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Wall Stree Journal questions Abhisit's "reconciliation"


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#1 Sexpat

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Posted 02 June 2010 - 07:35 AM

The Wall Street Journal doesn't mince words in criticizing what it calls "Thai style-reconciliation" as practiced by PM Abhisit:

QUOTE
"Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is back in public view and busy pushing his ideas for national "reconciliation," a catchword that he mentioned nine times in opening remarks to foreign diplomats in a speech Saturday. The premier is clearly trying to move the national political debate beyond his government's recent, bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protestors that resulted in the deaths of at least 88 people. But what little he's said and done since then suggests his version of reconciliation is so far little different than his military-backed predecessor's approach.

The Abhisit administration is making strident efforts to control political speech and give pro-government views a megaphone. Over the past two weeks, government authorities have blocked hundred of pro-democracy websites; banned red-shirt publications; and raided community radio stations across the north and northeastern provinces.”... the signal they send … is that of an administration afraid of a lively and open public debate."

[Thailand ]will become a “managed democracy" [that] will be familiar to those in Russia and Burma, whose leaders also claim to support suffrage. It will also be familiar to Thais, who have heard military-backed rulers call for vaguely defined ‘reconciliation’ umpteen times in the past.”


If you are not a subscriber to the WSJ, you can read a report with extensive cites to the editorial at:

http://politicalprisonersofthailand.wordpress.com/