By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE SUPER-ELITE, POWERS-that-be would invariably prefer to keep Paetongtarn Shinawatra as a “puppet” prime minister pulled around by her father/de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, thus ultimately denying the possibility of his being returned to jail following an historic trial in the Supreme Court next month, according to partisan sources.
The unnamed ultra-conservative powers-that-be have opted to keep Paetongtarn in power since she is the most manageable, trustworthy among all possible candidates for head of government as far as her father is concerned. That apparently refers to Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga who concurrently act as leaders in name only of the Bhumjaithai and Ruam Thai Sang Chart respectively.
Nevertheless, those possible candidates for prime minister would be considered on condition that Paetongtarn step down in lieu of dissolving the House of Representatives which would otherwise call for a general election in a 60-day time as provided by law.
For that reason, the mega-billionaire power-playing Thaksin will remain free and be finally acquitted of any criminal charges in the Supreme Court pertaining to a sensational fake-out which he had allegedly staged for a six-month period at Police Hospital, according to the partisan sources.
“Given the ultimate, deeply-entrenched intent of the super-elite, powers-that-be to deny the Orange Party the chances of ever rising to power, Thaksin and his Pheu Thai will still be needed to help keep the reformist camp at bay, though his actions may hardly warrant their consent,” one partisan source put it, referring to the reformist People’s, practically resurrected from the court-dissolved Move Forward.
So far, the unnamed powers-that-be have not found anyone so manageable and trustworthy as Paetongtarn, who could be constantly pulled around by her father when it comes to the relentless bashing of the Orange Party whilst running the country the restored, conservative way, the partisan source said.
“It would be absolutely embarrassing and awkward for the prime minister to run the country under control of her father who would be otherwise literally put behind bars where no cell phones are legally allowed,” the partisan source said.
Thaksin had been alleged of giving orders to his right-hand man Phumtham Wechayachai and others via a cell phone constantly available for use in his private ward at Police Hospital as he was playing a pivotal part in the power play to set up the Pheu Thai-led coalition government, allocate cabinet portfolios among coalition partners and distribute cabinet seats among prominent Pheu Thai figures.
The Supreme Court judges in charge of criminal lawsuits against persons in political positions are more or less expected by the Pheu Thai rank and file to exonerate the de facto party boss from all charges pertaining to his alleged Police Hospital fake-out on June 13, the date on which he and relevant, senior government officials are scheduled to attend a court trial.
Those included the chief official of the Bangkok Remand prison, the director-general of the Corrections Department and the chief doctor of Police Hospital who were ordered by court to produce respective affidavits pertaining to Thaksin’s release without court permission from the prison to the hospital until he was released on parole early last year.
The Supreme Court judges would primarily base their historic verdict on the Criminal Code and amended Corrections Act which are ostensibly contradictory to each other to either acquit or punish Thaksin and those senior government officials who had been accused of using legal loopholes to grant highly-contentious leniency and privileges to the mega-billionaire, de facto Pheu Thai boss who had allegedly feigned “critical illnesses” only to keep himself from being literally put behind bars for a single day.
The power player who had been earlier sentenced in absentia to an eight-year prison term on power abuse charges perpetrated during his previous premiership which was curtailed by royal pardon to only one year had not only allegedly managed to stay away from jail but had become Mr. Fix-It who manipulated a surprise setup of the Pheu Thai-led coalition by dumping the originally allied Move Forward and bringing in Uncles’ Camps, namely the disintegrated Palang Pracharath, led by former deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwan, and the ultra-conservative Ruam Thai Sang Chart under de facto party boss/former coup leader-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha following the 2023 general election.
CAPTION:
Top and Front Page: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra with his daughter/Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Photos: Thai Rath
Also read: Supreme Court’s juggling of Thaksin lawsuit unprecedented phenomenon: Academic
PM tells reporters to go ask dad about new court move
Two Thai F-16s chase off aircraft approaching border from Myanmar
Rama II road again: Construction cable falls on 2 vehicles but no injuries
Pita says he will return to be the best prime minister in 9 years’ time
How Travel & Tourism is contributing to a decline in global press freedom
