Sondhi: Wissanu is a liar
 The Nation
November 26 , 2005 - It may not have been a knockout punch, but media tycoon Sondhi Limthong-kul delivered a few serious blows to the authorities last night during his broadcast to his weekly anti-government rally at Lumpini Park.
The highlight of his speech was a claim that the Supreme Patriarch was fit enough to perform his duties when Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam appointed another monk in a caretaker role.
In a speech beamed to the park in central Bangkok from Wat Pa Baan Tad in Udon Thani province, the media tycoon showed a video clip of the Supreme Patriarch at a drawing and essay competition held to mark his 90th birthday. Sondhi claimed the video was recorded on January 13, 2004, the same day that Wissanu issued the order to appoint the caretaker patriarch.
The audience at Sondhi’s 10th “Thailand Weekly” talk show was estimated at more than 50,000, significantly more than the number at the session last week.
“Wissanu Krea-ngam is a big-time liar,” shouted Sondhi, referring to the deputy PM’s claim that the Supreme Patriarch was no longer fit to carry on. Critics have accused the government of having a hidden agenda with regard to the appointment.
In his second punch of the night, Sondhi claimed that the C-130 aircraft that Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s sister used to fly her friends and relatives from Bangkok to Chiang Mai on November 14 was specially chartered.
Sondhi showed a copy of a document containing a list of regular Air Force flights on that day and reiterated that there were flights to other provinces, but not Chiang Mai.
“This obscene flight also installed 20 VIP seats and ordinary people who could otherwise fly [as the government claimed] were thrown out. They’re just lying.”
The media mogul went on to attack Thaksin for purchasing a special plane for official duties, dubbed Air Force One. He said it was inappropriate because, even in Britain, such a purchase was turned down in favour of extra security for Queen Elizabeth II.
Sondhi also claimed that police officers in all the provinces in the Northeast had been instructed to issue arrest warrants against him and Sarocha Porn-udomsak, his “Thailand Weekly” co-host, to stop them addressing the crowds. He said the order was an abuse of state power.
“This is how the state power is used. Do the police serve the people or Thaksin Shinawatra? They’re using all the police to sue me but let me ask, do the police have anything better to do?”
Sondhi said that those close to the PM had “freaked out” when they saw the size of the crowd at Lumpini Park.
“They didn’t realise that so many people hated them,” he told the cheering audience through the numerous video monitors in the park.
Countering Sondhi’s aircraft allegation last night, Air Force chief-of-staff ACM Sukampol Suwannathat said the flight of Thaksin’s sister Monthathip Kovitcharoenkul was not exclusively arranged for the group.
“It was a special flight originally set for Air Force cadets and students of the National Defence College on a study tour to Chiang Mai. The guests of the PM’s sister joined in later,” he said.
Sukampol warned Sondhi to be careful about falsely accusing other people and turning the public against them.
“He is just a big-mouth critic. Let him go on and one day the world will know the truth,” Sukampol said.
Meanwhile, the Thai Rak Thai Party’s spokesman’s office sent SMS messages to reporters yesterday to notify them that the party will hold a press conference today.
A source said the party wanted to counter fresh allegations made by Sondhi. The ruling party normally only holds press conferences on Sundays and after its weekly meeting on Tuesday.
Pravit Rojanaphruk |
