Sondhi Limthongkul has called for the country to be shut off so that an ‘appointed’ government can clean out dirty things. A retired air chief marshal has accused some in the government of colluding to assassinate Sondhi in 2009, and covering it up.
On the night of 19 Mar, at about 9.30 pm, Sondhi Limthongkul spoke to supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy gathered at the Makkhawan Bridge near Government House that it was sad that the current Thai political system was destructive to the country. It was obvious that Thailand needed to take a vacation so that dirty stuff could be cleansed. Politicians, who were supposed to sacrifice themselves for the common good, were instead like cattle whose owners could steer wherever they wanted by paying them for the elections, he said.
How far Thailand’s politics has developed can be seen from the recent censure debate against the government. No matter how well the opposition was prepared to substantiate its allegations, coalition government MPs would inevitably raise their hands to support the government, albeit Democrat- or Thaksin-led governments. Thai politics is not governed by reason, facts, evidence, or a ‘sense of shame’, but brazenness, he said.
All politicians, including Abhisit, are still proud of this evil parliamentarian system. Whenever he talks, Abhisit always protects the interests of politicians. Therefore, Abhisit represents the evil politicians who hold him up to protect themselves. The Democrat party is no different from the Phue Thai Party. If the Phue Thai Party claims power after the next general elections, it will be just ‘an evil in reverse’. And then the Democrat Party will become good, because it has lost power. When in power today, the Democrat Party does dirty things and does not care about the loss of territory to Cambodia, because it is intoxicated with its corruption.
Sondhi said that Thailand needed to be closed off for 3-5 years, so that an appointed government can reorganize the country and wipe away dirty things, as everything had been ruined, be it the police, military, judiciary, or religion.
He said that 70% of the country’s downfall had been caused by the media. If the media cannot be a lamp to guide the people, it at least should be a candle, like him who was the first person to light a candle. He himself had to endure all sufferings and pain and turn his back against all the odds to protect the candle, and his fellow yellow shirts came to help him light more candles, until they glowed brilliantly like candles during Buddhist Lent. Without the yellow shirts, he had no idea where Thailand would be right now.
He said that the yellow shirts, as they were patriotic, must follow the dharma and fight to pay back for the country. Their merit derived from fighting to protect the country is equal to the merit of Luangta Maha Bua who had raised donations to help the country.
‘We’ve come out to fight since 2005. 6 years have passed, and we’re still fighting. Brothers and sisters, please don’t feel discouraged. Because this is a great practice of the mind. The mind shines pure and is the bright light that shines on what is right. To have a firm mind is to be not discouraged. The mind is not downhearted and is calm when it sees that what we’re doing is right. So, a pure, firm and calm mind is the dharma which leads us. And we’re not doing things based on lies like Abhisit. We’re doing things based on the truth. What we’ve been saying in the past is all true. We’ve fought since 2005. Today, what is sacred is testing us. If we’re not confident, how could we come and sit here? This is because we have faith in what we’re fighting for. This is the ultimate dharma. Nothing is greater than to fight for the country.
‘Ousting Thaksin, Samak, Somchai and Abhisit is still something petty, incomparable to fighting for the country, because they are worth even less than dog shit,’ Sondhi said.
The following night, retired high ranking officers, including Gen Preecha Iamsuphan, Air Chief Marshal Therdsak Sajjarak, Vice Admiral Pratheep Chuen-arom and Pol Lt Gen Somkiart Phuangsap, who, it was claimed, represented the four armed forces, went on the same stage to discuss the issue of loss of territory.
According to ASTV-Manager, they agreed with Sondhi’s idea to ‘close the term for the old generation of politicians for 3-5 years to recover democracy and rescue the country which has been ruined.’
ACM Therdsak talked about the Sondhi assassination attempt which took place in April 2009, saying that Pol Gen Thani Somboonsap, then Deputy Police Chief, had been assigned by Abhisit to investigate the case, and was able to identify the suspects, but no one had yet been arrested, and the case had disappeared into silence.
‘This case is a sham. However, the truth cannot be concealed from the PAD, because we know for sure that it was people in the Abhisit government who ordered the shooting. But the PM is a coward, and conceals the truth to help his cronies to protect his own power. This will burst open one day. The truth is already there, and waits for the day to be disclosed. And that day will be the end of Abhisit’s political life,’ ACM Therdsak said.
