View Full Version : Thaksin's swinging lifestyle
>Undaunted by political furore, PM has decided he needs new digs While his political future may be uncertain Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is forging ahead with plans to build a new mansion. Yesterday he and his wife Pojaman went to the Thai Rak Thai Party office to look at house plans.
>A party source said the mansion would be built on newly acquired land near the Thailand Cultural Centre. Pojaman bought the 33 rai plot from the Financial Institutions Development Fund for Bt778 million. – The Nation
http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/02/21/national/national_20001283.php
Can someone point this lot out on Google Earth?
Well, Thailand Cultural Centre is here (http://maps.google.com/?ll=13.766522,100.57315&spn=0.004929,0.007317&t=k) on Google Maps. Exactly where that plot is located is anyone's guess.......
33 rai = 5.5 ha = 55,000 sq.m = 235 x 235 m (OK, thats' not exact: 33 rai = 52,800 sq.m)
For the rest of us perpetual taxpayers anyway!:
Thaksin lives the highlife in book out today
WASSANA NANUAM
A female lieutenant will give us a glimpse into the posh, post-coup lifestyle of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in London in her upcoming book, Thaksin, Where Are You?
The 200-page book, to hit bookstores today, features the ousted premier's latest 280-million-baht house in London suburb, his three-million-baht-a-month lifestyle and his favourite hangouts.
Lt Sunisa Lertpakawat, a military-beat reporter for army-run TV Channel 5, travelled to London twice at her own expense to try her luck tracking down Mr Thaksin.
She said she cried and begged the deposed prime minister to give her an interview. She admitted that the book may hurt her career prospects, but said it was the perfect start as the first book of her Unusual Publishing House.
Two interviews, altogether seven hours long, were given. One was on May 30 when the Constitution Tribunal ordered the Thai Rak Thai party disbanded and another was on June 12 when the Assets Scrutiny Committee froze his assets.
The book also contains snapshots, taken by his son Panthongtae, of Mr Thaksin pushing a supermarket trolley, eating a snack on a footpath, and posing with the so-called Queen of R&B, Saranrat Wisutthithada, better known as Lydia.
''Because Nong Aim [his daughter Pinthongta] studies here and England is a democratic country,'' said Mr Thaksin about the reasons for picking England for his self-imposed exile.
The book for the first time unveils his two-storey, five-bedroom house on a three-rai plot in Weybridge.
''This hundred-year-old housing estate was once home to pop stars Cliff Richard and Diana Ross,'' he said. ''Chelsea footballers, including striker [Didier] Drogba, live in this neighbourhood.''
Though his elder daughter stays in her own apartment in London, Mr Thaksin is not alone. He has a maid, a driver and a bodyguard. He has recently hired a Thai cook to make his daily meals.
Mr Thaksin is not cut off from the outside world by any means. The former prime minister carries eight cell phones, with 20 SIM cards altogether.
He remains a big shopper who does not hesitate to shower his wife and two daughters with designer handbags.
Besides shopping at Harrods, Mr Thaksin can be spotted at Thai restaurants, such as Thai Rice, Thai Taste and Patra. He is also a frequent visitor to the Chinese restaurant, Royal China Club.
What gives him a real headache during the exile is maintaining his hairdo. Mr Thaksin often took the trouble of flying his favourite hairdresser from Thailand whenever he took a break to go to Hong Kong and Singapore.
Eventually, he guided a Spanish hairdresser at Tony N' Guys salon to maintain his 'not-too-short' hairstyle.
Because it is only a short journey, Mr Thaksin often hops on a plane to France to shop and enjoy ''real wine and home-made food''.
To ''check his swing,'' Mr Thaksin recently surfed the net and booked a class at a golf school in Miami.
As for his golf companion, Mr Thaksin flies Lydia to London. She also doubles as a singer in their karaoke sessions.
''She is like another daughter to him,'' said Mr Panthongthae.
Mr Thaksin said he had invited Lydia to Japan so she could buy new clothes in Harajuku, the trendy shopping district in central Tokyo, for her new album Inside Out.
Army to investigate author of the book, "Thaksin, where are you?
Army Commander in Chief Gen Sonthi Bunyaratglin said he ordered investigation into an army lieutenant who was an author of a newly-released book, "Thaksin, Where are you?"
The probing will focus on the fact that Lt Sunisa Lertpakawat, travelled to London to interview for her book without informing her superiors, Sonthi said.
