Thursday, August 4, 2011

Is the final word delivered in Bangkok or Dubai?


I suspect that some mysterious "sources within the Pheu Thai Party" are spreading rumours to get their own way without realizing that they are undermining the very foundation of Yingluck Shinawatra, the presumptive prime minister.

I say "mysterious" because several newspapers this morning ran almost identical stories about the discussions being held in Dubai about who should be in the new Cabinet that almost sounded like Yingluck has nothing to do with the new line-up at all, despite the fact that she has been insisting almost everyday that she and party leader Yongyuth Vichaidit have been empowered by the party's executive committee to make the final decisions.

But what you read in the papers suggest something else. The reports say that Thaksin's ex-wife Pojaman and her brother Bannapot as well as Thaksin's other sister Yaowapa Wongsawasdi (wife of former premier, Somchai), were huddling in Dubai over the composition of the new Cabinet.

The "leaked story" says that Thaksin would like some red-shirt leaders to be in the new Cabinet and that some representatives of business conglomerates should also be there. But, according to these mysterious sources again, Khunying Pojaman was against the idea because she would like the new line-up to reflect a sense of national reconciliation, so that it would be easier to pave the way for Thaksin's own return to Thailand.

As usual, these stories can't be verified. The only way to assess their credibility is whether there are denials from those mentioned in the stories.

As of this writing, 10.38 am of Thursday, August 4, there still isn't any comment from Dubai.

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