Thread: Abhisit admits to Maldives trip amid Thailand flood crisis

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?

Originally Posted by mobs00

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?

The have already made their preferences clear...

Abhisit on holiday?

by thaipoliticalprisoners
OCTOBER 26, 2011

There has been a bit of media traffic concerning a 3-day holiday trip to a luxury island resort in the Maldives by former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. PPT has seen a post by Andrew Spooner that has several updates, a comment by Bangkok Pundit and a post at Thai E-News. Within these stories there are numerous links to Thai newspaper reports of a holiday trip.

The gist of the debate seems to be that people living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. The Democrat Party and its yellow-shirted supporters have been highly critical of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for wearing Burberry Wellington boots (admitted, but were they knock-offs?) while sloshing around in floods, that she attended a concert (vehemently denied) and some have even complained that she wears make-up (ho hum) while out in the floods…. The response seems to be that she’s out paddling around in floods, while Abhisit, as head of the Democrat Party, is on holiday.

Related, the Democrat Party has been confused and confusing in its responses on this issue, both denying and admitting. A column in The Nation cited by Bangkok Pundit says this:

A [Democrat] party source says he did spend a couple of nights there with the family and Abhisit didn’t deny it….

The Democrat [Party]… said Abhisit planned this school-break holiday a long time ago, and within hours there were photos on Twitter of him back on the job in Bangkok.

Along the same lines, former Finance Minister and Abhisit school chum Korn Chatikavanij (wealthiest politician in the Thai parliament) has seen his wife’s choice of rain gear in the media, although her choice of expensive wet fashion seems to have been praised by the yellow shirts….

While the last word might be with the Bangkok Post’s Roger Crutchley, it does seem that Abhisit and his party are leaving no stone unturned in their attempts to destabilize the current administration.

Originally Posted by Andrew Spooner

why aren’t the Democrats and the truth ever on speaking terms?

ouch

Anyone who thinks Mark gives a shit, is delusional

Abhisit a Scumbag of the first order. the Amart and the militaries yes man. He never made a decision as Prime Minister he only took orders... and we all know who that was from!!!

Originally Posted by thehighlander959

.... never made a decision as Prime Minister he only took orders... and we all know who that was from!!!

From Thaksin, right?

Oh, sorry - you were talking about Abhisit.......my mistake.

Originally Posted by sues2

Anyone who thinks Mark gives a shit, is delusional

he's a youngish lad, why would it be delusion to think he gives a shit once a day as regular as clockwork?

Sure it may look like he doesn't care, but really why should he ? He is not the PM. He could be riding kiddie rides all month at disney land and it really doesn't matter does it. He still isn't the PM. Back at home in the states Obama can say "look at george bush, the nation is going to shit and he is taking trips to mexico." Well as much as george bush is an idiot, the point is the guy is not the president. It doesn't really matter where he is or what he's doing. Its not his job anymore.

George Bush is not the leader of the opposition

But what could Mark do that his deputy couldn't anyhow

quite right. the opposition in the US is the tea party.

abisit the buctcher of bangkok, was booted by the thais democratically.

Was it a secret liason with his old reamer "Boris" down there in the Maldives

Who gives a shite what the despot does, only interested when hes before the ICC

The Thai political landscape is wide open for somebody to make a claim.

Somebody, somewhere, unconnected with the reds and dems and stuff must have the nouse to step in and fill the void. They are not In government/oppostion and they are not in Dubai.

There must be somebody.

Originally Posted by LooseBowels

abisit the buctcher of bangkok, was booted by the thais democratically.
Was it a secret liason with his old reamer "Boris" down there in the Maldives
Who gives a shite what the despot does, only interested when hes before the ICC

No not boris johnson...... they must be planning world domination we must let the world know at once

I hope the new leader of this land is some bald Dr. Evil type, complete with "mini me". Then corruption will be so much easier to ignore/expect.

"I will sell off Thailands treasures for ONE MILLION baht... "

must be slow news day for the red nutters,

more than enough useless poo yais running around giving orders as it is

Half of you lot don't actually activate your brains or critically analyse... you're like Foxnews watchers, you just defend your preconceived viewpoint, come what may... What a waste of time...

[QUOTE=Butterfly;1918079]


Most intelligent thing I've heard from you for a while BF!

Baldrick:

more than enough useless poo yais running around giving orders as it is

agree, but the why does Abhisit need to lie so much?




Why didn’t he just pick up the phone? Abhisit in the Maldives – Part 3

This is now the third installment of what appears to be a growing problem for Abhisit’s PR managers – that he took a luxury holiday in the Maldives last week during some of Thailand’s worst ever floods. Part one can be found here, part two here.

First of all the Democrat Party tacitly denied Abhisit had been to the Maldives. Then suddenly they remembered he had been there and that he had actually met the Maldives’ President on some sort of official trip to discuss UN funding for flood protection.

Yet, nothing at all is mentioned on the Maldives’ Presidents’ own website about Khun Mark’s “official” visit. However, the website does mention the Maldives’ Vice President receiving a courtesy call from the likes of the former Malaysian finance minister. Why is Abhisit’s important discussion about important matters deemed to be of even lower priority than a simple courtesy call?

Maybe, just maybe, there was no official visit at all and Abhisit, realising he’d been caught taking a luxury holiday in the Maldives at a time of terrible floods in Thailand, suddenly remembered that he’d gone there to discuss flood protection? Or, maybe, Abhisit had an impromptu, unannounced, short meeting with President Nasheed that lasted about 10 minutes? At the moment all of this is just speculation.

Nonetheless a photo of Abhisit, dressed in a very unofficial-looking loose linen shirt, meeting a slightly startled looking President Nasheed, has emerged. The Democrat Party are claiming this photo is evidence of an invitation and of some kind of official meeting.

Actually the only evidence this photo provides is that of Abhisit spending as long as it took for the photo to be taken with the Maldives’ President at some undetermined point in history. And given that a round trip to the Maldives would take two flying days and that Abhisit could, instead, be putting his “experience” to use helping fight the floods rather than embarking on such a long journey (why couldn’t it wait until after the floods?) why didn’t the former Thai PM just pick up the phone and speak to President Nasheed? Abhisit’s explanation just doesn’t ring true.

Unfortunately Abhisit has plenty of history of struggling with the basic facts about himself – such as minor details like possessing both a British passport and British nationality. That’s before we get onto his role into actions that resulted in dozens of dead Thai civilians littering Bangkok’s streets during last April/May.

If the Democrats have evidence of Abhisit’s official trip and meeting in the Maldives let them actually produce something substantial. Until then we can only judge them on how they’ve handled this story so far – with half-truths, absurd denials, dodgy excuses and a single, snatched, photograph.

Thais don't need or want to see Abhisit.

Their morale would be boosted enormously by the Royal Family participation and visibility - as they always are - Long Live His Majesty. I have seen their names mentioned - mostly in connection with their eponymous Dams, and fortification of Palace premises

^^Didn't anyone tell you he's a politician, its what they do. Its their head's you see, if they ever tell the truth their head will explode; have you ever seen a politicians head explode?

Disgraceful. Abhisit should be at his desk on the job.

Oh wait - he does not f*cking have one, because the country told him his services are no longer required.

Hope he enjoyed the sunshine....

Originally Posted by hazz

^^Didn't anyone tell you he's a politician, its what they do.

Not when there is evidence to the contrary, and the fact he still does lie about most things.