BANGKOK 002977 AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES WITH FORMER PM SAMA
Source: Guardian http://goo.gl/rHWa5 14/12/2010
Wednesday, 01 October 2008, 10:48
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 002977
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 10/01/2018
TAGS PGOV, KDEM, KJUS, PINR, TH
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DISCUSSES WITH FORMER PM SAMAK HIS
DOWNFALL,
REF: BANGKOK 2778 (SAMAK UNDERCUT)
BANGKOK 00002977 001.2 OF 002
Classified By: Ambassador Eric G. John, reason: 1.4 (b, d)
1. (C) Summary: Former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej resigned from his position as Party Leader
of the People’s Power Party (PPP) September 30. He remains free on bail as he continues to appeal a
years-old defamation conviction. Samak told the Ambassador September 26 that he believed Queen
Sirikit, working through Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda, supported the People’s Alliance
for Democracy (PAD) protest movement. Samak viewed himself as loyal to the King, but implied that
the Queen’s political agenda differened from her husband’s. Separately, XXXXXXXXXXXX confirmed
to the Ambassador October 1 that he had begun direct negotiations with the PAD and suggested that
he and the current Somchai administration had 90 days to produce results.
2. (C) Comment: XXXXXXXXXXXX’s expectation that his term in office may be short-lived tracks with
a widespread view among Thais that the PPP will be fighting against the odds for its survival in
upcoming party dissolution proceedings. Although XXXXXXXXXXXX provides proof that senior
Thai politicians can often revive careers, we believe Samak has lost virtually all of his influence and
has little prospect of staging a political comeback. PM Somchai Wongsawat appears likely to succeed
Samak as PPP Party Leader. End Summary and Comment.
SAMAK QUITS PPP POST, HEADS TO DISNEY WORLD
3. (C) On September 30, a PPP official told the media that former PM Samak Sundaravej had formally
resigned from his position of PPP Party Leader. This resignation followed an Appeals Court’s
September 25 ruling upholding a previous conviction of Samak on defamation charges, and affirming
the two-year prison sentence for Samak. In a September 26 lunch with the Ambassador, Samak
explained that he expected to remain free on bail while continuing to appeal this case through other
channels; he predicted his legal battle could continue for approximately two years before he might
have to face incarceration. Samak planned to join unnamed associates for an extended North
American vacation starting with Disney World, criss-crossing the United States and parts of Canada by car.
4. (C) Note: Once Samak lost face after PPP legislators signaled their unwillingness to support his
reelection as Prime Minister (reftel), it would have been awkward for Samak to retain the position of
Party Leader. PPP immediately named PM Somchai as acting party leader. Political parties typically
nominate their Party Leaders for the position of Prime Minister; it would be logical to assume that
Somchai will formally take the top job in PPP. Samak’s resignation will not protect Samak from a
five-year loss of political rights in the event that PPP is dissolved. Party dissolution by the Constitutional
Court entails sanctions against the executive board that was in place at the time of the dissolution-
warranting offense.
SAMAK DISCUSSES HIS DOWNFALL, CRITICIZES THE QUEEN
5. (C) Samak described to Ambassador the political pressure against him during his seven months
in office. He showed disdain for Queen Sirikit, claiming that she had been responsible for the 2006
coup d’etat as well as the ongoing turmoil generated by PAD protests. He alleged the Queen operated
through Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda who, along with others presenting themselves
as royalists, worked with the PAD and other agitators. Citing his own regular meetings with King
Bhumibol, Samak claimed he — rather than his opponents — was sincerely loyal to the King and
enjoyed the King’s support. In his discussion of the
BANGKOK 00002977 002.2 OF 002
monarchy, Samak made no mention of the Crown Prince.
6. (C) Samak, a former journalist, lamented his opponents’ success in manipulating media coverage of his
administration. Samak noted that jockeying for control over the media had often caused rifts within
Thai Rak Thai and, subsequently, the People’s Power Party.
7. (C) Samak’s eyes became misty as he recalled that, when he was contemplating returning to the
premiership after eviction from office by the Constitutional Court, his wife and one of his daughters
had pressed him to abandon this quest. “I told them to get out,” he related. “I didn’t need to be betrayed
by them.”
Out with the Old, Out with the New?
8. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX indicated to Ambassador October 1 that he expected the Somchai administration
to be short-lived, though he hoped it could be extended if it proved successful in addressing the serious
challenges facing the country. XXXXXXXXXXXX If Somchai’s administration were to prove effective,
he hoped the Constitutional Court might delay dissolution proceedings against various coalition parties
to allow the government more time in office (note: the Attorney General announced later on October 1
that he had referred the first case, against Chat Thai, to the Constitution Court for review).
9. (C) On the ongoing PAD occupation of Government House, XXXXXXXXXXXX said he had twice
spoken with PAD XXXXXXXXXXXX, most recently on the night of September 30. XXXXXXXXXXXX
described his approach toward the PAD as similar to that which he had taken toward communist
insurgents in the 1970s and 80s: he would initially stress commonalities while deemphasizing
differences, which would be sorted out later. (Septel will report XXXXXXXXXXXX’s views on mediating
the southern insurgency.) JOHN
