Thaksin raps coup 'masterminds'

Thaksin raps coup 'masterminds'

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra speaks at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul on Tuesday. (AFP/The Chosunilbo photo)
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra speaks at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul on Tuesday. (AFP/The Chosunilbo photo)

Thaksin Shinawatra has claimed that privy counsellors worked behind the scenes in supporting the protests that culminated with the ousting of his sister Yingluck's government by the military.

"The armed forces listen to privy counsellors. When they did not want us to stay in power, they ordered Suthep (Thaugsuban) to come out and ordered the armed forces to help (Suthep),'' Thaksin told Choson Media in Seoul on Wednesday.

He referred to the military coup on May 22 last year which ousted the Pheu Thai Party-led government. Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the army chief and coup leader at the time, then made himself prime minister.

The 1.32-minute-long video clip of the interview was later posted on Stop Fake Thailand, a Facebook page.

Thaksin said in the interview that he and his younger sister Yingluck ended up being treated the same way. "I've told prime minister Poo that what happened to her is exactly the same as what happened to me," he said.

Poo is Ms Yingluck's nickname.

"The armed forces might admire Myanmar-style democracy. But it's over in Myanmar,'' he said in the interview, which was conducted in Thai.

The interview was the strongest political attack on Gen Prayut since he came to power.

When Ms Yingluck was prime minister, her government was plagued by the street rallies of the People's Democratic Reform Committee led by former Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban. The months of political protests and violence culminated in the May 22 coup.

Thaksin was in Seoul on Tuesday and Wednesday to attend the 6th Asian Leadership Conference organised by the Chosonilbo newspaper, which is part of Choson Media.

He said on Tuesday on the sidelines of the annual forum that the government of Gen Prayut was ''not so impressive''.

Deputy government spokesman Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd refused to comment on the latest remarks by Thaksin, saying ony that political talk would only add fuel to the problem. People were quite capable of deciding for themselves what was right and what was wrong, he said.

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