Former Prime Minister in-exile Thaksin Shinawatra [1] called his supporters two days ago in Chiang Mai via video conference and revealed the people who are behind the plot that took him down in the 2006 coup d'etat.
From The Nation [2]:
Without mentioning any name, it is understood he quoted Jittanart Limthongkul of ASTV-Manager Group as saying his father and media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul had lunch with a privy councilor, hence bringing about the opposition movement.
Sondhi Limthongkul [3] is one of PAD leaders, who seized Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport last November against Thaksin's party government.
The key point is the “privy councilor” who really is General Surayud Chulanont [4], the former Army Commander and Supreme Commander. He retired before the 2006 coup but after his successor committed the coup, Surayud became the next Prime Minister after Thaksin, in the junta-backed government.
Thaksin got this information from General Panlop Pinmanee, who was also in the plot but later changed to Thaksin's side:
Thaksin went on to quote retired General Panlop Pinmanee about the Panlop-Surayud meeting in 2006 at a Sukhumvit home. He said Panlop recently told him about a secret plot to assassinate him.
He also said Surayud and two other privy councillors had sought and received an audience with “901” to pledge to oust him from power.
“901” is the call sign of the King. Thaksin has been accused of being “pro-republic” and “President-wannabe” for age.
From The Nation [5], Thaksin also accused Administrative Court president Akarathorn Chularat, Supreme Court president Chanchai Likhitjitt, Constitution Court judge Charan Pakdithanakul and PAD scholar Pramote Nakornthap of trying to remove his government by leaking rumours that he was behind the making of the pocket book “The King Never Smiles [6]” (Paul Handley, Yale University Press) and that he was not loyal to the monarchy.
As expected, Surayud refuses Thaksin's claim [7], also Charan [5]. Sondhi denied that he had talked to Surayud before.
Anyway, one poster from Goo-OnLine [8] forum exposed a record video of Sondhi talking about his phone call between himself and Surayud. This talk happened in Virginia, USA.
Other forum poster [9] from ThaiFreeNews, pro-Thaksin web site, posted more news of Thaksin's talking. After the “phone-in” in Chiang Mai, Thaksin called the editor of Matichon, another major newspaper, confirming his claim is true.
“คำพูดของผมทุกคำเป็นความจริง ที่ผ่านมาประเทศไทยไม่เคยได้เรียนรู้บทเรียน พิษภัยของการปฏิวัติ และไม่มีใครกล้าที่จะออกมาพูดความจริง ผมจึงต้องพูดเพราะคนเหล่านี้อยู่เบื้องหลังทั้งหมด การที่ต้องออกมาพูดความจริง เพื่อเรียกร้องความเป็นธรรม”
This is translation of Thaksin's word to Matichon:
The reactions from anti-Thaksin community are negative as usual (we can't find resolution for both sides soon). One blogger from OKNation posted a blog titled “Three time a day call, Thaksin's pointless idea [10]“
Thumbnail image used is from the Flickr page of publik15 [11]