Prem curses ill-intentioned people
Privy Council president and former prime minister General Prem Tinsulanond has often spoken of Thailand’s “guardian spirit” that he says protects the country and gets the country through tough times (Bangkok Post, 23 April 2009: “Prem curses ill-intentioned people”). Now he says that he has “prayed to Phra Siam Thewathirat … and cursed those people with malicious intentions towards the country, wishing them misfortune.”
The general spoke to the “12th San Jai Thai Su Jai Tai (Uniting Thai Hearts for the South) project on Thursday and delivered a speech to the young southern people who joined this project.” Telling them to be “proud to be Thai,” he said that this meant that “one must be honest and loyal to the country and the royal institution…”. He continued: “I have prayed to Phra Siam Thewathirat to protect youths from the South, restore peace to the country and bring misfortune on people with ill intentions towards the country…”.
Such a statement seems to indicate that calls for reconsiliation in the country – presumably with those he curses and wishes misfortune – are abandoned. Unless, of course, he refers only to one man and the leadership of the UDD and continues to think that the red shirt masses are simply the misled and ignorant.
Updated: In another report (The Nation, 23 April 2009) General Prem seems more conciliatory, saying that “he had never viewed ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an enemy. He said: “Thaksin is not my enemy and I think he should cease his political activities in order to bring about peace in the country…”. He also said that “the red shirts would eventually understand him and that they were free to express their opinions so long as they did not violate any law.” So who is being cursed?
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