Songkran: 60,000 red shirts likely to meet Thaksin
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/poli...o-meet-thaksin
60,000 red shirts likely to meet ThaksinAbout 50,000 red shirts from the Northeast will meet former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Vientiane during the Songkran festival next month.
Red shirt leader Nisit Sinthuphrai said about 50,000 Thaksin supporters are expected to leave for Laos to meet him there as he pays a brief visit to Laos and Cambodia during the festival.
The red shirts would gather at the stadium of the Nong Khai provincial administrative organisation on April 11 and leave for Vientiane the next morning.
Their travels will be broadcast live on the pro-Thaksin Asia Update television station.
Mr Nisit said red shirt co-leader Jatuporn Prompan would make arrangements for another group of red shirts to meet Thaksin in Siem Reap of Cambodia.
Theppanom Namlee, a red shirt leader in Surin province, said red shirts from Yasothon, Buri Ram, Roi Et and Surin provinces would pass the Chong Jom border pass in Kap Choeng district of Surin on April 13 and head for Thaksin's whereabouts.
Mr Theppanom said some 10,000 red shirts are expected to join the trip to meet Thaksin who will be in Siem Reap on April 14 and 15.
Mr Theppanom said MPs of the Pheu Thai Party should travel along.
Thaksin made a phone call to a meeting of his northeastern red shirt supporters last Saturday.
Thaksin, who has been living in Dubai in self-imposed exile since 2008, invited his supporters to meet him either in Siem Reap or in Vientiane during the Songkran festival. He will be in Vientiane on April 12 and 13.
Kwanchai Praipana, the red shirt's leader in Udon Thani province, said he would lead about 1,000 red shirt followers from Udon Thani to meet Thaksin at Phetchampa Hotel in Vientiane on April 12.
Red shirts plan to organise a ceremony to pray for Thaksin's well-being and smooth return to Thailand.
Thaksin's supporters from Udon Thani will return to their home province on the same day.
Mr Kwanchai said he would organise an event on April 7 at which red shirts would launch a drug campaign with police.
He expects Thaksin to phone in to greet his supporters on that day.
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"Thaksin thinks, Puea Thai acts"
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/poli...-30178991.htmlThaksin's Songkran cost at Bt6,500 per head
The Nation March 29, 2012 1:53 pm
A travel agency, Redtour 999, has advertised a three-day tour package for the red shirts to celebrate Songkran with fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Siem Reap, Cambodia charging Bt6,500 per head, Matichon Online said on Thursday.Organisers said lese majeste fugitive Jakrapob Penkair will likely take part in the celebrations too.
The bus trip will begin on April 13 from Bangkok, crossing the border checkpoint at Aranyaprathet into Siem Reap.
The tour will include the visit to Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap. The meeting with Thaksin, and possibly Jakrapob, is to take place on April 14. The return trip is on April 15.
The tour package will include meals and accommodation at a four-star hotel.
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Champasak tipped for Thaksin meet | Bangkok Post: newsChampasak tipped for Thaksin meet
The southern Lao province of Champasak is likely to be the venue for red-shirt supporters to meet deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, according to Noppadon Pattama.
Mr Noppadon, Thaksin's legal adviser, revealed on Thursday Thaksin’s tentative travel plans in Laos and Cambodia during Songkran holidays between April 11 and 15.
He said Thaksin will arrive in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, at about noon on April 11 and stay there two nights before leaving for Champasak province on the morning of April 13.
“Champasak province is near Ubon Ratchathani province, so if any Thai brothers and sisters want to meet Pol Col Thaksin, they can travel there conveniently,” Mr Noppadon said.
Thaksin will be in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province on April 14 and 15.
On the first day of Thaksin’s three-day visit in Laos, a merit-making ceremony and a traditional welcome and well-wishing ceremony -
bai sri su kwan - will be held during the day as well as Lao-style Songkran celebrations in the evening, Mr Noppadon said.
Songkran, the water-splashing festival, is regarded as signalling Thailand's traditional New Year and is celebrated every year between April 13 and 15. It is also celebrated in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar at about the same time.
