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Vatana's escape - July 14, 2008
Above is a diagram from Daily News showing the escape route of politician Vatana Asavahame. Cambodia is a place where money talks and there is no repatriation treaty with Thailand, and thus it is the refuge of choice for high profile Thai fugitives. Previously Duangchalerm Yoobamrung and Chon Buri don Kamnan Poh fled to Cambodia to escape court cases.
Vatana (often spelled "Watana" or "Wattana") has held top posts in governments of the past and is part of the Asavahame clan prominent in Samut Prakarn politics. Once the leader of the Rassadorn Party, his star has fallen in recent years with election losses and continuous court cases over fraud, election irregularities, land encroachment, etc. although at present he is chief advisor of the Puea Pandin Party.
Like Chalerm Yoobamrung, Vatana also has unruly family members--his son Chonsawas was accused of assaulting a police officer at a traffic stop in 2007.
An earlier thread on the family is here. |
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com) |
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)Marketing vs reality views of Sanam Luang - September 27, 2008
An "Amazing Thailand" poster in the subway (above). This year's kite flying festival was cancelled because of the construction of the funeral buildings for Princess Galyani Vadhana. Instead of lush green fields of the marketing version above, the reality is a sandy, semi-paved expanse (below) where, from time to time, paid anti-PAD crowds are plied with cans of Leo Beer as speakers exhort them "settle" the PAD. |
From Phujatkhan, September 4, 2008 - PM Samak signing the Emergency Degree with the blood of the deceased protester.
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