Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, Peua Thai Party chairman (photo credit)

Panthep Puapongphan, PAD spokesman and former close aide to Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, in an interview with Thai Insider (in Thai):

Q: As a former close aide to Big Jiew (Gen Chavalit’s moniker), what do you think about the role he is currently playing?

Panthep: I believe Gen Chavalit is someone who Thaksin still does not trust. [...] Gen Chavalit once declared his intention to serve as a mediator [between the opposing sides in the conflict]. When that became impossible, he said that as he failed to be a mediator, he would instead take side with one camp so that he could deal with the problems in the other camp. Because of his actions and behaviour, Gen Chavalit is never fully trusted by anyone – not by the PAD, not by the Peua Thai Party and not even by Thaksin. It is difficult to read his actions, and I can’t conclusively tell you what he has in mind. It’s been several years since I last met him.

Q : ในฐานะที่เคยทำงานร่วมกับบิ๊กจิ๋ว (พล.อ.ชวลิต ยงใจยุทธ ประธานพรรคเพื่อไทย) มาก่อน มองบทบาทในช่วงนี้ของบิ๊กจิ๋วอย่างไร

A : ผมเชื่อว่าพล.อ.ชวลิต ยงใจยุทธ ก็ยังคงเป็นบุคคลที่คุณทักษิณ (ชินวัตร อดีตนายกรัฐมนตรี) ไม่ไว้วางใจ [...] พล.อ.ชวลิตก็เคยประกาศว่า เป็นโซ่ข้อกลาง เมื่อเป็นไม่ได้ ผมจำคับคล้ายคับคลาว่า ท่านพูดว่า ถ้าเป็นโซ่ข้อกลางไม่ได้-ก็จะเลือกอยู่ข้างใดข้างหนึ่ง เพื่อไปจัดการปัญหาอีกข้างหนึ่ง เพราะฉะนั้นพล.อ.ชวลิตก็จะถูกระแวง ด้วยท่าทีลักษณะแบบนี้แหละ ระแวงจากทุกฝ่าย ไม่เว้นแม้แต่พันธมิตรฯ ไม่เว้นแม้แต่ในพรรคเพื่อไทยกันเอง ไม่เว้นแม้แต่คุณทักษิณ บทบาทพล.อ.ชวลิตอ่านยากครับ คงจะสรุปไม่ได้ว่าพล.อ.ชวลิตคิดอย่างไร เพราะไม่ได้เจอมาหลายปีแล้ว

Q: So Gen Chavalit’s ambiguous role is the reason Thaksin doesn’t trust him?

Panthep: When I was still working for Gen Chavalit, it was evident – judging from the the tasks he was given by Thaksin – that Thaksin did not trust him. I believe this lack of trust still endures today. Even now, the person rumoured to be Peua Thai’s candidate for the PM job is Chaturon Chaisang (former acting leader of Thai Rak Thai) rather than Gen Chavalit. I think this is quite illuminating.

Q : ที่คุณทักษิณไม่ไว้ใจ เพราะบทบาทของบิ๊กจิ๋วที่ยังคลุมเคลือ

A : ในสมัยที่ผมรู้จักพล.อ.ชวลิต ทำงานร่วมกัน ดูจากตำแหน่งและอำนาจหน้าที่ที่คุณทักษิณเคยมอบหมายให้ มันสะท้อนชัดเจนว่า ไม่มีความไว้วางใจ ผมก็เลยเชื่อว่ามันเป็นทัศนคติที่แม้กระทั่งวันนี้ ก็ยังมีข่าวว่าคนที่เป็นแคนดิเดตนายกฯของพรรคเพื่อไทยในอนาคตก็คือ “จาตุรนต์ ฉายแสง”(อดีตรักษาการหัวหน้าพรรคไทยรักไทย) ไม่ใช่พล.อ.ชวลิต มันก็สะท้อนถึงวิธีคิดอะไรบางอย่างพอสมควร

Related posts (automatically generated):

1. More Red-Shirt Infighting: Jatuporn vs Panlop
2. Meet The ‘Traitors’
3. Somsak Jeamteerasakul on Red Shirts and Thaksin

Peua Thai MP and red-shirt key man Jatuporn Promphan (photo credit: Thai-blogs.com)

With only less than three weeks to go until the potentially earth-shattering assets ruling, the last thing ex-PM Thaksin needs now is infighting within ‘his’ army of red shirts. Yet, after a meeting in Dubai attended by some of the most unsavoury individuals in the movement, it seems the red shirts are once again preoccupied with internal bickering.

First, perhaps immediately after the Dubai gathering, Peua Thai member General Panlop declared that the red shirts would be establishing an armed splinter group. From The Nation:

In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Panlop said that the red shirts, with Thaksin’s blessing, had agreed to form the new armed wing and that Chavalit would lead the red shirts to victory. In the same interview, Khattiya said the organisational structure of the opposition movement was now complete with Pheu Thai as the party, the red shirts as its front and the new unit as its armed force. Many are reminded by that structure of the communist insurgency during the Cold War.

