Sonthi declines to explain 2006 coup
Published: 21/03/2012 at 06:19 PM Online news: Politics 43
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Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, chairman of the House committee on national reconciliation, has declined to explain why he led the coup on Sept 19, 2006, saying that some truths can never be told, even after his death.
The question was raised by Maj-Gen Sanan Kachornprasart, chief adviser of the Chartthaipattana Party, at a seminar on the results of the study on national reconciliation by the King Prajadhipok's Institute organised by the Sonthi committee.
The KPI was commissioned by the committee to undertake the study, inluding a proposal to grant amnesty to people involved in past political protests.
Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin
When representatives of political parties were allowed to raise a question, Maj-Gen Sanan directed his question to Gen Sonthi, an MP and the Matubhum Party leader.
Gen Sanan said since the Sept 19, 2006 coup was said to be one of the reasons which had brought about conflict in the country, in order to kick start a reconciliation process it was necessary for Gen Sonthi to reply why he staged the coup.
After that Abhisit Vejjajiva, the opposition Democrat Party leader, rose to raise his observations on proposals made by KPI researchers.
One of the three proposals made by the researchers is the annulment of the legal ramifications of all cases handled by the Assets Scrutiny Committee, except the ones which had been closed.
Mr Abhisit asked whether the proposal, if put into actual practice, would really bring about reconciliation.
A representative of the KPI researchers said the proposals were only opinions, not a conclusion. The researchers had advised the Sonthi committee to raise them for discussion with all concerned before forwarding a report to the House of Representatives.
In his closing comment, Gen Sonthi said what is most important in building reconciliation is for all sides to turn to face each other, talk about truths, forget the past, and look to the future.
He declined to answer to Maj-Gen Sanan's question regarding what made him stage the coup.
Gen Sonthi, the former national army chief who led the Sept 19, 2006 coup that toppled the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, said he felt ashamed by having to encounter this question.
He said some truths can never be told, even after his death.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politic ... rom-sonthi
Sonthi declines to explain 2006 coup
Sonthi declines to explain 2006 coup
Atheists have no need of a god. Our lives are not based on fear or guilt. We are moral because we know it's right.
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
Re: Sonthi declines to explain 2006 coup
Perhaps he could at least tell the commitee why that should be; is it illegal for him to tell the truth or only inconvenient, or perhaps dangerous?He said some truths can never be told, even after his death.
Re: Sonthi declines to explain 2006 coup
He was the leader of the coup, which lead to the start of all the current troubles and now he heads up the reconciliation commission, go figure that one.
Atheists have no need of a god. Our lives are not based on fear or guilt. We are moral because we know it's right.
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
Re: Sonthi declines to explain 2006 coup
A coup doesn't take place just because one person in the army thinks it's a good idea, even if that person is a general. I think it clearly obvious that he was playing along, but with whom, we can only try and guess.
I also don't think he or the coup he led is entirely to blame for the conflicts in the country. The trouble had already started, and in my opinion, was set to get worse anyway. Now, before anyone bites my head off, I'm not saying it was right to stage a coup.
I also don't think he or the coup he led is entirely to blame for the conflicts in the country. The trouble had already started, and in my opinion, was set to get worse anyway. Now, before anyone bites my head off, I'm not saying it was right to stage a coup.
Don't try to impress me with your manner of dress cos a monkey himself is a monkey no less - cold fact
Re: Sonthi declines to explain 2006 coup
Sanan: Prem not involved
Published: 22/03/2012 at 02:33 PM Online news: 6
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Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda had nothing to do with the Sept 19, 2006 coup that overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, Maj-Gen Sanan Kachornprasart said on Thursday.
Maj-Gen Sanan, chief adviser of the Chartthaipattana Party, was responding to questions arising from one of his questions to Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, chairman of the House committee on national reconciliation, during a reconciliation study forum held by the King Prajadhipok's Institute on Wednesday.
He based this opinion on information that he had received.
Maj-Gen Sanan had asked Gen Sonthi who was the actual mastermind behind the coup.
Gen Sonthi, then army chief, was chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS), that staged the Sept 19, 2006 coup. He refused to answer the question, saying he would take that information with him to the grave and that answering it would not serve the best interests of the country and reconciliation.
Maj-Gen Sanan said he raised the question with the sincere intention of wanting people throughout the country to know the answer. Since the the Sept 19 coup the country had been plagued with violence.
The people believed from the beginning that there were some other people behind the coup.
He thought it was now time for Gen Sonthi to speak out whether there was anyone else behind it. Both Thaksin and the red shirts believed Gen Sonthi received an order to stage the coup.
This belief led a group of red shirts to lay siege to Gen Prem's Si Sao Theves residence and the matter escalated to affect a high institution, he said.
