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Published on November 20, 2007

 Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratglin yesterday hit back at People Power Party (PPP) leader Samak Sundaravej for trying to sow confusion by distorting his remarks.

"I don't remember every word I said, which happened a long time ago, and a confused memory will muddle the issue," he said in reference to Samak's claim that he urged soldiers to oppose People Power and its populist policies before his retirement as Army chief in September.

Sonthi said he was quoted out of context. "What I said was about the sharing of military information with my subordinates to encourage them to review the situation from a security perspective so as to map out necessary measures as a response," he said.

Commenting on the junta's classified documents that allegedly outline a strategy against People Power, Sonthi said he was concerned about attempts to politicise security affairs.

"Politicking and security issues should not be mixed," he said.

He said that while the junta chief, he clearly instructed his subordinates to act transparently in safeguarding national security, even though he was aware that some of his confidential instructions might be leaked.

"We must do what is deemed necessary for national security," he said, dismissing speculation that the junta's plan of action might violate the election law.

Soldiers are obliged to maintain security and this had nothing to do with campaigning, he added.

People Power deputy spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said if the documents and Sonthi's speech attacking People Power were true, the military's mindset was outdated and the speech was a distortion of the truth.

He said Thai Rak Thai's populist policies were neither originated by former members of the Communist Party nor were they designed to support people by spending recklessly, which is against His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy theory. He added that the party was loyal to the monarch.

"I admit that some of those working with Thai Rak Thai used to be activists against dictatorships in the past. The communists escaped into the jungle but they could not fix the problems. Former communists did not push for the previous government's populist policies as the military thinks. Communism doesn't exist anymore. If the military plans to use tactics used in the Cold War to solve problems now, it is so out of date," he said.

He said it was normal that former premier Thaksin Shinawatra would have admirers, just as former prime ministers like Chatichai Choonhavan and Chavalit Yongchaiyudgh do. The Army should treat Thaksin as a common person that some people love and some hate, he said.

Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said he would allow the Election Commission (EC) investigation into the classified documents to run its course.

"The EC is expected to resolve the issue because at this juncture no one has access to the original copies and all the talks are based on Samak's photocopies," he said.

The Nation