Mr Noppadon said Thaksin’s trips to the neighboring countries have no meaning in politics. The ex-premier only wants to celebrate Songkran holidays, regarded by many as family reunion days, and make merit. Many Pheu-Thai Party MPs and Thaksin followers are expected to visit him during his stay. Mr Noppadon said he does not yet know whether Thaksin’s family members will go to meet him.
Red-shirt core member Kwanchai Praipana early this week announced he would take 1,000 supporters to Laos to meet the globe-trotting ex-prime minister.
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Thaksin to get warm welcome in Laos | News24Thaksin to get warm welcome in Laos2012-03-29 13:02
Bangkok - Fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is to be greeted by an estimated 50 000 supporters when he visits Laos during the Thai New Year holiday next month, news reports said on Thursday.
Thaksin, who was overthrown in a 2006 coup and fled the country in 2008 to escape a two-year jail sentence for abuse of power, is scheduled to visit Laos and Cambodia during Songkran, the traditional New Year celebration.
Nisit Sinthuphrai, a leader of the so-called red-shirt movement working to bring Thaksin home, was quoted by the Bangkok Post as saying about 50 000 Thaksin backers would gather at a sports stadium in the north-eastern Thai province of Nong Khai on April 11 and then cross the Mekong River to the Lao capital, Vientiane, the next morning.
Another 10 000 Thaksin supporters were expected to greet their leader when he visits the Cambodian city of Siem Reap on April 14-15.
Thaksin is a divisive figure in Thailand, both loathed and loved. The red shirts held protests in Bangkok in 2010 against the then-government and in support of Thaksin, which led to a military crackdown and an end to the demonstrations in a wave of gunfire, looting and arson. Ninety-two people died.
Thaksin's sister Yingluck was elected Thailand's first female prime minister last year. Thaksin has voiced optimism that he would be able to return to Thailand by the end of this year while avoiding his prison sentence.
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar all celebrate their traditional New Year April 13-15.
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Red shirts plan 'Thaksin tour' | Bangkok Post: newsRed shirts plan 'Thaksin tour'
Red Tour 999 will take you on a three-day road trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia, staying at a four-star hotel for 6,500 baht each _ but there's a catch.
An ad on the Facebook page of a red shirt invites people to join an April 13-15 tour to Cambodia where they can visit Angkor Wat and meet ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra."You should be a red shirt," said the tour organiser who goes by the name of Ton7777.
"We have to be concerned about the safety of [former] prime minister Thaksin [Shinawatra]."
During the Songkran holidays, April 13-15, the tour will take you to cultural heritage sites such as Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, but the highlight will be on April 14, when tour participants will get a chance to meet the ousted premier and perform a rod nam dam hua ceremony, in which Songkran celebrants show respect to their elders by pouring holy water over their hands.
Ton7777 says he does not mean to bar non-red shirts from participating in the tour, but he is concerned about two issues _ the safety of Thaksin and also the fun factor of the tour itself.
"If you are a yellow shirt, what fun will you have? How will you get along with everyone? It will be uncomfortable for you and everyone else," he said.
So far, two callers interested in his tour are on his list of suspects.
The first question he always asks before making a reservation is: "Are you a red shirt?"
If the caller says yes, but is unable to name which red shirt group he belongs to, then Ton7777 knows something is fishy.
"If it is someone who is open and doesn't hate Thaksin, it should be fine," he said of interested vacationers, but he also cautioned that he has not yet decided on how strict the policy will be.
There are two purposes for the Red Tour, according to Ton7777.
The first is for people who love and admire Thaksin to meet him in person and offer him their respect at the auspicious Songkran ceremony. A pilgrimage, if you will.
The second is to gain knowledge in preparation for the Asean Economic Community in 2015.
Ton7777 said the tour will educate them about the upcoming single economic community, focusing on issues such as the labour movement, vocational opportunities and the importance of learning English.
Ton7777 revealed he is an engineer with a multinational company. He has a master's degree and is working on his doctorate.
