking the senses of kindness and helpfulness. And if the royal pardon is granted, H.M. the King would risk being accused of having power above the constitution as the prosecutors already filed the case with the court and other cases are yet to be on trial or that the court had delivered its verdict for the defendant to be sentenced but the defendant fled and became a fugitive, yet the king could grant the royal pardon. Thaksin and his cronies might have thought that no matter what the case may be, head or tail, they would be on the winning side both way.

This is the reason why all Thai people who love the country, the King and believing in religion should not be tired of or getting bored with what Thaksin and his cronies are doing but must closely watch them and follow their actions continuously and relentlessly.

Please don’t claim that you don’t know what to do or having no duty or position or subordinates or not any more serving as state official, etc. Please reconsider your capability and you will see that everyone still has his or her duty, position, subordinates and not yet out of duty until death or incapacitate.

The duty of Thai people as a master of the house or a housewife still have children, grand children, relatives, friends, neighbours, servants, etc. within his or her circle of influence. If a person as such sacrifice a little of his or her time on a daily basis to talk with those people close to him and her to know that our country is facing a big problem due to the madness of a billionaire who’s so fond of money and power and turned himself into a criminal and is trying to destroy the nation. If everyone pools their effort to explain to their children, relatives and friends to help them understand the real situation, it won’t be long before they know the situation correctly and not be fooled by Thaksin and his cronies and they will not become victims of psychological warfare Thaksin and his cronies are doing against the Thai people in general and our beloved country.

Thaksin and his cronies will not stop their movements but would try every gimmick to come back into power. If we carefully consider the situation, it would not be long for us to see that the psychological warfare Thaksin and his cronies are waging, no matter how long it’s going to be, will not turn into a victory unless they could really destroy the country’s principal institutions such the court of justice and the monarchy.
If that day would come, the war will not end but it will continue ceaselessly and would be come more violent beyond the ability of Thaksin and his cronies could expect. This is because Thaksin’s opponents will be the Thai people all over the country.

About the author of the original article

*Vasit Dejkunchorn is a retired Police General and former Head of the Palace Police Corps. "