Maj-Gen Sanan said for as long as Gen Sonthi did not speak the truths, reconciliation would never get started.
People in society would continue to question why Gen Sonthi, himself the coup maker, is now chairman of the House committee for reconciliation and wonder what was going on.
Not only the people in general believed the high institution was involved in the coup, even some MPs of his party also held the same belief.
He said the three questions he raised were simple ones. If he were Gen Sonthi, he would not hesitate to answer them to clear the people's suspicion, he added.
Maj-Gen Sanan said although Gen Sonthi did not answer his questions, he had learned from his own intelligence that the high institution and members of the elite were not involved in the Sept 19 coup.
Had he not obtained clear information he would not dare to raise the questions with Gen Sonthi at a public place.
The information he had obtained could provide answers to the three questions, Maj-Gen Sanan said.
To the question who were behind the coup, the answer is nobody.
To the question whether it was Gen Prem who lead Gen Sonthi and his team to have an audience with His Majesty the King after the coup and whether Gen Prem was aware there would be a coup, the answer is "no." Gen Prem knew nothing about the coup plot.
"To the third question whether he met Gen Prem before the coup and whether after the coup Gen Prem asked him twice, via Gen Mongkol Ampornpisit (a former supreme commander), to speak out the truths concerning the coup, I also have the answer.
"Although Gen Sonthi did not answer, the intelligence I got revealed that Gen Prem really did that through Gen Mongkol," Maj-Gen Sanan said.
The Chartthaipattana chief adiviser said he believed the situation in the country would improve once Gen Sonthi spoke out the truths.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... t-involved
So nobody was involved in setting up the coup.!!
Published: 22/03/2012 at 02:33 PM Online news: 6
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Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda had nothing to do with the Sept 19, 2006 coup that overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, Maj-Gen Sanan Kachornprasart said on Thursday.
Maj-Gen Sanan, chief adviser of the Chartthaipattana Party, was responding to questions arising from one of his questions to Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, chairman of the House committee on national reconciliation, during a reconciliation study forum held by the King Prajadhipok's Institute on Wednesday.
He based this opinion on information that he had received.
Maj-Gen Sanan had asked Gen Sonthi who was the actual mastermind behind the coup.
Gen Sonthi, then army chief, was chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS), that staged the Sept 19, 2006 coup. He refused to answer the question, saying he would take that information with him to the grave and that answering it would not serve the best interests of the country and reconciliation.
Maj-Gen Sanan said he raised the question with the sincere intention of wanting people throughout the country to know the answer. Since the the Sept 19 coup the country had been plagued with violence.
The people believed from the beginning that there were some other people behind the coup.
He thought it was now time for Gen Sonthi to speak out whether there was anyone else behind it. Both Thaksin and the red shirts believed Gen Sonthi received an order to stage the coup.
This belief led a group of red shirts to lay siege to Gen Prem's Si Sao Theves residence and the matter escalated to affect a high institution, he said.
Maj-Gen Sanan said for as long as Gen Sonthi did not speak the truths, reconciliation would never get started.
People in society would continue to question why Gen Sonthi, himself the coup maker, is now chairman of the House committee for reconciliation and wonder what was going on.
Not only the people in general believed the high institution was involved in the coup, even some MPs of his party also held the same belief.
He said the three questions he raised were simple ones. If he were Gen Sonthi, he would not hesitate to answer them to clear the people's suspicion, he added.
Maj-Gen Sanan said although Gen Sonthi did not answer his questions, he had learned from his own intelligence that the high institution and members of the elite were not involved in the Sept 19 coup.
Had he not obtained clear information he would not dare to raise the questions with Gen Sonthi at a public place.
The information he had obtained could provide answers to the three questions, Maj-Gen Sanan said.
To the question who were behind the coup, the answer is nobody.
To the question whether it was Gen Prem who lead Gen Sonthi and his team to have an audience with His Majesty the King after the coup and whether Gen Prem was aware there would be a coup, the answer is "no." Gen Prem knew nothing about the coup plot.
"To the third question whether he met Gen Prem before the coup and whether after the coup Gen Prem asked him twice, via Gen Mongkol Ampornpisit (a former supreme commander), to speak out the truths concerning the coup, I also have the answer.
"Although Gen Sonthi did not answer, the intelligence I got revealed that Gen Prem really did that through Gen Mongkol," Maj-Gen Sanan said.
The Chartthaipattana chief adiviser said he believed the situation in the country would improve once Gen Sonthi spoke out the truths.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews ... t-involved
So nobody was involved in setting up the coup.!!
Atheists have no need of a god. Our lives are not based on fear or guilt. We are moral because we know it's right.
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by stupidity. R J Hanlon