Angry premier pours more scorn on media, critics

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday launched into a tirade against his critics and the press, turning his weekly speech, "Talking Samak Style", into a forum for personal rebuttals.

"I intend to start off my programme by commenting about Thirayuth Boonmi," Samak said in reference to the Thammasat University lecturer who labelled his administration as an age of evil dominating the country.

Thirayuth is the kind of person who likes to make a one-sided attack by using wordplay, he said, adding such tactics do not warrant his attention.

The prime minister went on to criticise media professionals for trying to portray him as a bully fighting the freedom of the press.

"How can my one mouth intimidate the press?" he said. Press intimidation, if it happened, should be some action like an order to shut down a newspaper.

He said his language when answering press queries was just his style of speaking and not to be construed as bullying.

He said he might permanently stop attending press conferences on Tuesdays and Fridays although he would continue to speak to the people via his Sunday televised speech.

"I need to communicate to foster understanding with the people and I have my way of reacting to critics," he said.

He condemned a newspaper columnist for making an allegation he had been given Bt500 million to allow the sugar price hike.

"If I take just one baht, let my family be ruined. But if I do not, let the columnist be damned immediately," he said.

Echoing Samak, government deputy spokesman Natthawut Saikua said the Thai Journalists Association went overboard in organising a seminar on Saturday that attacked Samak's style.

The seminar panellists, including a psychiatrist, tried to fault Samak in an unfair manner, Natthawut said.

He played down Samak's cancellation of his meetings with the press, arguing the prime minister would still answer questions posed to him on various occasions and that the team of spokesmen would handle the official press conference on his behalf.

He said he would soon meet with Samak's secretary Theeraphol Noprampha to map out a new format for press conferences at Government House.

The prime minister has come under heavy criticism for his aggressive verbal counterattacks on his critics. He often hit back at them, regardless of whether they are newspaper columnists, opposition MPs, or even his colleagues from the ruling People Power Party, during his weekly TV show.

Recent opinion surveys showed that many people were upset at the language Samak used during his programme. There were even tongue-in-cheeks calls for the programme to be rated unsuitable for minor viewers.

It appeared he became more careful in selecting the words but he remained as aggressive as before with his critics.