SONDHI’S LATEST CLAIM:Thanong tip-off ‘profited Shin Corp’
 The Nation
December 17 , 2005 - Media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul targeted Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya last night, accusing him of tipping off Shin Corp about the flotation of the baht in 1997. “The decision to float the baht was made 11 days before its official announcement on July 2.
Only five men in this country knew this top national secret, and Thanong is the prime suspect as the one who leaked it to Shin Corp.
This allowed the company not only to avoid sinking - like most businesses in this country did - but to become wealthy overnight,” Sondhi said during last night’s performance of his weekly mobile talk show Muang Thai Rai Sapda at Lumpini Park.
Thanong was finance minister under Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh when the baht was floated.
Sondhi said Thanong was a prime suspect in tipping off Shin Corp because he was a long-time senior financial officer at the company before he entered the political scene, and because former PM Chavalit chose Thanong as finance minister on Thaksin’s recommendation.
“Who else if not you, my pal?” he said, referring to Thanong, whom he claimed he has known since before Thanong changed his surname from Lamyai (longan) to Bidaya.
“You always refused to talk about the 11-day issue. What actually happened? I think the public deserve to know, as they all have suffered for a long time from this policy,” he said to raucous applause.
“Even if you die and are reborn, you will have to answer this question. It will haunt you for the rest of your life,” Sondhi said.
Sondhi also attacked Thanong for closing 58 financial institutions after the baht flotation, alleging that it was “the worst sin” to serve greedy capitalists who were engaged in currency speculation with the baht at that time.
“It was too greedy. Those guys already had gains from baht speculation in their hands but they wanted more, so they pushed for the closing of 58 financial institutions to make the baht’s value drop more,” he alleged.
Sondhi also attacked Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, saying he abused his position to help make money for his friends and those in his immediate circle.
Sondhi accused Phumtham of having enabled his friends and those close to him to own as much as 70 per cent of the shares of Thai Maritime Navigation Co Ltd (TMN) after the firm was privatised. He also accused Phumtham of making the Petroleum Authority of Thailand (PTT) agree to allocate its marine transporting affairs to TMN, thus sending previously negative revenues there soaring.
Sondhi urged Prime Minister Thaksin to leave his post and called for more people to attend his anti-government show at Lumpini Park next Friday. Police estimated that around 20,000 people turned up yesterday, compared to more than 50,000 last week.
Before the end of the show, Sondhi led the audience in a call for Thaksin’s resignation, chanting “Out, Out, Out!”
The rally-cum-TV show next Friday will be the last one of the year. It will then be put on hold for two weeks for the New Year break. Sondhi will return to host the show on January 13.
Around 600 municipal police and 600 other police officers provided security around Lumpini Park. A senior police officer said they had anticipated that fewer people would come to the show last night than on some of the other Fridays.
Kamol Sukin,
Kornchanok Raksaseri |
