Bangkok(AsiaNews/Agencies) - The junta that ousted Thaksin Shinawatra four months ago has tightened the screws on the deposed Thai premier, revoking his diplomatic passport and banning broadcasters from reporting on him.
General Winai Phatthiyakul, the junta’s secretary-general, met radio and television executives yesterday to “request co-operation” in not covering news about the exiled leader released through hisBangkoklawyer, Noppadon Patama. He told the broadcasters to “exercise extreme caution when presenting reports concerning Thaksin”. “He should not create confusion by engaging in a media war” with the junta, he added. The junta also warned the media against giving too much coverage to figures in Thai Rak Thai, the political party founded by Mr Thaksin.
The military council “can accept criticism from the public but not from ousted government figures who have abused power,” said a junta spokesman, Col. Sunsern Kaewkamnerd.
The junta also reminded broadcasters thatThailandwas under martial law and that one of its first orders after toppling Mr. Thaksin’s government in September was to allow the generals to close news outlets that failed to comply, he added.
Analysts say that one of the earliest promises made by the military generals when they took over the country was that they would quickly lift the censorship of the media imposed in the hours after the coup.
Meanwhile, ministry spokesman Songphol Sukchan said it had revoked Mr Thaksin and his wife’s diplomatic passports because of heightened security concerns after the bombings inBangkokthat killed three and injured dozens on December 31. “The revocation is already effective, and Thaksin has already been notified,” he said, but the couple could apply for normal passports.
The military-installed government has accused factions loyal to Mr Thaksin of being behind the blasts—a charge which the former premier, through his lawyer Noppadol Patama, has denied.
Coming at a time when confidence in the interim government has slumped, this measure is bound to cause further alarm, both insideThailandand abroad, experts say.
Mr. Thaksin was inNew Yorkwhen the military toppled his government and has not returned. The billionaire businessman has since remained in exile, hopping betweenLondon,Beijing, Hong Kong andBali. Mr. Noppadon said at a news conference on Wednesday that he had just met with Mr. Thaksin inHong Kong, and that he said he had no intention of returning to politics.
“Thaksin wants this year to be a year of reconciliation,” he said. “Thaksin said he will not do anything or support any group acting against the stability of the government. He has said he has no intention of coming back as prime minister. He will not run in the next general election.”
Also on Wednesday, Mr. Thaksin’s son, Panthongtae Shinawatra, was questioned by an anticorruption panel inBangkokover his sale of shares in the Shin Corporation, his father’s telecom giant.
Mr. Thaksin’s family sold its 49 percent stake in Shin to Temasek for $1.9 billion under a tax-free deal in January, setting off months of street protests accusing Mr. Thaksin of corruption and abuse of power.