The book that hit the shelf on Wednesday detailed daily life of exiled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Sonthi said Sunisa, who is an officer in the army's secretariat office, had not received authorisation from her boss to interview Thaksin in London for her book.
Meanwhile Sunisa told the Nation online that she travelled to England at her own expense and, after "crying and begging," and long negotiation with his secretary, was granted two seven-hour interviews with Thaksin in London in May and June.
Learning that the army will order investigation into her and her book, Sunisa said she accepted any investigation or punishment from her boss. "I already extend my apology to her boss for not informing him about the book and the travelling to London," she said.
She reiterated that however she will pursue her dream to become a writer.
Meanwhile Sonthi told reporters that he will not order the book to be withdrawn from the shelf.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/01/politics/politics_30043291.php
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/images/2007/thaksinlidia.jpg
Only the file name indicates that Thaksin is pictured with the singer, Lydia - not with the author Sunisa. This picture does not look much like any golf course in England. The trees are all wrong and transmission masts are not painted red & white in England. Presumably a course called Pine Valley in Thailand, judging by the hat.
..........
Sunisa first contacted Thaksin's lawyer Noppadol Pattama about a project to interview him in London. But the plan did not work out. Later she tried to get in touch with Phadoong Limcharoenrat, Thaksin's secretary. Again, her proposal did not work out.
By the end of May, she had decided to travel to London independently to try to interview Thaksin. At that time, the Constitution Tribunal was deliberating on the election fraud case against the Thai Rak Thai Party.
"I planned my work very well because if I were to have an opportunity to interview him about that legal case, it would get attention from the public," she said.
She insisted that she had never known Thaksin before. Eventually, he allowed her to interview him.
"I would like to explain to those who do not like Thaksin that if they read this book, they will find that it is not trying to make any excuse for him. It is just a pocket book that offers a view on Thaksin so that people can learn something," she said.
"I just wrote the book based on the interview, from his own words, without deciding on what was factual or non-factual."
Sunisa said it would have cost her another Bt100,000 to publish 3,000 copies of the book. However, she did not have a lot of money, so she decided to publish only 1,000 copies.
"Nobody sponsored my trip," she said.
However, Sunisa has found instant fame as an author. One of the most talked-about sections of her book is Thaksin's revelation that he knows the singer Lydia and likes to sing karaoke songs with her.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/02/headlines/headlines_30043377.php
http://www.bangkokpost.com/020807_front.jpg
[Photo: Bangkok Post - Channel 5 reporter Lt Sunisa Lertpakawat, wipes away her tears as she holds up her book, "Thaksin, Where Are You?" which she wrote after interviewing the former prime minister in London. She is facing a disciplinary inquiry for taking leave from the army-run television channel to do the interview without informing her commanding officer. — CHANAT KATANYU]
See also what might be a picture from Sunisa's book in the previous post. (http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=16194&postcount=3) The accompanying article didn't even make it very clear the identity of the young woman with ex-PM Thaksin, let alone whether the picture came from Sunisa's book or another source.
..........
When asked if the army's move to investigate the officer might be viewed as undemocratic, the army chief said army regulations were set in a democratic framework. People should not claim that they can do anything they want under a democratic system, he said.
.........
CNS spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the investigation found that Lt Sunisa was absent from work for 21 days. The officer is facing an investigation over several issues regarding her conduct as a member of the news staff.
Maj-Gen Veeran Chantasartkosol, the army secretary who is Lt Sunisa's immediate commander, said the officer may be found guilty of violating the military criminal code and could face punishment ranging from imprisonment to removal from the service.
..........
She denied having known Mr Thaksin personally and insisted she travelled to London at her own expense, using 200,000 baht of her own money to cover travel and publication costs of her first book.
"During my stay in England, I had to spend money carefully. I ate only hamburgers. Sometimes, I rarely ate anything as I was so stressed. I was afraid that he might turn down my request for an interview," she said.
The former prime minister was sceptical about her motives for the interview when he learned that she was an army officer, Lt Sunisa said.
She admitted the whole episode may hurt her career prospects but she was willing to accept the consequences.
Lt Sunisa graduated from Chulalongkorn University's faculty of political science and joined the army in 2000 before being transferred to work as a reporter for Channel 5.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/02Aug2007_news02.php
mdechgan
02-08-07, 10:41 AM
This lady does not look like Lydia to me.
