“I hope the memory of what happened 11 years ago has not faded from the hearts of Thai people,” Thaksin wrote in English via his account @thaksinlive. “I am, and will always be, concerned about the livelihood of my fellow Thai citizens.”

Thaksin’s former deputy Chaturon Chaisang joined the former premier by tweeting: “A while after the 2006 coup, I was asked how long it would take Thailand to return to democracy. I replied that it might take a long time. As of today, that is even outdated compared to how it used to be 11 years ago.”

On September 19, 2006, the military staged a coup against Thaksin’s elected caretaker government after two years of protests against the businessmanturnedpolitician’s administration over a series of corruption issues.

The coup was followed by a decade of political turmoil and shortterm governments before Prime Minister General Prayut Chanocha, then the Army chief, staged another coup in May 2014. He has ruled Thailand since.

Thaksin’s tweets were his second online appearance in a week after his daughter, Pintongta Kunakornwong, posted photos and clips of Thaksin with her husband and twin daughters in the UK.

That post coincided with the schedule of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who was visiting the UK from last Tuesday to Friday on the invitation of the British government.

Despite speculation that Prawit had talked with Thaksin, the deputy premier denied that he had met him about his sister, former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whom security forces have been tracking after she disappeared before hearing a Supreme Court verdict related to her government’s ricepledging scheme last month. “I left during the daytime and [Thaksin] came at night. How could we meet? He and I also went through different airports,” Prawit said.

Meanwhile, Prayut said authorities had not caught Yingluck because “they”, in reference to other countries, had not agreed to extradite her. “We can only wait,” he said.

Prayut said earlier Thailand had contacted Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates in pursuit of Yingluck.

Yesterday, Prayut led a mobile Cabinet meeting in Ayutthaya as a part of a twoday field trip focusing on local development issues in the Central region.

On Monday in Suphan Buri, he met with key figures from the Chart Thai Pattana Party, the first time that he had met with local politicians despite his professed distaste for political figures.

Prapat Pothasuthon, a Chart Thai Pattana Party veteran and former minister, told Prayut that it would be fine for the junta premier to stay in power for “eight or 10 years” as long as he considered people’s wellbeing.

Prayut said later that the meeting did not involve a political deal regarding the muchdelayed election. “They only came to acknowledge what we are doing,” he said. “It was just a step towards reconciliation to settle things for the next election.”

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said it was too soon to guess whether Chart Thai Pattana might join forces with the military in the election. The meeting was not unusual, Abhisit said, given that the politicians came from the province and the talks had not caused any harm.

However, he added that it was essential for the junta to follow its socalled “roadmap to democracy”. “Failing to do so would bring more damage than that caused, as they said, by democracy,” he said.

AFTER MYANMAR’S leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in a national address yesterday that she did not fear global scrutiny over the Rohingya crisis, UN human rights investigators said they needed “full and unfettered” access to Rakhine state to investigate.

“It is important for us to see with our own eyes the sites of these alleged violations,” the head of the UN-backed fact-finding mission, Marzuki Darusman, told the UN Human Rights Council. “There is a grave humanitarian crisis underway that requires urgent attention.”

The mission was set up in March to investigate possible human rights violations across Myanmar, with a particular focus on alleged crimes committed against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

In her live televised address from Nay Pyi Taw, Suu Kyi appealed for outside observers to visit Myanmar and see the situation for themselves – despite the severe restrictions her government has placed on access to the conflict zone in Rakhine state.

Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi delivers a national address in Naypyidaw on September 19, 2017. Aung San Suu Kyi said on September 19 she “feels deeply” for the suffering of “all people” caught up in conflict scorching through Rakhine state, her first comments on a crisis that also mentioned Muslims displaced by violence. // AFP PHOTO

“We invite you to join us, to talk to us, to discuss with us, to go with us to the problem areas, where we can guarantee security for you,” she said. “We would like you to join us there, see for yourself what is happening, think for yourself, what can you do to remove these problems?”