However, it did not take long for leading figures in the Thaksin camp to come out and deny Panlop’s claim. General Chavalit in AsiaOne:

Pheu Thai Party chairman Chavalit Yongchaiyudh yesterday brushed off news reports that he was poised to become the supreme commander of the People’s Army for Democracy under His Majesty the King, a newly formed offshoot of the red shirts.

“I resumed my political activities because I aspire to bring about social unity, and peace by peaceful means,” he said.

Chavalit rigorously denied condoning a violent struggle designed to trigger political changes.

But perhaps the most forceful rebuttal came from red-shirt key leader Jatuporn Promphan, who said that “the planned establishment of the people’s army is not related to the Red Shirts” and that “the idea did not represent the view of the Red Shirts” (source).

Gen Panlop’s response was predictably bitter. The 73-year-old told the press that he would end his involvement with the reds. MCOT reports:

A staunch supporter of convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Friday said he would not join any move with the anti-government Red Shirts activists after his idea about the people’s army was shunned by its key leader.

Gen Panlop Pinmanee, retired deputy chief of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) and a member of the opposition Puea Thai Party, announced his decision after key leader of United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) Jatuporn Prompan had said the planned establishment of the people’s army is not related to the Red Shirts.

Yet there seems to be much more in this friction than mere differences of opinion. The latest report in Matichon reveals that Jatuporn has never fully trusted Gen Panlop:

[My rough translation]

When asked by reporters on whether he had consulted former PM Thaksin Shinnawatra about his decision not to apologise Gen Panlop, Jatuporn replied that he had already been in touch with Thaksin and Thaksin also wanted to see an end to this matter. All these people used to side with those who wanted to kill Thaksin. Nobody knew their true purpose of being here with the reds.

[Original]

ผู้สื่อข่าวถามว่า ได้หารือกับพ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ ชินวัตร อดีตนายกฯ ถึงการตัดสินใจไม่ขอโทษ พล.อ.พัลลภ หรือยัง นายจตุพร กล่าวว่า ตนได้สื่อสารกับพ.ต.ท.ทักษิณแล้ว และพ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ ก็ต้องการจะเคลียร์ทุกอย่างให้จบเหมือนกัน เพราะคนพวกนี้เคยอยู่ฝั่งที่จะฆ่าพ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ มาทั้งนั้น ไม่รู้เลยว่า ที่เข้ามาอยู่ที่นี่ใครจัดวางใครมาอย่างไร

Well, is anyone really surprised by all this?

Related posts (automatically generated):

1. Somsak Jeamteerasakul on Red Shirts and Thaksin
2. The Hardliners
3. Thaksin ‘Does Not Trust Chavalit’ – PAD Spokesman

I am sure Gen Sonthi has his reasons for coming out of retirement and making a U-turn to join the process of democracy he toppled. I am also sure other people have their reasons why he shouldn’t have. I myself have many reasons why the old soldier should just fade away. No matter what good or bad intentions he has, Gen Sonthi should stay in his retirement and stop bothering with our state of politics. His presence in “democracy” will likely achieve nothing but disgrace – for him, for us, for the “motherland” he has adopted as the name of his party.

[...]

The plain truth, which surprisingly the daring general has failed to grasp, is there is no room in democracy for a coup-maker. The two things are antithetical. If you believe in democracy, then you don’t stage a coup, and vice versa.

[...]

There is no place for him in the coming election. His only viable future is to fade away.

Does anyone have the same impression as mine that Atiya may secretly be fed up not only with Gen Sonthi but also with other prominent ‘old soldiers’ such as Gen Chavalit and, of course, Gen Prem?

Political Prisoners in Thailand has more on this subject. Readers may also want to see my earlier post on Gen Sonthi’s initial announcement that he wanted to enter politics.

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1. Coup Maker to Enter Politics… the Proper Way
2. ‘Watermelon’ Soldiers
3. Coups and Elections: Honduras’s Parallels with Thailand

As veteran actor Sombat Methanee and actress Siriam Pakdeedamrongrit (pictured above) are reported to have joined or be on the verge of joining the Peua Thai Party (see ASTV-Manager and Thai Rath - both links are in Thai), I wonder whether they are aware of the potential consequence of doing so.

According to Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda, anyone who dares join the Peua Thai Party risks being called a ‘traitor to the nation’. Yes, becoming a PTP member is now considered a treacherous act. You do not have to kill anyone. You do not have to sell the country’s secrets to our enemies. All you have to do to be a traitor nowadays is to side with ‘the evil one’.

Sombat and Siriam are not the only names expected to be added to General Prem’s list of ‘traitors’, however. The elder statesman must have been fuming when General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh came out of hiatus and re-joined the Thaksin side three weeks ago, an event that provoked Prem to come up with the word ‘traitor’ in the first place. Furthermore, the PTP welcomed around 50 retired military men and former classmates of Thaksin into the party earlier this week. The PTP spokesman even boasted that some Democrat Party MPs are considering switching sides as well.

At this point one question needs to be asked: has Prem ever accuse the generals who took away people’s democratic rights in 2006 of being traitors to the Thai constitution?

Related posts (automatically generated):

1. More Red-Shirt Infighting: Jatuporn vs Panlop
2. Old Soldiers Should Just Fade Away
3. Thaksin ‘Does Not Trust Chavalit’ – PAD Spokesman