He can just kiss FM Surakiart's hopes of making UNSG goodbye right now.

PM says foreign criticism does not worry him
Govt doing all it can to exercise restraint
Bangkok Post, 2 May 2004

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has defended the government's handling of violence in the South, saying he does not care if some foreign countries do not understand.

Speaking in his weekly radio address, Mr Thaksin said people overseas had raised questions concerning the violence last Wednesday in which 106 Muslim militants were killed and 17 arrested.

He said those arrested after the attacks had admitted they were fighting to advance the cause of separatism.

They had been used by people wanting to expand their influence in drugs and contraband. Their attack on government positions, and the military's reponse, was reported worldwide, damaging the country's image.

Mr Thaksin said critics should remember that 97 people had been killed and more than 90 injured in violence in the South in the last four months.

On Wednesday, hundreds of armed militants charged government positions with intent to kill. Government forces had to fight back to protect themselves. Even so, five were killed and 15 others injured, Mr Thaksin said. Nobody wanted to see Thai people kill one another, he said.

``Some foreign countries have expressed their readiness to interfere and what I can say is that we have done everything we can to exercise restraint.

``If they do not understand, we will explain to them. If we have explained and still they do not understand, that's their problem.

``We are not begging for food. We have to stand on our own feet and do everything according to the law.''

Mr Thaksin said the government wanted to solve southern problems through peaceful means.

Mr Thaksin has sent portable satellite communications gear to Fourth Army commander Lt-Gen Pisarn Wattanawongkeeree, so he can report directly to him.

The equipment, worth nearly one million baht, is owned by the prime minister himself. It was delivered to Ingkhayuthboriharn military camp in Pattani on Friday. The source said Lt-Gen Pisarn often lost contact with Mr Thaksin when talking on his mobile phone.

Mr Thaksin is expected to visit the South again this week.

SIDELINES: A well-timed diversionary tactic

Published on May 2, 2004
The Nation, Bangkok

Friday should have been a day of national mourning over the bloodbath in the South. As CEO, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra should have offered some words of consolation for the bereaved families of the dead.

Flowery words and official speeches would not have resurrected them, of course, but a few words would have been appropriate. Our CEO could have made a strong plea for reconciliation, just as the negative reactions were beginning to pour in over the massacre at the mosque in Pattani.

Instead, what the public saw on television was our CEO standing solemn-faced at Government House, lamenting the predicament of his youngest daughter, who will not be able to study at Chulalongkorn University due to low grades.

It took about half an hour for him to pour out his fatherly grief over how unfair it was that his daughter had received so much publicity in print, on the radio and on prime-time TV.

He moaned about how unfair it was that his daughter had been cast in a bad light in the wake of the weeks-long scandal over the entrance-exam leaks. “She did not deserve what she got simply because her father was serving the nation.”

In a previous outburst, one quite different in mood from his sombre appearance on Friday, he cynically blurted out: “Why shouldn’t the girl study at the famous university? Is she the daughter of a bandit?”

Of course, what he failed to recognise is that the son or daughter of a bandit has every right to study at any educational institution – if he or she possesses the proper qualifications.

The solo performance on Friday was quite exceptional. Nobody knows exactly why he chose to highlight the issue on the same day the nation was dealing with a pressing crisis, one that could potentially steer Thailand towards grave and unpredictable consequences.

The CEO’s words about his daughter’s plight were touching indeed. His teary eyes helped elicit sympathy and understanding from the crowd. The appeal reached its emotional peak when he asked that the girl not be dragged into politics simply because her father was doing his best for the national interest.

Those not acquainted with our CEO’s track record may well have been moved to tears by this impressive show. Clearly, it was a first-rate tear-jerker, carried out with careful spin and Oscar-worthy emotion.

Some naive people in the media fell for it. The more emotional journalists out there may have been tempted to blame themselves for breaking the heart of a father with a hard-luck story to tell.

There are some other points to be cleared up for the public record. Nobody has said anything bad about the CEO’s daughter. The media and other social gossips have focused their attention on the few adults involved in the scandal.

Who actually dragged our CEO’s daughter into the political and social spotlight? She is a public figure. When the girl got a job at a junk-food outlet, our CEO brought in dozens of news reporters and TV crews to show off. Everyone was happy. The media effect was good and served the desired purpose. Our CEO knows that a public figure can have both good and bad press. With well-planned PR stunt shows and smooth spin, the media can be manipulated according to the needs of any agenda. Does anyone understand the nature of media people better than our CEO?

Finally, who eventually benefited most from the entrance-exam scandal, if not our CEO? His daughter’s woes came at just the right time. They were played up to protect the CEO from the negative impact of the bloodbath in the South.

Oh! Those tear drops also helped dilute the critical questions just waiting to be asked about the massacre, which attracted worldwide attention. The simple diversionary tactic worked pretty well, as usual.

Why? The CEO does not like standing there alone with all those unpleasant questions coming at him from all directions. If he has something to say about the crisis in the South, he prefers to do so alone, in a one-way flow of information, like during his radio talk yesterday. Any questions?

Sopon Onkgara