Conflict in Rakhine state has spiked since late last month after insurgents attacked security outposts, prompting a heavy-handed “clearance operation” by Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, that has forced more than 410,000 Muslim Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh, which had already sheltered more than 300,000 Rohingya who left Myanmar between 2005 and 2015.

“We feel deeply for the suffering of all the people who have been caught up in the conflict,” Suu Kyi said. “Those who have had to flee their homes are many. Not just Muslims and [ethnic] Rakhines, but also small minority groups,” she said, while avoiding using the term “Rohingya”.

Myanmar political elite and much of society have never recognised Rohingya as an ethnic group and have refused them citizenship rights.

Myanmar citizens hold the national flag and placards as they attend a public gathering held to listen to the live speech made by Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in front of City Hall in Yangon, Myanmar, 19 September 2017. // EPA-EFE

The national address was seen as a pre-emptive measure to forestall criticism at the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, which Suu Kyi has refused to attend. She delivered her speech in English in front of diplomats and representatives from international organisations, while she called for patience and understanding regarding the unfurling crisis in her “fragile democracy”.

But she offered no solutions to what the UN has called “ethnic cleansing” in Rakhine state, where army-led operations are accused of atrocities and burning Rohingya homes, and she refused to point the finger at the military.

Rights group Amnesty International said the Nobel peace laureate was “burying her head in the sand” over documented army abuses and claims of rape, murder and the systematic clearing of scores of villages.

Inside Myanmar, Suu Kyi’s supporters say the 72-year-old leader lacks the authority to rein in the military, which ran the country for 50 years and only ceded limited powers to the civilian government.

“She is trying to claw back some degree of credibility with the international community, without saying too much that will get her in trouble with the [military] and Burmese people who don’t like the Rohingya in the first place,” said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.

While the international community expressed disappointment, Suu Kyi’s address was widely welcomed at home as thousands of people gathered in public places in many major cities such as Yangon and Mandalay to show their support for the de facto national leader.

People hold the Myanmar national flag and placards as they attend a public gathering to listen to the live speech of Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi in front of City Hall in Yangon on September 19, 2017. // AFP PHOTO

Social media users, particularly on Facebook, changed their profile pictures to show support for Suu Kyi and the government’s stance on the crisis.

A Yangon-based intellectual, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Rohingya were not a Myanmar ethnic minority. He said “Bengalis” had crossed the porous border into Rakhine state over many years, adding that in towns close to the border, 98 per cent of the population were “Bengalis”, while ethnic Rakhine had been mistreated.

“This message has never been reported. Now as usual, western countries and media are using this to get attention and make the world know that they are doing great things. It is just one side of the coin, which I view as unfair,” he told The Nation.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, whose administration has aligned its stance with that of Myanmar’s government, said Thailand was ready to provide support on a humanitarian basis. “We have helped them all the time, tell us if they need more help,” he said, responding to reporters asking about Suu Kyi’s speech.

“I hope the memory of what happened 11 years ago has not faded from the hearts of Thai people,” he said, in English, via his Twitter account @thaksinlive. “I am, and will always be, concerned about the livelihood of my fellow Thai citizens.”

On September 19, 2006, then-Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin staged a coup against Thaksin’s elected caretaker government after two years of protests against the businessman-turned-politician’s administration over a series of alleged corruption issues.

Thaksin was ousted in mid-air while on a flight to New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

The coup was followed by a decade of political turmoil and short-termed governments and premiers, before General Prayut Chan-o-cha, as the then-Army chief, staged another coup in May 2014 and has ruled Thailand since.

The tweet, meanwhile, is the second time that Thaksin has made statements via his social-media account since his sister, former PM Yingluck Shinawatra, disappeared last month ahead of the verdict against her in a case stemming from her alleged negligence in her government’s management of a controversial rice-pledging scheme.

Yingluck was nowhere to be seen on August 25, when she was due to hear the ruling, leaving her former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom to face a sentence of 42 years in jail for faking rice deals in relation to the scheme.

The whereabouts of Thaksin’s fugitive sister are still unknown.

Five days later, Thaksin quoted French philosopher Montesquieu, who said: “There is no crueller tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.”