I find it hard to believe someone like Lydia would go out of her ways to just meet Thaksin especially with her new boyfriend Matthew.
:D We're talking about this picture, right?. I wouldn't know Lydia from Adam, but all I can say is that the picture link is http://www.nationmultimedia.com/images/2007/thaksinlidia.jpg.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/images/2007/thaksinlidia.jpg
It looks almost as if The Nation is intentionally being vague about the identity of the person in the picture above. It's not his daughter, is it?:confused: Perhaps it's the caddy? Local caddies are not exactly known for their knowledge of ..... golf.
http://bp2.blogger.com/_RHTIm8jyBnM/RmDMfkPiThI/AAAAAAAAAuw/Whck3UbLICI/s320/306349_6122795.jpg
[Photos: Thai Sexy Girls Picture blog - http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/07/23/lydia-thai-sexy-girl-singer/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fthai-sexygirls.blogspot.com%2Fsearch%2Flabel%2FLydia+Th ai+Singer&frame=true]
They look pretty similar to me. They're about the same age, and are both obviously into tinted hair. See also the video on the same page.
The original Pine Valley Golf appears to be one of the best courses in the USA. They seem to operate a worldwide franchise. There is a Pine valley course in Beijing, for example.
http://www.pinevalley.com.cn/en/01_03.asp
I seem to remember Thaksin did play in a celebrity tournament in China a few months back, so I guess the picture represents little more than a piece of Pro-Am teambuilding cameraderie.
BangkokPundit
02-08-07, 02:36 PM
This lady does not look like Lydia to me.
I find it hard to believe someone like Lydia would go out of her ways to just meet Thaksin especially with her new boyfriend Matthew.
I have read that Thaksin is friends with her dad. Lydia was a good amateur golfer - her dad owns a driving range - so the context fits.
GWR: I know Lydia from Adam and that is definitely her! I trust you weren't too troubled "researching" at that blog for Lydia pictures. I am just waiting for the Manager to start calling her names!
I see even the Democrats are criticizing the military for making a big fuss over the book. I suppose for Sunisa it is at least free publicity and far from keeping Thaksin out of the news, the media are salivating over every detail. Nothing whips out sympathy in the Thai media like a fellow female journo crying.
:D Truth is that blog left me totally cold. I've never really like dyed hair, watered-down R&B, golf and cheap politicians.
The most intriguing thing about all this for me is the fact that Sunisa took 21 days off work to do this. It's possible that she got someone else to sign in for her each day, which is what those 'other charges' may be referring to. All the evidence I have is that there are thousands of pissed-off Thaksin sympathisers in the security services, and that this is why the Junta is treading fairly carefully with those in uniform.
Well, it seems Sunisa lost her passport:
Author of Thaksin book questioned
(BangkokPost.com) - Lt Sunisa Lertpakawat, author of the book "Thaksin, Where Are You?" reported herself to the army and was questioned for four hours by the army on her unauthorised trip to the UK to interview ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
Lt Sunisa, who was transferred back to the army from the army-run Channel 5, did not give any interview after being questioned, saying she is not allowed to speak to reporters.
Council for National Security spokesman Sansern Kaewkamberd, she said, will be the only person giving detail on the matter.
Meanwhile, Noppadon Pattama, legal adviser of Mr Thaksin, denied his involvement in setting up an interview for Lt Sunisa in London.
He said that she has the right to pursue her dream, which is to write a book and that Mr Thaksin was willing to give her the interviews.
According to Col Sansern, Lt Sunisa was absent from work for 21 days by claiming that she had lost her passport in the UK.
She maybe found guilty of violating criminal code and can face punishment ranging from imprisonment to removal from the service, said Maj-Gen Veeran Chantasartkosol, the army secretary who is her immediate commander.
Link may expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=120611
Wisarut
02-08-07, 05:52 PM
Trial for Lt. Jiab will be vindicted in the next 3 days - Probation would be the punishmen
Army No Object to repint the interview with Ai Maew
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9500000090333
Lt. Jiab stealign the Scene of Lidia
http://www.manager.co.th/Home/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9500000089994
AI Maew Denying the Sexual relationship with Lidia
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9500000090220
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/08/02/headlines/images/30043377-01.jpg
Nice smile!