"I wasn't involved in politics before," he said. Like many others, he decided to don a red shirt after the 2006 coup.
On Saturday, during a phone-in to a red shirt rally in Surin, Thaksin invited supporters to meet him in Vientiane on April 12 and 13 and in Siem Reap on April 14 and 15.
Thus far, the red shirt "We Love Udon" and "We Love Isan" groups are also organising trips to meet the former prime minister. It is estimated that up to 10,000 supporters from Udon Thani alone will travel to the two neighbouring countries this Songkran holiday.
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Jatuporn paves way for Thaksin | Bangkok Post: breakingnewsJatuporn paves way for Thaksin
Red shirt co-leader Jatuporn Prompan went to Laos on Friday to arrange schedules to ensure a smooth holiday for fugtive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra who will be celebrating Songkran there.
Reporters spotted Mr Jatuporn at Udon Thani Airport with red-shirt core member Kwanchai Praipana while waiting to board a plane back to Bangkok after their trip to Laos.
Mr Jatuporn, who is also a Pheu Thai list MP, said he and his group held talks with Lao authorities, and planned arrangements and schedules including a welcoming event for Thaksin who will arrive in Vientiane, the capital, at about 11am on April 11.
Thaksin announced last weekend that he would spend his Songkran hoilidays in Laos between April 11 and 13 and in Cambodia between April 14 and 15.
The Federation of Lao Industries will host a banquet on the first day of his three-day stay in Laos, according to Mr Jatuporn. The second day will feature a merit-making ceremony and a
rod nam dam hua ceremony (in which Songkran celebrants show respect to the elderly by pouring holy water over their hands) for Thaksin.
Mr Jatuporn said Cambodian officials were preparing to discuss how to handle masses of red-shirts expected to cross the border to meet Thaksin in Siem Reap on April 14 and 15. The Cambodians will allow red-shirt visitors to enter the world famous Angkor Wat temple site for free.
A Thai-Cambodian musical and cultural show will be held on the night of April 14 and Thaksin will leave Cambodia on April 16, he said.
``Prime Minister Thaksin has arranged three kinds of presents to distribute to all the brothers and sisters who go to Laos and Cambodia,'' the Pheu Thai MP said.
The presents are 20,000 full-face rubber Thaksin masks, 30,000 red polo shirts each bearing a picture of Thaksin, and 100,000 hand fans with pictures of Thaksin and his family members.
``Prime Minister Thaksin said [all can] meet Thaksin [and all can] take Thaksin home,'' Mr Jatuporn said, referring to the Thaksin face masks.
It has been estimated that up to 10,000 Thaksin supporters from Udon Thani alone will travel to the two neighbouring countries this Songkran holiday.
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Siem Reap to see red Thik Kaliyann and David Boyle
Friday, 06 April 2012
Authorities in Siem Reap are preparing for a swarm of 40,000 “red shirt” supporters of ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who are expected to descend on the tourist town during the New Year holiday just over a week from now.
The horde of crimson politicos are journeying to the Kingdom for a rare chance to see their beloved former leader, who fled Thailand – where his sister Yingluck is now prime minister – in 2008 after being convicted of corruption.
Siem Reap provincial hall official Ly Samreth said about 15 hectares of land at Angkor Kjong Yu, near the Apsara Authority building in Slo Kram commune’s Banteay Chas village, had been set aside to accommodate the 40,000 visitors.
“We have started to grade the land, and authorities are trying to collect the garbage and find unexploded ordnance in that area as well,” he said.
“We estimate 40,000 of Thailand’s red shirts will be here to celebrate their New Year with their former Prime Minister.”
Thailand, Cambodia and Laos all celebrate their New Year after the dry- season rice harvests are finished in early April, just before about six months of monsoon rains hit mainland Southeast Asia.
Jarupan Kuldiloke, a spokeswoman for Thaksin’s Puea Thai party, said the former leader, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, would arrive some time between April 10 and 15 to celebrate “Songkran”, the Thai moniker for their New Year water festival.