Pornpetch could not confirm when the promised election would be held, saying legislative processes could prolong the timetable.

Processes such as the deliberations of a joint law-review committee and the Constitutional Court need to be considered when deciding on the election date, he said.

The resetting of the Election Commision (EC) should not affect the time frame, he said, and the current commission members would remain in charge and continue to work until the new members took office.

The Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) had 240 days from when the Constitution was promulgated in April to complete 10 organic bills. Four of which – namely the bill on the EC, the political parties, the members of House of Representatives, and the Senate – were required before an election could be held.

Pornpetch said the CDC had told him the last two bills on the Lower and Upper Houses would be submitted to the NLA no later than early December and the NLA can hold them for another 60 days before further proceedings. There were no reasons for any delays, he said.

The bills could be proposed for royal endorsement after the NLA’s deliberation, he said.

He said it was normal that a joint law-review committee was set up as involved agencies could not agree on stipulations. Only the bill on the legal procedures against politicians had passed smoothly, but only because the courts had not been allowed by the Constitution to raise objections.

“So, we’d have to see whether the two bills on the MPs and the Senate would also need a review by the joint committee,” the NLA president said. They were difficult because opinions of both the people and political parties had to be heeded, he said.

If they failed to pass the NLA, Pornpetch said the CDC would need to redo the work. But it should not take long because the circumstance would force it to be quick.

As there is concern that this could delay the election, Pornpetch said the CDC would have to speed up the work, if that was necessary. He declined to give an exact time frame for rewriting the bills.

Asked whether reconciliation should be achieved before the election, he said it was what people wanted but it was not a requirement. The election was more about the road map, while national unity was the goal of the National Council for Peace and Order, Pornpetch said.

Relatives of some of those killed in the crackdown against red-shirt protesters yesterday submitted a complaint letter to the Office of the Attorney-General, urging the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to reinvestigate the case of malfeasance against Abhisit and his then-deputy Suthep Thaugsuban in connection with the incident.

The Supreme Court had last month dismissed the case against the two.

Abhisit said that while he felt sympathetic towards relatives of the victims who wanted to know the truth in order to see justice, he noted that they had not opposed the controversial blanket amnesty bill when it was tabled by then-Pheu Thai MPs and supported by the Yingluck Shinawatra-led government, even although the proposed measure would have granted amnesty for those who were involved in the crackdown.

“So, it’s strange that they did not oppose [the bill] at that time, but now they make the move [asking for a reopening of the case]. They have no [justifiable] stance. I know there is an attempt to turn the matter into a political issue,” he explained.

He added that if then-PM Yingluck had not made the issue part of a political game or had not wanted him and Suthep to be punished from the outset, and had instead investigated under normal procedure, justice could have been achieved for all those concerned.

Abhisit said he also believed that in the future, there would be an attempt to use this issue as a hostage to pave the way for an amnesty for those involved in the 2010 violence.

However, he stressed that it was up to the NACC to consider whether to reopen the case against him and Suthep, in accordance with the law.

It appeared that only Prayut and Deputy prime minister and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan were not required to go through scanning machines before entering Wat Mahathat temple. Others, including 89 monks who came for a merit-making ceremony, were asked to be thoroughly checked.

“In that case, I’m afraid the premier will be the only one who will make merit,” said a temple officer to the security officer, who was not allowed to respond.

The ceremony eventually went ahead before the Cabinet members rode a tram to Ayutthaya historical park, where they opened a market and national artist Kwanjit Sriprajan welcomed them by singing folk songs.

Police Chief Pol General Chakthip Chaijinda and the commander of the Patrol and Special Operation Division personally oversaw security.

The Cabinet meeting was expected to focus on the repair of 17 piers along the Chao Phraya river, construction of a new motorway and tollway, construction of a station for high-speed trains, land transport in Ayutthaya, tourism development in Saraburi, and water management in Angthong

NACC officials will be prosecuted if they fail to conclude the probes they are responsible for within such a timescale, he said.