God, they don't come much uglier than a blubbering **** woman! You would never know they were the same person. You'll have to accept this Picasso 'Weeping Woman' as a stand-in because the Bangkok Post has pulled its usual stunt of deleting photos after only a few hours.
http://www.join2day.net/abc/P/picasso/picasso204.JPG
mdechgan
03-08-07, 11:55 AM
Damn lady.
She made a decision to leave work possible under govenment pay to fly and write a book about an ex-PM which is truly hated by the current government.
So now she's crying about it? She should be fired immediately. If anyone of us were to leave work for 21 days I'm sure we would all be in hot water. Unless we were pregnant or gravely ill.
As soon as she is fired she could fly back to London and cry to Thaksin for financial support since she cried to him for an interview in the first place.
Wisarut
03-08-07, 11:44 PM
Khun SOndhi Limthognkul said Lt Jiabn will become Helen of Troy who creatign Disunity within Army .. allowing Thaksin to Exploit hte situatioon to come back ...
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9500000090987
The book is on sale in Se-Ed bookstores at 185 Baht, if my memory serves me right. Lots of black & white and color pics. All Thai script.
Wisarut
04-08-07, 11:53 PM
Ahh ... the Gossip man of Thai Insider has pointed the life inexile for Ai Maew - rentign Buddha Image with square face to be a sothsayer for him ... asking Lidia to keep him goinging
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/5826/23/
Related thread:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=16272&postcount=89
IS IT REALLY HER OWN WORK?
KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI
Did Sunisa Lertpakawat really write the book Thaksin, Where Are You? totally of her own volition and simply as a straight record of the life of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra since the Sept 19 coup?
This question has been circling around in many people's minds since the story of Lt Sunisa's unauthorised trip to Britain and her first book made the headlines last week.
The 235-page book is a transcription of two exclusive interviews with Mr Thaksin at his luxurious serviced apartment in London, plus a separate interview with his son, Panthongtae, whom she describes as a ''sincere guy'', at a famous Thai restaurant in June.
Sceptics may find the answer for themselves by reading the 185-baht book, which is divided into four parts _ Finally We Met; Thaksin's Life Overseas; Thaksin's Tomorrow; and The Author's Secret.
Part I: Finally We Met gives details about the writer's adventurous and entertaining journey to Britain in search of Mr Thaksin's new home.
''It is located in the heart of London with a blue house number on the front, that's all the information I have,'' she writes as she heads to Europe to seek out the former prime minister now in self-imposed exile.
As she carefully scans the row of buildings from the window of a London city bus, she suddenly spots a Chinese-looking man standing on the roadside.
''That's Oak [Panthongtae]. It's definitely him. He was standing in front of a building with a blue house number on it! I try to get off the bus, but unfortunately this is not a Bangkok bus, which you can jump off of at anytime, anywhere,'' she writes.
After finding Mr Thaksin's home, Lt Sunisa manages to meet the ousted prime minister's assistant, who tells her that he is not at the apartment and promises to inform his boss about her extraordinary mission.
But Lt Sunisa, in a T-shirt and shorts, refuses to give up and spent several hours waiting for her ''target'' to come home.
''It was so cold outside the apartment. I couldn't believe this was London's summertime,'' she writes.
Defeated by the chilly weather, the reporter decides to retreat and go back to her low-budget hotel. But she comes back the next day and finally meets her man.
''My heart was beating really fast, my hands were shaking, my brain was only thinking about the first words that I should say to him. I picked up my backpack, grabbed a video camera and ran towards a deep-blue Rolls-Royce.
''A man in a blue suit and black leather shoes stepped out of the sedan. It's him _ Thaksin Shinawatra,'' she writes, as she describes the moment she finally meets him.
''Mr Thaksin, I would like to interview you for my first pocket book. I travelled a long way from Thailand and used up all my savings for this project,'' she says to Mr Thaksin. The man replies: ''It's not a good time. Those people are watching me and more importantly, I want to live a quiet life.''
She says she almost cried after listening to his response, but kept pestering him. ''I want to run a small publishing house and it will be nice if the first book is about you,'' she told him.
The dialogue goes on for some time until Mr Thaksin eventually says: ''I'm busy today. Let's do it tomorrow.''
Part II: Thaksin's Life Overseas is the longest, most important, and perhaps most controversial part of the book.