“Yeah, he will go to Laos and Cambodia, and he said if his friends would like to come and see him, please come to Laos and Cambodia,” she said, adding that the group were also here to celebrate the shared holiday period with their neighbours.
Questionable aspects of Thaksin’s two-year corruption sentence – which was related to land purchased by his wife while he was prime minister – still must be resolved in Thailand before he can consider any return.
“He [will] prepare to go home when his Thai people are calling him back. That’s still the argument on his case, because it’s very special and not normal,” Jarupan Kuldiloke said.
Thaksin, a close friend of Prime Minister Hun Sen, has repeatedly journeyed here since the premier appointed him an economic adviser in October, 2009 – a position that was later cancelled amid deteriorating bilateral relations between Cambodia and Thailand.
Thailand elected his sister Yingluck prime minister in June, heralding a rosy new epoch of Cambodian-Thai diplomacy following Hun Sen’s sour relationship with her predecessor, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Those relations hit rock bottom when bloody clashes broke out between Cambodia and Thailand over disputed territory surrounding the Preah Vihear temple in February and April last year.
Porleng Van, president of the Cambodian Restaurant Association, said the timing of the red shirts’ arrival was ideal for both the restaurant and hotel industries, regardless of any political aspects.
“When it is low season, the frequency [of visitors] is dropping more than 50 per cent, 60 per cent. Therefore, if you have many clients coming at that time, it is just perfect,” she said.
“On the other hand, with so many people coming at the same time, the quality of the service is really hard to match,” she said, adding that authorities would have to be careful managing security and traffic.
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Ex-Thai PM Thaksin to address rally in Cambodia | My SinchewEx-Thai PM Thaksin to address rally in Cambodia2012-04-09 17:35
Bangkok, April 9, 2012 (AFP) - Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra will address thousands of "Red Shirt" supporters at a rally this weekend in neighbouring Cambodia, his followers said Monday.
After three days in Laos, Thaksin is due to visit the Cambodian city of Siem Riep to give a speech on Saturday evening at a gathering attended by several leaders of the Red Shirt movement, the organisation said.
"Tens of thousands" of supporters in total are expected to greet Thaksin during his trip to the two countries over the Thai New Year, said Red Shirt spokesman Worawut Vichaidit.
"They will probably travel together and rent buses by themselves," he added.
Mass rallies by Thaksin's supporters in the Thai capital in 2010 descended into the kingdom's worst political violence in decades, with more than 90 people -- mostly civilians -- killed in a military crackdown.
His sister Yingluck Shinawatra became prime minister last year after a resounding election victory by the ousted premier's political allies.
Thaksin, who maintains warm ties with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, was toppled by royalist generals in 2006 and lives in Dubai to avoid a two-year prison sentence for corruption that he contends is politically motivated.
Hun Sen said in a speech on Monday that "perhaps more than tens of thousands" of Thaksin supporters would visit to hear the ex-leader who "cannot enter his motherland".
Thaksin remains a much-loved figure for many poor Thais, but he is hated by much of the Bangkok-based elite in military, palace and bureaucratic circles who see him as autocratic and a threat to the <redacted>.
The former leader, who frequently visits other Asian countries, has downplayed suggestions that his political allies are seeking to clear the way for his return to Thailand without going to jail.
After his speech, Thaksin is due to travel to the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on April 16 to play golf with Hun Sen.
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Thaksin 'Songkran Tour' in Vientiane today | Bangkok Post: newsThaksin 'Songkran Tour' in Vientiane today
VIENTIANE : Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Laos today to celebrate Songkran has done little to stir people in the capital Vientiane.
"We did not prepare anything to welcome Thaksin. We'll still go about our daily lives. His visit to Laos means very little to us us," company director Soukhakhone Bouangboubphar said.
Mr Bouangboubphar believes Thaksin's visit has less to do with politics, than with celebrating Songkran with his supporters.
Most locals in Vientiane seemed to be unaware of the imminent arrival of the exiled politician, who is expected to get into town at 11am today.
A number of members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have already travelled to Vientiane. Yesterday, Charan Ditthapichai arrived in the city at around 10.30am.
