On 25 June 2010, Mr. Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, when asked by the media about Robert Amsterdam’s recent statements, including during his appearance at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, said that the lawyer not only omitted many facts but also gave the audience a twisted interpretation of the political situation in Thailand and efforts underway to achieve reconciliation in Thai society. “Mr. Amsterdam has not done himself a favour by making baseless accusations and attempting to derail efforts to move Thai society forward,” he added.
Regarding cases against Mr. Thaksin Shinawatra, Mr. Chavanond urged the former prime minister to return to fight his cases in courts as with other Thais, including protest leaders, instead of spending millions hiring a foreign lawyer to run his campaign and attacking Thailand from abroad. “He did that for a while, but when the criminal court granted him a permission to travel overseas, he fled before the court sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment for conflict of interest. This took place while a government allied with him was in power. It is very inappropriate to criticise Thailand’s justice system and its courts just because their outcomes have sometimes not gone in one’s favour. Mr. Thaksin did not complain when the Constitution Court ruled in his favour, for example, in 2001.” The Thai justice system has one standard.
Finally, asked if he was worried about foreign governments’ positions, Mr. Chavanond said “our foreign friends understand the situation in Thailand.”
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th