By Thai Newsroom Reporters
DE FACTO PHEU THAI BOSS Thaksin Shinawatra was attempting to no avail to literally keep his distance from powers-that-be who were ultimately looking to put an end to his resurrected, civilian regime and restrict his power play, according to a partisan source.
Pressed by unnamed elements of the powers-that-be to negotiate for the naming of a new head of government in place of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, the de facto Pheu Thai boss had sought in vain to temporarily depart for Dubai for a couple of weeks under lame excuses of medical treatments and planned meetings with some distinguished persons in the United Arab Emirates capital – the questionable plea which was categorically denied by the Criminal Court.
According to the partisan source who only spoke on condition of anonymity, Thaksin was indeed trying to virtually shut the door to hush-hush negotiations with those elements of the ultra-conservative powers-that-be but the controversial request filed by the de facto Pheu Thai boss as a criminal suspect earlier released on bail under a lese majeste lawsuit to temporarily leave for Dubai was denied by court.
Thaksin had ostensibly evaded talks, albeit otherwise held in clandestine fashion, with the powers-that-be over ways and means to depose and replace the Pheu Thai-attached Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin with somebody else sooner than later since the de facto Pheu Thai boss had unhesitantly preferred to keep the former real estate tycoon in power.
“The best way for the (de facto Pheu Thai) boss to stop talking fruitlessly with elements of the powers-that-be was to literally keep his distance as far away as in Dubai for a while,” the partisan source said, referring to the UAE capital where the previously globetrotting, deposed prime minister had spent the most part of his years in self-exile.
Now that the hush-hush talks over the sought-after change of the head of government turned out to be a complete failure, conflict of interest has subsequently loomed, prompting Thaksin to opt for the court-denied trip abroad from last Thursday until Aug. 16, a couple of days after the Constitutional Court has passed a verdict on Srettha’s impeachment case.
The Pheu Thai-attached prime minister has been charged with severely breaching the constitution and code of political ethics by naming Pichit Chuenban, a former lawyer previously hired by Thaksin and a former convict previously sentenced to jail for contempt of the Supreme Court, a minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office. The questionable naming of the former convict among those in a cabinet lineup earlier this year had been allegedly pushed by Thaksin, albeit in his usual behind-the-scenes fashion.
Meanwhile, the powers-that-be who had enjoyed absolute rule under a military regime following the 2014 coup orchestrated by former army chief-turned-prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha would decidedly prefer to have Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul named the next prime minister one way or the other in lieu of Srettha, who had been quietly pushed to power by Thaksin’s sister/fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the partisan source said.
Even if Srettha could probably survive an impeachment lawsuit by being acquitted by the Constitutional Court on Aug. 14, thus keeping his prime-ministerial status intact, Thaksin would probably be pressed harder than ever by the power-that-be to force the current prime minister to step down at any given time.
Nevertheless, the powers-that-be would undoubtedly object to have either Thaksin’s daughter/Pheu Thai leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra or Pheu Thai MP Chaikasem Nitisiri, both having contested last year’s election as Srettha’s running mates for prime minister, take the helm of government simply by succeeding him.
“In the eye of the powers-that-be, the Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob would be far more trustworthy and controllable than Thaksin’s camp, to say the least,” the partisan source said.
That more than half the total 200 newly-elected senators are allegedly surreptitiously connected with the Bhumjaithai, the second largest coalition partner, has prompted the powers-that-be to look to manipulate Newin’s camp to strengthen their power play which has been earlier overshadowed by the topical influence of the billionaire, de facto Pheu Thai boss since his return from 17 years of self-exile abroad last year.
In a complicated, deceitful game of power play where there are no true friends nor permanent foes, the likes of Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan, earlier known as a kingmaker, would probably be less favourite to the powers-that-be than the Bhumjaithai leader as the next prime minister.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra. Both photos: Thai Rath
First insert: Bhumjaithai leader Anutin Charnvirakul. Photo: Naewna
Second insert: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Photo: Thai Rath
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