It is divided into 13 chapters filled with a variety of stories about the deposed prime minister _ including his leisure time, his luxurious lifestyle outside of Thailand, his business activities, clarification of rumours about his relations with certain celebrities, flashbacks to the Sept 19 coup and his family life after the coup,
He also talks about his high-profile purchase of English football club Manchester City and his political future. Readers who are eager to know about Mr Thaksin's personal and romantic life might enjoy reading the parts about his relationships with his ''young companion'' _ the so-called Queen of Thai R&B, Saranrat Wisutthithada, better known as Lydia, and sexy singer Mai Charoenpura. But for the coup makers, the most interesting bits of information reside in Chapter 11, ''In Japan with Oak and Lydia''.
Contrary to the chapter's title, there are only three pages of stories about Mr Thaksin's trip to Japan with his son and Lydia, while 15 pages are filled up with the ousted prime minister's aggressive reactions to the Assets Scrutiny Committee's freezing of his assets, the Constitution Tribunal's verdict on the dissolution of Thai Rak Thai, and allegations that he has been financing the anti-coup movement, led by PTV.
''You are interviewing a poor guy today,'' Lt Sunisa quotes Mr Thaksin as saying during the second interview which took place right after the ASC began freezing his and his family's assets.
''Although he tries to remain light-hearted, deep down in his eyes, I feel his hidden pain,'' she writes.
''Where will you get the money to spend now?'' she asks him.
''I have some money in my savings accounts, but...'' he pauses. ''By the way, I think I can manage it.''
When the author asked him what he would do following the freezing of his assets, Mr Thaksin said he would return to Thailand to clear himself, but he didn't know when.
''They don't have the legal authority to do this. The asset freezing procedure was not based on the law, but on political motivation ... They don't understand. This is my money. They have no right to meddle,'' Mr Thaksin is quoted as saying in the book.
Mr Thaksin also recalls the day when he learned the Constitution Tribunal dissolved his Thai Rak Thai party for electoral fraud, banning him and the other 110 party executives from seeking political office for five years.
''I did not watch the televised reading of the verdict. Someone just informed me on the phone. I understand the feelings of our supporters, but Lord Buddha said nothing is permanent,'' he said.
In the latter section of Part II, he talks about the moment he was ousted by Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin in the military coup. ''I was in New York, where I was attending the United Nations assembly. When the military were staging the coup d'etat, I was resting in my hotel room. I wasn't aware such an incident would happen. I had just held a tele-cabinet meeting that morning,'' he said.
The first thing he did after learning of the coup was call Channel 9 to announce a state of emergency, but the signal was cut before he finished reading the announcement, he says in the book. ''At that time, I learned that the coup makers successfully seized all television channels and when I knew that they had an audience with His Majesty the King, I realised that [the coup d'etat] was completed.
''I went to bed and had a very deep sleep,'' he recalled.
Unlike Mr Thaksin, his beloved family was busy seeking safehouses as the military took to the streets of Bangkok in tanks.
Thaksin's son, Mr Panthongtae, tells her of his experience of the coup during their interview in London.
''I went shopping at a Buddhist amulet market on Sept 19 last year. Around 5pm, my mother's secretary called and told me to go home, but while I was on the way, my mother called and told me to go somewhere else because our home might not be safe. I decided to go to my condominium in the Sathorn area,'' she quotes him as saying.
''Around five in the morning I went to see my mother and my sister at a house of my sister's friend. After the coup, we slept at other people's houses for a few days. We did not go to Singapore as the media reported. The three of us stayed in Bangkok all the time until we flew to see Dad in the UK. We went to Suvarnabhumi airport and simply caught the plane, nobody seemed to care about us at that time.''
Part III: Thaksin's Tomorrow wraps up with Mr Thaksin's life at the moment and his future plans.
A fighter like Mr Thaksin cannot rest for long. Besides working as new chairman of Manchester City football club and a special lecturer at Takushoku University in Japan, he has also been appointed by a group of Middle Eastern businessmen as chairman of a newly set up fund for Asian investment.
Part IV: The Author's Secret is a personal diary of sorts by Lt Sunisa, describing the hardships and troubles she came across during her ''first pocket book project''.
''This is the most difficult job in my life. There were so many obstacles that made me feel so bad that I wanted to scrap the whole project.
''I fell terribly ill after returning to Thailand, but I still had to work on the draft, which had to be changed so many times due to the changing political situation.
