Published on November 30, 2005
Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Wechayachai yesterday published an open letter to government critic Sondhi Limthongkul, in which he defended himself against the media mogul’s accusations.
In the letter, Phumtham rejected Sondhi’s accusation that his actions 30 years ago, when Phumtham was among the group of students who fled into the forest to join the Communist Party of Thailand, showed that he had no respect for the monarchy and did not believe in democracy.
He explained that he was part of the student movements that fought against dictatorial governments during the pro-democracy uprisings of October 14, 1973 and October 6, 1976. Phumtham, who is also Thai Rak Thai Party deputy secretary-general, said he and other students were forced to flee because of serious political polarisation in the country. “I do not believe that those who fled the country were not loyal to the monarchy and intended to destroy democracy. I am saddened that Sondhi is using the same attitude of polarisation of 30 years ago - which is awful - to destroy me,’’ Phumtham’s letter said. He also accused Sondhi of trying to portray him as being behind a banned website that attacks the monarchy. Phumtham said Sondhi was not “playing by the rules”, using the monarchy as a tool. He accused Sondhi of being irresponsible and making ungrounded accusations. “I cannot believe that Sondhi, who is a leader in the media, would launch a smear campaign against me. I have no knowledge of and have never seen or been involved [with the anti-monarchist website]. I would like to see him develop media ethics,’’ the letter stated. The deputy minister called on Sondhi to exercise his conscience and act like a responsible member of the media. “I want to ask, what role are you playing? Are you a [member of the] media, or the opposition, or a person who holds grudges and attacks others out of anger and personal feelings?’’ the letter continued. “If you truthfully reflect society, that is okay. But do not use the monarchy, the yellow robe, and women as shields to defend yourself, to attack the government and to smear others unjustly,’’ Phumtham wrote. Phumtham said he would decide whether to file a libel suit against Sondhi. “If he violates my rights, my dignity and my family, I will have to take action,’’ he said. He called on Sondhi to stop creating rifts within society that cannot be reconciled. Asked how he foresees the political situation in the run-up to December 9, when Sondhi plans to mobilise a mass gathering of his supporters, Phumtham said it was up to the public whether it wanted to see society divided and more damage done to the country. -------------------------- Stay calm, PM tells ministers Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday instructed his Cabinet members to stay calm amid the rising political temperature. The PM told government ministers attending their weekly meeting “not to panic or overreact”, government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee said. Thaksin was quoted as saying that Cabinet members should explain facts about their performance and their ministries’ achievements, as well as working hard. Ministers should also be aware that in a democracy, differing viewpoints are not unusual and are generally acceptable, the spokesman quoted the premier as saying. The PM also repeated what he told the Cabinet during the weekly meeting of the ruling Thai Rak Thai Party later yesterday, according to Surapong. Thaksin said party MPs should stop countering criticism and instead “focus on doing constructive work”. Thaksin himself has adopted a similar strategy. He refused to give interviews to the media, saying the current period is not astrologically auspicious for him to do so. Political observers, however, view his move as a tactic to avoid answering difficult questions over a range of controversies. – The Nation
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