Under the new process, cases will be investigated directly by NACC officials instead of by subcommittees, as has been the practice up to now.

By doing this, the time required for conducting and completing a probe can be shortened, he explained.

In addition, while the NACC’s provincial branches will be retained, they will be mainly assigned public-relations tasks and receiving asset information from local politicians and administrators.

Investigative power will instead belong to regional NACC officials, who will be directly appointed by NACC headquarters, Meechai said, reasoning that “local corruption doesn’t happen every day”.

The new bill will also maintain the independence of the NACC, such as by authorising it to file cases to the court if prosecutors are not prepared to do so.

However, if prosecutors consider that a case lacks sufficient detail, the NACC will be obliged to seek such information and add the said details to the case, the chief charter-drafter added.

Social activist Srisuwan Janya earlier filed a complaint with the Auditor-General, asking it to investigate Interior Minister and former Army chief General Anupong Paochinda over the Bt350-million airship that was recently decommissioned after only eight years in service.

Srisuwan urged Pisit to scrutinise whether the purchase was legitimate. If not, his office should send the case to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further punishment, Srisuwan said.

Pisit said the Auditor-General would scrutinise how frequently the airship was used as well as whether the usage matched the purpose stated before the purchase.

The blimp was purchased when Anupong was serving as the Army chief in 2009 under the administration of prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Intended to conduct air patrols to detect terrorist movements in the deep South, it cost Bt50 million annually for maintenance in addition to the original purchase price of Bt350 million.

Srisuwan said it might not have been a good purchase given the fact that it had never fulfilled its job in alerting the Army of terror attacks.

He added that, as well as Anupong, the then Cabinet should be held accountable for allowing such a purchase.

The activist said that this issue should demonstrate whether the Office of the Auditor-General could work fairly. The matter should not be left to slide, as in the case of the Navy’s controversial submarine purchase, because it was widely known how inefficient and ineffective the airship had been, he said.

Srisuwan said he would like Pisit to take charge of this case before he retires this month.

In his letter, the activist also pointed out that the blimp was old technology that dated back to World War I and was designed for patrolling above natural forest. It was not fit for purpose in the deep South, where terror attacks mostly were in the city, he said.

Srisuwan also questioned the sincerity of the military’s recent move to demand compensation from the company that sold the blimp.

Meanwhile, NACC president Pol General Watcharaphol Prasanratchakit said the NACC could reconsider the case if new evidence is presented.

In 2015, the NACC dismissed a case of malfeasance against former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who allegedly oversaw the purchase of the airship that critics have called overpriced.

FROM PLANTING RICE and meditating to lecturing citizens about elections, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha kept busy during the first day of his field visit to Suphan Buri and Ayutthaya yesterday.

The two-day trip by Prayut and his Cabinet put a focus on Thailand’s Central region, with water management at the top of the agenda during the flood season. Other issues for discussion included land-sea infrastructure connectivity, irrigation, garbage management, and rice research and development.

But the essential purpose behind the field trip was for the premier to get his feet on the ground and come face-to-face with local people from all walks of life.

The first local resident he met was the abbot from Wat Pa Lelai Worawihan, where he made merit at the start of the trip. “Whenever you get stressed, just inhale deeply and exhale 10 times,” the abbot of Suphan Buri’s sacred temple told him. “Act like a hand. You can’t have something new if you don’t let go of the old thing.”

Prayut abruptly replied: “But the old things are not finished. What else can I do? Also, I can’t breathe and count to 10. I can do as many as three and then I burst again. Still, I’ll keep trying,”

Later in the day, he compared Thai people with the frogs from Aesop’s fable “The Frogs who Desired a King”, warning them that in next general election, they should choose the right person and not a “stork” who would devour them.

“I alone can’t solve everything. You have to seek your desired men or government by yourselves,” he said. “If you want the future to be full of conflict, be my guest. But being where I am now, I won’t let that happen.”

Despite his avowed aversion to politics, Prayut met with local politicians from the Chart Thai Pattana Party during a visit to the Thailand Rice Science Institute.

