Abhisit admits to Maldives trip amid Thailand flood crisis | Asian Correspondent
By Andrew Spooner Oct 25, 2011 8:39PM UTC
A couple of days ago I blogged about allegations that former Thai PM and leader of the opposition Democrat Party, Abhisit Vejjajiva, ran away to the Maldives for a quick luxury holiday as Bangkok faced flooding.
At first the Democrats seemed to deny ‘Mark’ (Abhisit) had been sunning his tush at some luxury resort in the Maldives. Or, in typically evasive style, (why aren’t the Democrats and the truth ever on speaking terms?) wouldn’t deny Abhisit had been there.
Now they’ve admitted he was in the Maldives. But only after they got their story “straight”.
The line now being put out by the Democrats, according to a report in the Matichon newspaper, is that Abhisit did actually travel to the Maldives but went there to visit the Maldives’ President in some kind of official capacity based on an invitation said president sent Mark several months ago. The claim is that they discussed the “floods”. But why didn’t Mark announce his “official” visit before he left? Will he be publishing his findings on Maldivean flood control? Why the evasiveness? Why the secrecy?
Yet a quick look on the Maldives’ President’s website and at the list of official engagements and it is plain to see it makes no mention of Abhisit’s visit. It does mention an Under 25s Cricket Tournament and various messages the President has sent to diplomats etc. but nothing about Khun Mark’s important visit to the Maldives to discuss how to combat the floods.
So has Abhisit compounded one mistake by making another? I’m sure these are questions the President’s press office in the Maldives will be eager to answer once it opens in the morning.
But, at the end of the day, the only real judges of the wisdom of Abhisit’s luxury sojourn will be the Thai electorate. Do they prefer a leader who, despite terrible, once-in-a-lifetime floods, sticks it out and does her best or a politician who snipes from the sidelines and then runs off to a luxury resort when things get tough?