Hundreds of protesters gathered in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Bangkok today, calling on the Malaysian prime minister, as ASEAN chair, to review his appointment of former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as his chief advisor.
Protest leaders submitted a petition to the embassy’s representative, stating that Thaksin is a convicted criminal, guilty of corruption, who evaded serving his prison sentence by fleeing abroad for nearly two decades.
The protesters, led by the Network of Students and People for Reform of Thailand, carried placards reading, “Malaysia must stop meddling in Thai politics,” and “Malaysia is helping Thaksin to evade prosecution again.”
One placard read, “Is a prisoner like Thaksin worth being your consultant?”
They also stated that Thaksin is facing multiple legal charges, including a lèse-majesté case set for trial in July, and therefore should not serve as Anwar’s chief advisor.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has denied interfering in Thailand’s internal affairs, through his appointment of Thaksin as head of the ASEAN Informal Advisory Group, saying he simply wants to make use of Thaksin’s experience and extensive network.
“Dr. Thaksin is an old personal friend of mine. I wish to make it clear that we do not involve ourselves in the domestic politics of Thailand,” Anwar told Thai PBS World during a press briefing last month in Bangkok.
Having Thaksin on the team helps to facilitate the ability follow-up on related work, Anwar claimed, adding, “We have very important personalities designated by each leader, in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia.”
