Other Royal Pardons without process: General Suchinda and General Manoonkrit

Here is an article in The Nation that briefly mentions that General Manoonkrit received a royal pardon while in exile.

General Manoonkrit was responsible for trying to overthrow Prem during the eighties.

Also, back in 1992, General Suchinda received a Royal Pardon in return for resigning.

If you want to go back even farther, the 1932 revolutionaries were also given a royal pardon for their overthrow of the absolute monarchy.

So all these pontificaters, crying about process in the royal pardon, are basically lying.

There is precedent for a Royal Pardon without process.

By the way, General Suchinda and General Manoonkrit's crimes were far worse than Thaksin signing the land title documents for his wife.

General Suchinda basically got away with murder and was rewarded for his crimes with state concessions(Telecom Asia/True Corporation) and became filthy rich. His cohorts, such as General Surayud, who were shooting protesters in the streets were also given royal amnesty. General Manoonkrit became a successful politician. His cohorts in the coup against Prem were also given royal amnesty.

By the way, there was a pooyaism in Pornpimol's column today:


The antecedent of a pardon, even in the United States - the beacon of liberal democracy, is remorse, and not entitlement. The former president Bush decided not to grant Scooter Libby a parting presidential pardon in spite of an almighty lobbying push from vice president Cheney. Bush, by his own account, was bothered by Libby's lack of repentance.


Pornpimol should look back further in US history.

Richard Nixon was given a full pardon by Gerald Ford before there was even a prosecution.

The US military personal and draft dodgers were given a blanket amnesty by Jimmy Carter after the Vietnam War for fleeing abroad in a time of war.


Bangkok Pundit as some analysis on the royal pardons.


I believe that HMTK has the power of pardon that is unconditional and absolute. This is usually an inherent power invested in most sovereigns and heads of state unless the constitution/law stipulates otherwise.

Tulsie v. Democracy

Democracy: What is the job of reporter/journalist?

Tulsie: To get Thaksin.

Democracy: Isn't the job of a journalist to report the truth in a democratic society so that a free people have information so that they know what they politicians are doing so in order to make educated political decisions, good, bad, or indifferent?

Tulsie: No, my role is to destroy Thaksin, whatever it takes, political freedom be damned.

Democracy: So personal vendettas supersede the role of a free press in a democratic society?

Tulsie: There is no such thing as a free press. My job is to tell you what to think. If you don't agree with me, Thaksin paid you.

Democracy: How open-minded of you.

Tulsie: You mocking me?

Democracy: Yes.

Tulsie: You must be paid by Thaksin.

Democracy: Do people who don't agree with you have the right to vote?

Tulsie: No, because Thaksin buys all the votes.

Democracy: Do you have any evidence?

Tulsie: No, I don't need any evidence. I work for The Nation. We don't require any evidence in our reporting. Besides, Sondhi Lim told me so.

Democracy: So, you don't think the media should be out in the provinces documenting all this vote-buying?

Tulsie: Absolutely not. I am happy and comfortable in my air conditioned office in Bangkok. I dare not taint myself with the stench of the khon baan nok.

Democracy: So how do you know there is vote-buying and Thaksin is buying the votes?

Tulsie: Easy. I read the Manager, watch ASTV, and consult Thanong's astrologer.

Democracy: Do a free people have a right to petition their king?

Tulsie: Only if I can dicate the reason.

Democracy: If they don't agree with your reason?

Tulsie: They were paid by Thaksin.

Democracy: Do you believe that the press should report on crimes in society?

Tulsie: Only if it is Thaksin committing the crimes.

Democracy: So if the Democrat Party, the PAD, the military, the bureaucracy, provincial Godfathers and the police commit crimes, should that be reported on?

Tulsie: Don't you read my paper? Have you been listening to me? The answer is no. Thaksin is the only criminal in Thai society and if other people break the law to get Thaksin, that is fine by me. The end justifies the means.

Democracy: So if you had any evidence of somebody else other than Thaksin committing crimes in Thailand, what would you do?

Tulsie: Do what we always do. Do nothing and protect the pooyai.

Democracy: So if Thaksin disappeared from the face of the planet, what would you do?

