The Hardliners

(photo credit: Thaienews)

This photo, purportedly taken in Dubai on 3 February, shows Thaksin Shinnawatra being surrounded by some of his most trusted henchmen. Clockwise from top left: Gen Panlop Pinmanee, Thaksin, Major Gen Kattiya Sawasdiphol, Suporn Attawong, and Arisman Pongruangrong.

Each of these Thaksin loyalists is known to be inclined, albeit to varying degrees, to use violence in order to achieve whatever goals he has in mind. They can be considered members of the “hawkish” wing of the Thaksin camp. The 73-year-old Panlop was, for a while, linked with the car bomb plot to assassinate Thaksin in 2006 (yes I know, the crazy world of Thai politics). Denying his involvement, he famously declared, “If I had wanted to kill him, the prime minister [Thaksin] would not have escaped.”

Could this gathering of hardliners in Dubai be a sign of things to come?

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3. Split in the Reds: When Differences Become Intolerable *UPDATE*
4. Making Sense of the Supreme Court’s Verdict (by Patiwat)
5. The ‘Hun Sen Model’: PAD’s Latest Ploy