''I had to correct the content until the last second before it went to the printing machine. This book might cost me a regular job because I was absent from work for too long. But whether it was right or wrong, I chose to do it and am ready to accept the consequences,'' she writes.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=120671
06 August 2007
AEC members agree book which contains interviews with PM Thaksin useful for investigations
Asset Examination Committee members are in agreement that information from the "Where are you?" book will be used to aid investigations into financial transactions conducted by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Asset Examination Committee member Khun Ying Jaruvan Maintaka (จารุวรรณ เมณฑกา) revealed that AEC officials will be reviewing the "Where are you?" book which includes a personal interview with former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to obtain valuable information pertaining to 20 billion baht in bank transactions conducted by the Shinawatra family. AEC officials will attempt to determine whether the money may be linked to an additional 73 billion baht in frozen assets belonging to the Shinawatra family.
Khun Ying Jaruvan indicates that she has not read the "Where are you?" book but believes that the book contains information relevant to the investigations of authorities. The AEC member added that the Asset Examination Committee will discuss whether to invite the book's author, Lt. Sunisa Lertpakawat (ร.ท.หญิงสุนิสา เลิศภควัต ), to provide additional information for investigators.
Reporter : RTI-Reporter06
http://thainews.prd.go.th/newsenglish/index.php
Wisarut
07-08-07, 01:12 PM
Thaksin Lamenting that he had been fallen angel twice .... However may critics said because his own greediness as well as selfishness, he had become a refugee ....
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/5882/12/
Phanlop said Ai maew is Lying the Piublic at large such as
1. accusing Papa Prem as the main leader to oust him ...
2. lying the press abotu hte bomb at hte airport as the dattemp to assasin him by drug warlords.
Phanlop also said that Lt. Jiab will have to be dismissed frok the Army since he was absent more than 15 days without permission ... a deserter .....
http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/5867/12/
Lt Liab was accused sleepign with Thaksin - and get paid 25 million Baht as the way to gain the access to interview with Ai Maew
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9500000091953
Embattled journalist Sunisa tenders resignation to army
WASSANA NANUAM
Embattled Lt Sunisa Lertpakawat has tendered her resignation to the army after coming under intense pressure for writing a pocket book about former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
She will also have to testify to the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), which is investigating Mr Thaksin and his family on a variety of charges, including graft and abuse of authority.
A source close to Lt Sunisa said she has offered her resignation letter but Maj-Gen Veeran Chantasart-kosol, the army secretary who is Lt Sunisa's superior, has not approved it.
Lt Sunisa is facing a disciplinary panel appointed by Council for National Security (CNS) chief General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin for taking 21 days of unauthorised leave to interview Mr Thaksin in London.
The interviews with Mr Thaksin provided material for her book, Thaksin, Where Are You?, launched last Wednesday. The Channel 5 reporter claimed she spent 200,000 baht out of her own pocket to finance the trip to London.
The source said the army had asked Lt Sunisa to send recordings of the two days of interviews to the ASC and to prepare to testify to the panel.
Besides giving an account of Mr Thaksin's life, the book contains critical remarks by him directed at the ASC and the 'Superpower', an apparent reference to Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda. In the interview, Mr Thaksin slammed the ASC for ordering a freeze on his assets.
He also denied secretly financing the anti-coup protests.
Lt Sunisa yesterday refused to comment, saying she did not want to cause any more controversy.
The source said the printing house which published Lt Sunisa's pocket book has declined to print any more copies, citing an order by the CNS
May expire:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=120721
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/07/p1news/images/30048204-01.jpg
[Photo: The Nation - Singer Saranrat "Lydia" Wisutthithadato shows her debut book, "Lydia … Here I am!" in a press conference on Friday. Lydia is reported to be a close friend to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.]
Singer denies sexual affair with Thaksin
(BangkokPost.com, Agencies) - Pop singer Saranrat Wisutthithada or Lydia denied having any sexual relationship with ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Friday.
"I'm confirming 100% that I had nothing to do with him," she said, referring to the affairs.
Her response came after Mr Thaksin revealed in a book called, "Thaksin, Where Are You?" that he is a good friend with the 20-year-old singer, and that they like to sing karaoke and play golf together.
Ms Saranrat also denied rumour that her family was in debt to Mr Thaksin so she was sent to him as part of the deal.