Tulsie: Blame his ghost.

Democracy: Why?

Tulsie: Everybody else is pure. Thaksin is the source of all evil in the world, dead or alive.

Democracy: So when the military has a coup and overthrows the government...?

Tulsie: That is justified every time.

Democracy: But isn't a coup a bigger threat to democracy than Thaksin?

Tulsie: Never.

Democracy: Why?

Tulsie: The military thinks like me. Any criminal behavior that justifies getting Thaksin or protects our personal interests is not a crime.

Democracy: How Orwellian of you.

Tulsie: All Thais are equal, but some Thais are more equal than others.

Avudh on Police Reshuffle Politics

The Nation


Patcharawat faces two key problems preventing him from fading away quietly upon retirement. The foremost is that his exit coincides with the restructuring of the police service.

The other is the ongoing struggle between the yellow shirts and the red shirts to influence the police.

Police restructuring, scheduled to take effect on August 16, is a sweeping move to overhaul the service comprising 105,375 positions - an unprecedented opportunity to fill top slots for more than 1,000 generals and colonels.

Patcharawat, acting in cahoots with Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, pushed through a rotation list for top positions affecting more than 150 police generals. The two cited the new structure as the reason to rush the list for Cabinet approval.

The list was in the process of being submitted for royal approval when Abhisit realised foul play and suspended it.

It is left unsaid that because of the controversial police list, Abhisit has now less confidence in his deputy Suthep. At this juncture, the police rotation is put on hold until Patcharawat's successor emerges.

The police service is severely impacted by political polarisation. The red shirts and the yellow shirts have their vested interests - the two camps wanting to sway police reports related to street protests. And it is a stark reality that police appointments do impact the political scene and vice versa. Even though Patcharawat has less than 60 days left in office, his presence or absence for a single day can work magic to shape or reshape police proceedings.

The next issue to consider is the power struggle in the police service.

During his five years in power, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra managed to install a number of henchmen in top positions. The Democrats now face a daunting task in reconfiguring the police upper echelons.

Despite dozens of candidates, Abhisit has just two choices to pick from as acting police chief. He is forced to choose either General Thanee Somboonsap or General Patheep Tanprasert.

General Prieopan Damapong, the senior-most officer after Patcharawat, can never be a choice because he is Thaksin's brother-in-law. And his job record is far from exemplary. Even the Somchai Wongsawat government did not name him a caretaker chief when the opportunity arose last year.

All other candidates for the top job either lack seniority or are seen as linked to the red-shirt camp. General Wongkot Maneerin is a police cadet classmate of Thaksin. General Jongrak Juthanont is seen as close to the red shirts.


I think this was some good reporting by Avudh. The police reshuffle is probably the real issue behind the Patcharawat drama.

Abhist comes off as the hypocrite once again. During the Thaksin years, this was an issue where the Democrats and The Nation were bemoaning Thaksin's interference with reshuffles.

It is funny, when Thaksin did something like interfere with seniority in the armed and police services, he was bad, evil and interfering with checks and balances . The Nation would scream about it for weeks, but now that Abhisit is PM, the editorial position of The Nation is to go against tradition and policy in the name of getting ridding of the Thaksinistas, their enemies. I am too lazy to get the links, but I am refering to Sopon and Thanong's recent rants about Patacharwat and his supposed leave and the Sondhi Lim case.

Put simply, The Nation has no principles whatsoever. All their crying about ethics and morality falls on deaf ears considering they are willing to become just like Thaksin in order to destroy him.

PAD Using Threats and Blackmail

The Nation


An embattled Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva came under mounting pressure yesterday as the powerful People's Alliance for Democracy continued to press for him to remove the national police chief while the opposition threatened to seek his impeachment.

PAD spokesman Panthep Pua-pongpan said the PM had the power to prevent police chief General Patcharawat Wongsuwan from wielding influence by citing irregularities in the Bt18-million public-relation fund or the October 7 incident to transfer Patcharwat to an inactive post.

"The PM must realise that the government's stability depends on the people's support not three or four people who try to wield influence over him,'' he said.

PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul warned the ruling Democrats they could be in for political trouble if the prime minister "remains idle" regarding the post of national police chief.

Panthep also urged the PM to make a bold and decisive decision as to who would replace Patcharawat as caretaker national police chief. He said if the PM did not intervene and let Police General Priewpan Damapong, who is most senior, take the top post the Sondhi shooting case would be even more entangled because Priewpan was part of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's family.

Priewpan is the brother of Khunying Pojaman Damapong, Thaksin's former wife.


I am still trying too figure out what kind of power the PAD has to be calling any shots.

What is it going to do? Take over government house and the airports again?

The police and military would be happy to shoot them this time around.

If you look at the options, the best option for Abhisit is to ignore the PAD.

Abhisit can't dump Suthep or the BJT Party and he can't afford to piss off the military and police. These factions actually have real power. The PAD doesn't have any real power except its lies and hysteria, which keep it in the news.

Most people despise Sondhi Lim and if nobody solved this case and it disappeared forever, so what? Would it be just? No. But thousands of cases against the bigwigs go unprosecuted all the time, such as the crimes committed by the PAD.

The only people who care about Sondhi Lim would be the PAD and their goose steppers at The Nation: Thanong, Yoon, Tulsie, and Sopon, who, by the sounds of their recent propaganda, all seem to be auditioning for jobs for the Manager Group before The Nation goes bankrupt.

The irony of this case is that because the Thai media is so completely lazy and worthless, no Thai reporter will actually go out and investigate and try to solve the case themselves and use the power of the press to keep the pressure on the police. That seem to be what the Manager/ASTV is doing, but nobody trusts that group and it has very little credibility, since it is a player in this case with an axe to grind.

General Patcharawat on leave or not to leave, that is the question

Thanong says on leave:


Police chief Patcharawat Wongsuwan has taken leave of about 30 days from his office, giving Pol General Thanee Somboonsap a free hand in his investigation into the assassination attempt on media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul.

Patcharawat's leave is a result of a compromise between Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Suthep Thaugsuban, the deputy prime minister, who has been keen to protect the police chief. Abhisit has been under pressure to sack Patcharawat, who is understood to have stood in the way of Thanee's investigation.

Abhisit took an unusual step by holding an impromptu news conference at The Emporium department store in Bangkok and announcing Patcharawat's leave. He was supposed to hold the news conference earlier in the morning, but it had to be delayed due to further behind-the-scenes negotiations for the best face-saving way out.


Abhisit said that starting next week, Patcharawat would take leave for 10 days, after which period he would be allowed to rest further so that the police chief would be out of his office for about a month. This move was initiated by Patcharawat himself,


General Patacharwat says he is not on leave:

Police chief Pol Gen Phatcharawat Wongsuwan insisted on Saturday morning that he has no plan to take leave for one month as stated at Friday’s press conference by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Pol Gen Phatcharawat admitted that he had met and discussed with the premier on Friday afternoon but had never submitted a letter asking for a permission to take leave as the media reported.

He is scheduled to pay a ten-day official visit to China in his capacity as the police chief as earlier planned.

The police chief insisted that after returning from China he will not take leave and will perform duties as usual.

Asked about his insistence was not in line with what Mr Abhisit had stated, Pol Gen Phatcharawat said he had no idea because he had never known what the premier had said.

Mr Abhisit had said on Friday late afternoon that the police chief agreed to take one month leave to pave way for full investigation into the attempted murder of Sondhi Limthongkul, a core leader of the People’s Alliance for Democracy.

The premier also insisted that there would be no removal of the police chief.


Thanong is usually wrong and his predictions are never true, so I believe that Patcharawat isn't going anywhere except to China for 10 days.

Abhisit is proving time and time again that he is just a boy who is way over his head.

The real problem Abhisit has is that he is an illegitimate PM who owes his position to the PAD, the military and the BJT party. He has no democratic mandate. Indeed, he is less popular than Thaksin. If that Frankenstein coalition goes after each other or after Mark, things will fall apart. The people won't be rallying to Mark's side. They know he has no legitimacy in the first place and just a stooge of other power brokers who despise Thaksin.