This a long post updating the seized plane saga.
The Nation has a report on the German Embassy in Bangkok unexpectedly entering the fray on the Thai government’s 30 million Euro debt owed to Walter Bau, a now insolvent German construction firm that was involved in the Don Muang tollway. The big news remains the seizure of a Boeing 737 decked out in royal livery in Munich and the threat of a second seizure.
It seems that, several days ago, the Embassy issued a statement “demanding that the Thai government repay the debt…”. The statement, in Thai and German, “said that the embassy truly hoped that the Thai government would make a quick decision to repay the debt, otherwise the matter would affect German investment in Thailand.”
The Embassy pointed out that the “international arbitration tribunal’s decision in 2009, which issued an award against Thailand to compensate damages to Walter Bau in the amount of around 30 million Euros plus interest and legal costs of around two million Euros.” The Embassy concluded that “the Thai government should immediately follow the tribunal’s decision…”.
In other words, pay up. The issue is getting out of hand because no government, and especially not the outgoing Abhisit Vejjajiva government, is ever able to roll back royal power and prerogative. As to paying debts and international obligations. Cluster bombs, human rights abuses, state murder, abuse of migrants, forced repatriation… (we could go on and on). The Thai state has a poor track record.
A later story has the Thai government’s response, which appears to threaten a deterioration of bilateral relations.
Putting bilateral relations at risk
When acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn decides to weigh-in on the increasingly bizarre case of the alleged royal jet, you sense that things are going to get testy.
As an aside, we really have to ask how long one can act as an acting spokesman. Yes, we know it was a deal to allow the “academic” Panitan to keep his bolthole at Chulalongkorn University, but isn’t two years and more a bit over the top in the manipulation of the system? Panitan should have given up his position at Chulalongkorn long ago and returned the keys for his office and apartment. His case shows just how petty the elite gets when they wish to protect their privileges – every last one of them, no matter how trivial.
But back to Panitan’s intervention, no doubt reflecting Abhisit Vejjajiva’s position. In the Bangkok Post it is reported that the “Thai government spokesman has warned the German Foreign Ministry to be cautious in demanding that Thailand compensate a German company that invested in the Don Muang Tollway.” He also lambasted it for getting its facts wrong – although the report doesn’t say what facts were wrong. In any case, facts have never really bothered Panitan. Look at all the stuff he made up about red shirts over the past couple of years.
Panitan was responding to the German Foreign Ministry’s statement through the German Embassy in Bangkok that the Thai government should pay up on its debt to the Walter Bau company administrator.
Panitan sounded Abhisit-like when he said that the German Foreign Ministry was not recognizing the “separation of the executive and the judiciary, and he was surprised that the German Foreign Ministry that seen fit to comment on the justice system.” That sounds suspiciously like the pot calling the kettle black. But let’s get it right: the Germans were making a point about damage to the bilateral relationship.
Panitan “insisted that the legal dispute between the Thai government and Walter Bau was in the process of an appeal and many legal aspects of the case had yet to be considered.” Is he sure? The Attorney General and others have said that the Thai side has (belatedly) mounted an appeal, and this sounds suspiciously like it was after the seizure of one of the two Boeing 737s that the government now claims it gifted Prince Vajiralongkorn for his personal use.
It seems the Thai Foreign Ministry is “about to explain the issue to its German counterpart right away.” Gee whiz, if that’s true, maybe they can explain it all to the rest of the world in terms that aren’t simply silly contradictions and fabricated responses.
Panitan added a warning: “Bilateral relations had been good at the levels of their governments and their people, the present issue was sensitive and the German Foreign Ministry had to be careful and ensure it has the correct information…”. He means information that accords with the Thai government’s view.
Then, for some reason that is not immediately clear, Panitan went the Thaksin Shinawatra route. He claimed that Thailand “expected good cooperation from the German government in relation to the expected extradition of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as it was reported that Germany already granted entry to Thaksin. Mr Panitan said Thaksin had to face justice in Thailand.” That all makes sense, doesn’t it? Maybe not. Panitan and his lot had more than two years where they first tracked Thaksin and then decided they didn’t want him. Now that they are heading out the door following their electoral trouncing, the Thaksin hunt is suddenly resurrected again. Why?
We think it is a threat that says to the Germans that Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and Prime Minister Abhisit are prepared to Cambodianize this issue. Watch out Germany, and watch out Puea Thai. the Democrat Party is saying it wants a time bomb to use against the new government and expose their alleged anti-monarchism. Hand them this no-win situation, created by the outgoing government (just like the ICJ and Preah Vihear) and watch the fireworks. Bilateral relations can be and have been used by this unscrupulous mob to attack Thaksin and other opponents. They seem set to do it again.
Like this:
Like Loading...