Let the real debate begin

The opposition's censure debate against five Cabinet members,including Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, begins at 9.30 today. Thaksin's Pheau Thai Party will have to prove that it can operate as a real opposition party that can effectively grill the Democrat-led government.

Of course, I am talking about substance, not just hot rhetoric. We shall see what happens in the next 48 hours.

Thaksin steps up his 'phone-in' offensive

Thaksin Shinawatra has stepped up his "phone-in" offensive, hoping to keep his chances of returning to power alive. But the harder he tries, the more he seems trapped in his own illusion. His phone calls have all also emboldened his supporters to resort to more violent acts. A ping-pong bomb was thrown in Pathum Thani on Saturday near where Deputy Premier Suthep Thuagsuban was taking part in a local event.

Yesterday, the former premier made at least two "phone-in appearances" at the gatherings of the "red-shirted protestors." In the morning, he was calling into a rally at a temple in Minburi, on Bangkok's suburbs. In the evening, his voice was heard in the eastern province of Chantaburi.

The messages were more or less the same. Thaksin was telling his supporters to cheer up and to come out against the Abhisit government so that he could return to power at home.

At one point, he even played the role of a mob instigator. Thaksin told the protestors to join what he described as a "big rally" on March 29 to demonstrate their support for Thaksin and against Abhisit.

It seems Thaksin is getting more desperate by the day.

Now, Thaksin says he should thank the coup-makers

With a tongue-in-cheek tone, Thaksin Shinawatr said today that he should probably thank the military for freezing his assets in Thai banks -- because he could have otherwise made unwise investments in stocks and might have lost all his fortune.

"I don't know whether I should condemn or thank the military junta when they froze my assets in Thailand, otherwise I probably would have invested a lot in the stock exchange and lost it," he said.

Thaksin finally made his long-promoted live televised speech to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong today. The speech was also relayed on to the Foreign Correspondents Club in Thailand.

But then, he showed his real intention when he added: "I hope I can get it back too because it's my family's money."

That, it seems, is the more difficult part of his struggle with Thai authorities.

It seems to me that Thaksin was reading from a prepared text when he commented on the financial meltdown in the United States. The phrases and expressions he used didn't seem natural to him. He blamed on "financial wizards" and "slumbering regulators"

But when the question-answer session came, the exchange was mostly about his personal life and not about the world recession.

"I wish to see my country back to normal but if you want to (have) clapping hands, you need both hands, not just one. Both sides need to reach an agreement," he said.

Would you want to buy this house?

What if the neighbours say the same thing about this guy?

Should Jiles decide to meet Abhisit in London...

Will there be a face-to-face meeting between PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and Jiles Ungphakorn in London later this week?

Jiles is on the run from an arrest warrant against him on lese majeste charge. He has issued a strongly-worded statement explaining his position on the country's monarchy. PM Abhisit is scheduled to visit England March 13-14 during which he is expected to give a talk at Oxford University, his alma mater.

Acting government spokesman Panitan Watanayakorn said yesterday that he had heard news that Jiles may be attending the PM's lecture.

What will Jiles tell the PM and vice versa? That promises to be very interesting indeed, in view of their vastly divergent stands on the lese majeste law in Thailand and the heated debate that has been going on, both in the open and behind the scenes.

Stay tuned!

The curious case of a flying sandal

Caught in the act was this sandal which was flying over the head of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday when he was visiting a local health station in the central province of Lopburi.

Bottles and posters were also hurled in the direction of the premier but they all missed him.

The premier could still manage a smile when informed of the incident. "I don't really mind," he told reporters. "All I want is to find out just what the protestors really want."

Well, obviously,they don't want him, that's for sure. As to the reason why, he will have to ask Thaksin Shinawtra.

Yellow Shirts to form party...what about Red Shirts?

I am all for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD)'s decision to set up a political party instead of returning to "street politics" which may have lost its effectiveness now that the red-shirts have virtually copied PAD's every move.

News has leaked that PAD's core leaders have taken the steps to form a political party, tentatively called "Candle of Justice," so that they could pursue "new politcs" in an open, transparent and persistent way.

PM Abhisit Vejjajiva has said he is in favour of more competition in the political arena.

Now the the "Yellow Shirts" have opted to form a party, the "Red Shirts" should do the same, to avoid being called Thaksin Shinawatra's nominee.