Among the party’s top figures in attendance were MP-turned-soccer-manager Warawut Silpa-archa, son of the late prime minister Banharn Silpa-archa, Prapat Pothasuthon, and Korawee and Paradorn Prissanananthakul.

“Not all politicians are evil,” Prapat told Prayut. “I would only ask the government to distribute some of the budget from high-speed railway projects to help farmers. As long as people’s wellbeing is sustained, you can stay for another eight or 10 years and I won’t blame you for anything.”

Warawut added, “The election will be decided by you. We’ll just wait to play by rules.” Prayut replied, “Just don’t drag me in as a player. I’m just here as a referee to settle everything.”

At the institute, where paddy fields are available for farmers to practice techniques and develop rice breeds, the premier observed holistic rice development as well as cost-cutting production procedures. He also took a turn driving a tractor, making an impression on the field.

Because of the water supply, the Central region is well known for rice cultivation, especially of its world-class hom mali fragrant rice. But the region also suffers from flooding in the rainy season, causing damage to hundreds of rai of paddy fields each year.

Prayut also sought to create agreements between millers and farmers to expand market opportunities and support holistic practices in farming with irrigation equipment and technology.

AN ANTI-GRAFT network has petitioned the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to take legal action against everyone involved in money-laundering cases in connection with the state-owned Krungthai Bank’s multi-billion-baht fraudulent loans, in which Panthongtae Shinawatra is a high-profile suspect.

The Anti-Money Laundering Organisation (AMLO) yesterday also postponed witness statements in the case against Panthongtae, the son of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been accused of receiving a Bt10-million cheque from the Krisada Mahanakorn Group in connection with the Bt9.9-billion loans.

Veera Somkwamkid, secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption People’s Network, said authorities had to treat all suspects equally as there were more than 200 persons and organisations who had allegedly received ill-gotten money from the Krisada Mahanakorn Group in 2003 while Thaksin was prime minister.

Veera told the DSI that the agency’s legal actions against people charged with violating anti-money laundering laws had been discriminatory, as only some suspects had faced charges.

He also said only three of five former top executives and directors of Krungthai Bank had been punished, while the other two had been spared.

Suchai Chaovisit, former executive chairman of Krungthai Bank, and Viroj Nualkhair, the bank’s former president, are serving lengthy jail terms for their roles in approving fraudulent loans causing financial damage to the state-owned bank.

All recipients of ill-gotten funds must face legal action, including about 200 people and organisations involved in alleged wrongdoing, Veera said.

Based on a Supreme Court verdict, Krungthai Bank was found to have granted the Bt9.9-billion fraudulent loans to Golden Technology Industrial Park Co, a subsidiary of Krisada Mahanakorn Group, based on highly inflated collateral, resulting in financial damage to the bank.

Some of the fraudulent loans, totalling more than Bt3.5 billion, were then extended to various people and organisations, including an unspecified donation to the Rutthaburut Foundation.

Pol Major Woranun Sri-lum, deputy DSI spokesman, said the agency had already filed charges against 13 people and organisations in connection with the fraud, while AMLO lodged a complaint against Panthongtae in December 2016.

AMLO earlier had been told to provide more evidence against Panthongtae and three other people based on accusations they had received and hidden ill-gotten wealth in violation of the anti-money laundering law.

Meanwhile, the agency was supposed to send a representative to provide a statement to the DSI regarding Panthongtae’s case yesterday, but an unspecified “misunderstanding” delayed AMLO’s statement, which will be required at a later date so that the DSI can proceed with the prosecution.

Krisada Mahanakorn Group had transferred Bt10 million to Panthongtae and another Bt26 million to Kesinee Jipiphop, in addition to the donation to Rutthaburut Foundation, sources have said.

Panthongtae earlier stated in a Facebook post that he was the subject of a witch hunt, arguing that many people and organisations had received money from the real estate group, not all of whom were facing prosecution.

Panthongtae previously told investigators he had already returned the money to Krisada Mahanakorn Group.

The ex-premier’s son said the fund was supposed to be part of a joint business deal with a top executive from the real estate group.