However, Kwanchai Praipana, the leader of the Love Udon People faction, has not yet arrived.
A red shirt source said most people who wanted to meet Thaksin would reach Vientiane today. The Lao government had earlier asked the UDD to limit the number of its members who would travel to the capital, and to tell supporters not to wear red shirts in Laos.
The Lao government has been concerned that their red shirts could trigger some political problems, said the source.
Thaksin reportedly plans to make merit in Laos and allow his red shirt supporters to give him a Thai New Year blessing.
Tomorrow, he is expected to leave Vientiane for Siem Reap in Cambodia.
While in the Lao capital, the former prime minister will stay at the Lao Plaza Hotel, which has ramped up security for the arrival of his entourage. Wichai na Vientiane, the owner of Asean Mall in the capital, said the Songkran blessing event for Thaksin will be held at his department store.
Thaksin's visit has been welcomed by the Lao government, he added.
In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thaksin and thousands of his supporters would be in the country between Saturday and Monday, during which time the two are scheduled to play golf.
Hun Sen said the relationship between Phnom Penh and Bangkok has improved during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration. He also encouraged both and Cambodian military commanders along the shared border to turn themselves into diplomats and help foster good ties between the two countries.
Sou Phirin, the governor of Siem Reap, has said he expects 40,000 red shirts to arrive in the city from Friday. The authorities have prepared a 94-rai compound to accommodate them.
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Thai-ASEAN News Network - Red Shirts to Attend Bathing Ceremony to Wish Thaksin for Cambodian New Year
Red Shirts to Attend Bathing Ceremony to Wish Thaksin for Cambodian New Year UPDATE : 11 April 2012
A Cambodian newspaper reported that more than 160 rais of farmland are being prepared to accommodate a crowd of 30,000 red-shirt supporters who want to attend a bathing ceremony to give well-wishes to fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra during April 14-15.A Cambodian newspaper reported that authorities in Siem Reap Province of Cambodia are working hard in preparing 25 hectares of land, the equivalent of 162 rais, at the Angkor Kjong Yu town for a crowd of 30,000 red-shirt supporters.
The red-shirts are expected to descend to the town during April 13-15, which marks the New Year Holiday for Cambodia, and reside there temporarily.
Siem Reap provincial hall official Ly Samreth said that they have started to graze the land since April 2 and will complete the operations by April 12, as the red-shirt people are arriving on April 13 to attend a bathing ceremony to give well-wishes to the fugitive Thai premier during April 14-15.
In Udon Thani Province, more than 550 red shirt people from Khon Rak Udon group have traveled to ask for a visa to Laos to visit Thaksin there.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Khon Rak Udon group Kwanchai Praipana, along with more than 20 red shirt leaders have previously traveled to pick up Thaksin at the airport before having a meal together at the Lao Plaza Hotel.
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Thaksin 'Songkran Tour' in Vientiane today | Bangkok Post: newsThaksin 'Songkran Tour' in Vientiane today
VIENTIANE : Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to Laos today to celebrate Songkran has done little to stir people in the capital Vientiane.
"We did not prepare anything to welcome Thaksin. We'll still go about our daily lives. His visit to Laos means very little to us us," company director Soukhakhone Bouangboubphar said.
Mr Bouangboubphar believes Thaksin's visit has less to do with politics, than with celebrating Songkran with his supporters.
Most locals in Vientiane seemed to be unaware of the imminent arrival of the exiled politician, who is expected to get into town at 11am today.
A number of members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) have already travelled to Vientiane. Yesterday, Charan Ditthapichai arrived in the city at around 10.30am.
However, Kwanchai Praipana, the leader of the Love Udon People faction, has not yet arrived.
A red shirt source said most people who wanted to meet Thaksin would reach Vientiane today. The Lao government had earlier asked the UDD to limit the number of its members who would travel to the capital, and to tell supporters not to wear red shirts in Laos.
The Lao government has been concerned that their red shirts could trigger some political problems, said the source.
