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Matichon yesterday tried to trace the stories back to when they first appeared on the INN website. There were 13 such stories in total. For readers' information, all 13 claims were denied by the governments of both the Bahamas and Bermuda.

Nonetheless, it's interesting to see the series of stories on this issue reported on the INN station. Matichon compiled the INN news reports, with the following translated from the headlines, plus the date of reporting.

1. Bermuda Prime Minister invites Thaksin into exile (August 22, 2008);

2. Thaksin legal team emerges in Bermuda, preparing to buy a house (August 23);

3. Bahamas press reports that Thaksin is looking for a house (September 19);

4. Bahamas plans to name Thaksin honorary citizen (October 15);

5. Bermuda is sad that Thaksin chooses Bahamas (October 17);

6. Central Africa plans to name Thaksin a "chairman of poverty reduction" (October 28);

7. Bahamas asks UK not to send Thaksin back to Thailand (October 31);

8. Chad and Togo plan to approach Thaksin to be an adviser (November 3);

9. Bolivia plans to award special honour to Thaksin (November 4);

10. Bahamas plans to talk to Thaksin about the 2- and 3-digit lottery (November 7);

11. Bahamas is trying to contact Thaksin after his UK visa was revoked (November 10);

12. Bahamas will let Thaksin set up a government in exile (November 10);

13 Bolivia orders guards for Thaksin when he travels to receive decoration (November 14).

Matichon said it was interesting that INN always got the exclusive news. The Thai press was trying to verify the sources but could not do so.

Matichon also analysed the contents of the news presented by INN and said it could be summed up as two types. Firstly, the news reports came in response to bad news for Thaksin, such as the court's decision to jail him for two years due to the corrupt land deal. Secondly, INN reports seemed to be in favour of Thaksin's moves. For instance, the INN reports helped mobilise Thaksin's supporters to gather at the national stadium on November 1 for his phone-in speech.

Coincidentally, the news on November 4 that the Bolivian government planned to award a decoration to Thaksin came after calls in Thailand for Thaksin to return his royal decorations after the court verdict to jail him.

And after the Thai Constitution Court ruled that the government was not entitled to issue 2- and 3-digit lottery tickets, INN reported the Bahamas government planned to invite Thaksin to discuss exactly that issue. According to INN, the Bahamas was promptly reacting to the news in Thailand.

Matichon online asked INN executive Sakda Jiwathayakul about the sources of the information, to which Sakda replied that INN foreign news reporters had translated the news from websites. Sakda could not answer which websites he was referring to.

Matichon questioned that if these 13 news items were fabricated, then what were the motives and objectives?

Whoever wrote these groundless stories, the biggest beneficiary was none other thanThaksin, the paper summed up.