"The reputation of my family has been serious damaged by the news and speculation about my affairs with him,'' she said.
The popular singer is scheduled to launch a book about herself entitled "Lydia, Here I Am" on Friday afternoon to explain to public about what she called "father-daughter" relationship.
May expire soon:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=121433
Wisarut
07-09-07, 03:01 PM
Most pople has response to Lidia's version of the relationsho between AI maew and Lidia that
That Slut is Lying the Public! Even woese, her daddy and mommyu had approved such a behavior!
REF: http://thaiinsider.info/portal/content/view/6565/12/
FarangBha
07-09-07, 06:21 PM
Anyone else care to nominate who else Mr T has supposedly had affairs with? I've heard some good ones, but the site would get shut down if i named.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/07/p1news/images/30048204-01.jpg
[Photo: The Nation - Singer Saranrat "Lydia" Wisutthithadato shows her debut book, "Lydia … Here I am!" in a press conference on Friday. Lydia is reported to be a close friend to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.]
May expire soon:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=121433
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/08/headlines/images/30048220-01.jpg
The Nation[/I]]
[B]I'm not Thaksin's gig: Lydia
Published on September 8, 2007
After a long wait, the public has finally heard from singer Saranrat "Lydia" Wisutthithadato, who stated emphatically: "I'm not Thaksin's gig, 200 per cent."
Lydia, 20, who has been in the limelight since it was revealed that she is a close friend of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, told a press conference yesterday that she is certainly not his 'gig' but that the former PM is her father's friend.
The singer released her book "Lydia … Here I am!" yesterday and met the press for the first time since the news broke about her relationship with Thaksin.
It has not gone unnoticed that the title looks very much like a follow-up to the recent book on Thaksin - "Thaksin, Where are you?" - in which Lydia's name is mentioned.
But she was keen to clarify that the title simply meant "Here I am!"
Lydia did not link the two books, but said her title implied that "I am here to tell everything." However, she admitted there was some duplicated content in the two works.
The singer has been the subject of gossip thanks to her closeness to the man of her father's generation. Some say she is the "dream daughter-in-law" of Thaksin, while others questioned whether she was Thaksin's potential 'gig'.
Although Lydia has striven to clear her name amid the gossip, she wants the public to judge her through the words in her book. She thinks the gossip has been unfair and wants to put the matter straight. It has to be politically correct, as Lydia asked Thaksin for advice about her book before it went to print - and Thaksin read the draft the young singer sent.
"He knows I am launching my book today," she said.
Although Thaksin could not be present for his 'daughter's' important day, his son Panthongtae sent a bouquet of flowers to congratulate her.
In the book, Lydia talks about the light-hearted conversations with Thaksin, like what they eat and how they are doing today. She also confirms that the ousted PM phoned her the morning after the September 19 coup and told her that 'father' had lost his job. According to Lydia, she called him her 'second dad' and he called her 'daughter'.
Lydia portrays Thaksin as a man with a good sense of humour, despite his being ousted in the coup.
The book features snapshots, taken by Panthongtae. They include Thaksin pushing a supermarket trolley, having a snack on a footpath and posing with Lydia, the so-called Queen of R&B. All photos were taken after the coup.
Sceptics believe the singer has launched the book to boost her popularity and is simply using the relationship as a marketing ploy. But Lydia said defiantly that she had already prepared to write the book a year ago - long before news about her and Thaksin had spread.
Originally the book was meant to be about "her life and the entertainment world", but she decided to add a third part on her relationship with the ousted PM after rumours about their alleged affair emerged.
"It's not that I try to support him or want to promote his return. I just want to clear my name. I know nothing about politics and I have been close to him and the family for a year now. I also call Khunying [Pojaman] "Mae" [mother]."
Lydia said she spent most of her time singing karaoke or teeing off with Thaksin when he was stressed, rather than talking about politics.
Asked if he wants to come back to the Kingdom, Lydia said: "Yes, I think he'd like to return."
The press conference held at Zen received plenty of attention from the press and high-society people. Lydia was accompanied by her family.
Panthongtae's business partners in his How Come Entertainment came to support Lydia, while close male friend Matthew Dean gave her flowers.
The book is published by Poema Book, a subsidiary of RS Publishing, which is her music label, and was written by Pavitra Kasemnet, who interviews Lydia at length. The 208-page book costs Bt195.
Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul,
Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra
The Nation
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