Thaksin reportedly plans to make merit in Laos and allow his red shirt supporters to give him a Thai New Year blessing.
Tomorrow, he is expected to leave Vientiane for Siem Reap in Cambodia.
While in the Lao capital, the former prime minister will stay at the Lao Plaza Hotel, which has ramped up security for the arrival of his entourage. Wichai na Vientiane, the owner of Asean Mall in the capital, said the Songkran blessing event for Thaksin will be held at his department store.
Thaksin's visit has been welcomed by the Lao government, he added.
In Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Thaksin and thousands of his supporters would be in the country between Saturday and Monday, during which time the two are scheduled to play golf.
Hun Sen said the relationship between Phnom Penh and Bangkok has improved during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration. He also encouraged both and Cambodian military commanders along the shared border to turn themselves into diplomats and help foster good ties between the two countries.
Sou Phirin, the governor of Siem Reap, has said he expects 40,000 red shirts to arrive in the city from Friday. The authorities have prepared a 94-rai compound to accommodate them.
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Thaksin's supporters disappointed | Bangkok Post: breakingnewsThaksin keeps his supporters waiting
A large number of Thai and foreign reporters as well as Pheu Thai Party members and the red shirts failed to see Thaksin Shinawatra land at Wat Tai airport in Vientiane this morning because the private plane of the deposed prime minister landed at a military airport in stead, reports said.
Many of the red shirts, who were advised not to wear red on entering Laos, changed their shirts to red after arriving at Wat Tai airport, holding placards and cloth banners aloft to greet Thaksin.
Pheu Thai members and others who showed up to greet Thaksin included Sutham Saengprathum, Sermsak Pongpanich, Sqd Ldr Sita Divari, Gen Panlop Pinmanee, Kwanchai Praipana, Suporn Atthawong, and Charan Ditha-apichai.
Prasit Chaiviratna, the prime minister's deputy secretary-general, and Wongsak Sawasdipanich, director-general of the Provincial Administration Department, were also seen among Thaksin's supporters who wanted to see Thaksin step out of his plane.
But, they were disappointed when Thaksin's aircraft instead landed at a military airport nearby. Thaksin was reportedly whisked away on landing to the Government House.
Mr Kwanchai, leader of the Rak Udon Group and coordinator of the reception for Thaksin, said the former prime minister's itinerary had been changed without prior notice by the Lao authorities.
He said the Lao government had also changed a programme for Thaksin's activities, leaving him and other core members of the red shirts uninformed.
This was understandable because there had been reports of a plot to assassinate Thaksin and the Lao government had to step up security for him, Mr Kwanchai said.
Mr Kwanchai said he had no idea where a rod nam dam hua ceremony for Thaksin would be held. Originally the ceremony would be held tomorrow at the Asean Mall department store in the capital city.
He could not do anything but wait for the Lao government to let him know of new arrangements for Thaksin.
Originally, Thaksin was scheduled to deliver a speech to Lao businessmen at Don Chan Hotel at 1.30pm after his arrival. He would attend a dinner hosted by the Lao Industrial Council at the same hotel at 5pm.
Even some coordinators who are close to Thaksin did not know of any changes, Mr Kwanchai said.
Tiamtha Thachaem, of Chiang Mai's Fang district, said she came to Vientiane with 12 other friends, who each paid 1,500 baht to hire a van from Chiang Mai, said they were advised not to wear red and they had followed the instruction to avoid problems.
Charan Ditha-apichai, a red-shirt leader, said it would be good if he and other people could see Thaksin return home via Suvarnabhumi airport.
He said before coming to Vientiane he had talked to Jakrapob Penkair, a former spokesman for Thaksin and key red-shirt leader wanted for lese majeste, who had fled abroad. Mr Jakrapob was unlikely to return to the country, he added.
Kongkham Keomanivong, 40, a Laotian man, said he came to Wat Tai airport along with Thaksin's supporters for wanting to see the former Thai prime minister, whom he had long admired.
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From :
http://teakdoor.com/thailand-and-asia-news/105504-songkran-60-000-red-shirts-likely.html
