Backers weep as Thaksin leaves
- Published: 15/11/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
SIEM REAP : Convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra left Cambodia for Dubai yesterday morning amid a stately send-off from a throng of tearful supporters.
ON PAR: Thaksin Shinawatra, left, shows Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister, his red ball as they play golf in Siem Reap.
The crowd included some 50 members of parliament from the opposition Puea Thai Party and some 20 leaders of the pro-Thaksin red shirt movement.
They cried and waved as Thaksin's plane took off from a military airport near the tourist hub of Siem Reap, Cambodia's second largest province.
"When I saw his plane taking off, I felt as if my heart was going to break into pieces," said Kesinee Chuenchom, 51, a red shirt leader from Chiang Rai.
"I pity him. Instead of flying back home (Thailand), he has to travel to a place that isn't his motherland," she said.
Before his morning departure, Thaksin chatted at the City Angkor Hotel with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and a group of political supporters from Thailand.
They spent about two hours together. Many posed for photos with Thaksin and asked for his signature. The reunion was warm even though security was tight. No uninvited reporters were allowed to attend the morning farewell party.
Thaksin was always smiling when talking to his supporters. He embraced many of them, and it was like sending a signal that they must help him return home as quickly as possible.
COLLECTOR’S ITEM: An amulet with Thaksin’s face for red shirt fans.
"I don't know why a person like Thaksin, who had dedicated himself to helping the Thai people, is in such a sorry situation today.
"We really want to help him return home," Ms Kesinee said.
Panthip Boonyalit, 65, a Thaksin backer from Bangkok, said she was delighted to have the opportunity to meet Thaksin again. She once met him in Hong Kong.
"I don't know when I will meet him again. My heartbeat nearly stopped when I saw him leaving," Mrs Panthip said, on the verge of tears.
She said she had a lot of respect for Thaksin because he had done a lot of good things for the Thai people.
"Everyone makes mistakes. Why don't we choose to see their bright side?" she said. Thaksin, who was toppled by a military coup in 2006 and is living abroad to avoid a jail term for abusing his power by helping his former wife Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra buy a prime piece of state land at a discounted rate in the Ratchadaphisek area, arrived in Phnom Penh on Tuesday aboard a private jet.
Hun Sen hosted a dinner at the City Angkor Hotel to welcome his close friends and supporters on Friday night. In his welcoming speech, Hun Sen encouraged them to help Thaksin return to Thailand to become prime minister again. While thanking Hun Sen for the warm reception, Thaksin also asked his supporters to continue giving him moral support. "I was very impressed when they [supporters] told me that I was their treasure and asked me to keep my body strong and healthy.
"I am still fit," he said while flexing his muscles and twisting his waist in response to an answer about his health on which his rivals have tried to play up, saying he was suffering from cancer.
About the author
- Writer: Anucha Charoenpo
- Position: Reporter
