The government's public relations campaign should be more forward-looking and explain the direction in which the country is moving, rather than pinpointing mistakes of the Thaksin Shinawatra regime, a government-sponsored symposium in Germany was told on Saturday.

Nearly 100 Thai students and citizens living in Germany attended the seminar, where four prominent scholars and a former senator discussed the situation in Thailand before and after the September coup.

"I am rather disappointed that the government only focuses on pinpointing Thaksin's mistakes, rather than the future of the country," said one Thai woman who asked not to be named.

The panel comprised former senator Kraisak Chonhavan; Professor Charas Suwanmala, dean of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science; national human rights commissioner Surasee Kosolnawin; Chulalongkorn University political science lecturer Surat Horachaikul; and Professor Pirongrong Ramasoota Rananand, of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Communication Arts.

All insisted they attended the seminar in an individual capacity and were not obliged to praise the government. Several are known for being anti-Thaksin. Such seminars are believed to be a strategy of the government to campaign against Thaksin abroad. The ousted prime minister is keen on using foreign media to attack the government.

During the three-hour discussion, the panel speakers primarily focused on Thaksin's wrongdoings during his five-year administration, such as the violation of human rights, media suppression, the crippling of independent organisations and the conflict of interest in the Shin Corp deal.

Charas, who is also a member of the Constitution Drafting Assembly, insisted that the government had never infringed the drafting process.

He also anticipated the new government after the general election would be a coalition and that the political situation in Thailand would return to normal.

Piyathida Baingern, a student at the University of Stuttgart, said she had closely followed political developments in Thailand and found the symposium very informative. "It confirms what I have understood," she said.

Piyathida added that Germans were very interested in the political situation in Thailand. Most believed the coup was not democratic, so she had to explain to them that this coup was unlike others.

"I still believe that the government and military will transfer power to the people at the end of the year. If they decide to cling on to power, I believe Thai people will not tolerate that and there might be bloodshed," said Piyathida.

Delegation leader and former ambassador Surapong Jayanama, chairman of the subcommittee on public relations with Thais and foreigners abroad, said the response from the audience in Stuttgart had encouraged him to continue the work.

"This is not propaganda. Our purpose is to clarify what happened before and after the coup, and what can we expect from the ongoing political situation. We want to provide correct information and let them decide for themselves," said Surapong.

The group will also address the German public as well as politicians. Today  they were visiting Berlin to hold discussions with German politicians and the secretary-general of the Social Democratic Party, which currently forms a government with the Christian Democratic Union Party.

After Germany, they will hold a similar seminar in the United Kingdom, where Thaksin is now living.

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation

Stuttgart, Germany