June 22, 2015 (Tony Cartalucci -ATN) - Any nation's embassy in a foreign land is established to represent that nation and its people, while providing locals and its own citizens living abroad with essential services required when traveling. What an embassy is not supposed to be is an outpost used for political meddling and attempting to exert unwarranted influence beyond the borders of its home nation.
Yet a recent scandal appears to indicate what many have already long known, that the US embassy in Bangkok is directly involved in Thailand's internal political matters, particularly in its support of ousted ex-prime minister, convicted criminal, mass murderer Thaksin Shinawatra.
The scandal centers around veteran politician and scholar, Pramote Nakornthab, whose invitation from the US embassy for a July 4th celebration included the title, "Anti-Thaksin Activist." Apparently, a clumsy embassy staff member was reading off a list of names not only containing prominent figures across Thai politics, but a list that included labels identifying these names as either pro or anti-Thaksin. Despite a lifetime of achievements, Mr. Nakornthab's accomplishments and contributions to Thai society are boiled down by the US Embassy as merely "anti-Thaksin."
Indeed, Mr. Nakornthab's contributions to Thai society are irrelevant to the United States and the immense corporate-financier special interests that direct its foreign and domestic policy. The US agenda to overturn and reorder all of Southeast Asia as part of its "pivot toward Asia" includes the cultivation and propping up of dictator Thaksin Shinawata - an immense investment they intend to jealously protect.
America's Man in Bangkok, Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra shortly before becoming prime minister, was an adviser to the notorious US private equity firm the Carlyle Group, a position he held despite immense conflicts of interest well after he became prime minister of Thailand in 2001. During his time as prime minister, Shinawatra would commit Thai troops to the highly unpopular war in Iraq on Washington's behalf, allow the United States CIA to use Thailand for its abhorrent secret rendition program, and would attempt to ram through a US-Thai free trade agreement without parliamentary approval in 2004.
Shinawatra was clearly cultivated to serve US interests at the expense of Thailand's dignity and sovereignty - a role he demonstrably served when finally taking office.
It was also during his time as prime minister that he and a police force he increasingly consolidated control over began an unprecedented killing spree in 2003, leaving some 3,000 people dead over the span of just 90 days. Allegedly carried out as part of a "war on drugs," it would later turn out that most of those killed by Shinawatra's regime had no connections to the drug trade whatsoever - the incident apparently a political stunt aimed at attracting support from rural communities ravaged by drug trade Shinawatra's own police controlled.
Shinawatra also instituted a campaign of censorship, political intimidation, kidnappings, and even assassinations targeting critics and political opponents. After years of abuse, corruption, mass murder, and attempts to consolidate total control over Thailand's political landscape, in 2006, the Royal Thai Army ousted Shinawatra from power. After which, years of political instability and violence unfolded as Shinawatra and his political allies attempted to seize back and cling to power.
Today, Shinawatra hides abroad, a convicted criminal sentenced to but evading 2 years of jail time, while his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra who served as prime minister in his place from 2011-2014, faces multiple counts of abuse of power and corruption back at home.
Shinawatra's political machine also included militant street thugs called "red shirts," who between 2006 and 2014, periodically attacked Shinawatra's political rivals in violent incidents, carried out 2 city-wide riots between 2009 and 2010 - the latter of which included 300 heavily armed terrorists fielded by Shinawatra who triggered gun battles that cost nearly 100 lives, and terrorist attacks targeting protesters opposed to Shinawatra's proxy regime in 2013-2014 which left nearly 30 dead.
Despite this, the US and a myriad of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) funded directly by the US State Department through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), has invested immense resources, time, and energy to condemn the current ruling government, while obfuscating, covering up entirely, or attempting to justify violence and criminality carried out by the ousted regime of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Many of these NGOs masquerade as "human rights" advocates or "pro-democracy" activists, "journalists," and "academics." In reality, they are all funded by the United States government in an effort to overturn the current political order in Bangkok, and return to power their proxy Thaksin Shinawatra. In addition to this army of NGOs, Shinawatra more directly has received backing from several of the largest names in Washington lobbying including Kenneth Adelman of the Edelman PR firm (Freedom House, International Crisis Group,PNAC), James Baker of Baker Botts (CFR), Robert Blackwill of Barbour Griffith & Rogers (CFR), Kobre & Kim, and currently Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Peroff (Chatham House).
Kenneth Adelman - a stalwart Neo-Conservative - not only served as lobbyist to Thaksin Shinawatra, but also chairs NED's Freedom House which in turn funds many of the faux "pro-democracy" and ironically "liberal" NGOs attempting to undermine the current Thai government, and return Shinawatra and his supporters back into power. This includes propaganda outlet Prachatai.
Protecting Investments: Why US Sees Thais as Either "Pro/Anti-Thaksin"
It is clear why the United States sees a list of Thailand's most prominent political figures and labels them only "pro-Thaksin" or "anti-Thaksin." The US and the many corporate-financier special interests that direct its destiny have invested two decades and billions of dollars building up Thaksin Shinawatra and an accompanying network of sedition designed to help overthrow, then overwrite Thailand's long standing ancient institutions and the current standing political order.
Beyond a mere breach of diplomatic protocol, or even a tasteless episode of a foreign nation playing favoritism amid a tense political stand-off, the recent US Embassy scandal in Bangkok is another reminder of how global hegemons see the entire world, and how little they think of the nations hosting their embassies around the globe.
Thais must readjust their relationship with the United States - a nation that repeatedly proclaims itself a "friend" while colluding with Thailand's enemies. America is no longer the unquestioned voice of reason or "shining beacon" of democracy and freedom. It is a menace until its own people manage to dislodge from the positions of power the sort of corruption and criminality Thailand's military has recently flushed during its latest coup.
And finally, Mr. Nakornthab is not an "anti-Thaksin activist." In addition to being an academic and a politician, he is an activist advocating anti-corruption, anti-mass murder, anti-terrorism and anti-political intimidation - which all just so happen to be everything Thaksin Shinawatra was promoting. The US embassy in Bangkok's labeling Mr. Nakornthab as such attempts to deny legitimacy to the many millions who risked their lives and rose up against the regime of Thaksin Shinawatra to finally oust it from power.
Yet a recent scandal appears to indicate what many have already long known, that the US embassy in Bangkok is directly involved in Thailand's internal political matters, particularly in its support of ousted ex-prime minister, convicted criminal, mass murderer Thaksin Shinawatra.
The scandal centers around veteran politician and scholar, Pramote Nakornthab, whose invitation from the US embassy for a July 4th celebration included the title, "Anti-Thaksin Activist." Apparently, a clumsy embassy staff member was reading off a list of names not only containing prominent figures across Thai politics, but a list that included labels identifying these names as either pro or anti-Thaksin. Despite a lifetime of achievements, Mr. Nakornthab's accomplishments and contributions to Thai society are boiled down by the US Embassy as merely "anti-Thaksin."
Indeed, Mr. Nakornthab's contributions to Thai society are irrelevant to the United States and the immense corporate-financier special interests that direct its foreign and domestic policy. The US agenda to overturn and reorder all of Southeast Asia as part of its "pivot toward Asia" includes the cultivation and propping up of dictator Thaksin Shinawata - an immense investment they intend to jealously protect.
America's Man in Bangkok, Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra shortly before becoming prime minister, was an adviser to the notorious US private equity firm the Carlyle Group, a position he held despite immense conflicts of interest well after he became prime minister of Thailand in 2001. During his time as prime minister, Shinawatra would commit Thai troops to the highly unpopular war in Iraq on Washington's behalf, allow the United States CIA to use Thailand for its abhorrent secret rendition program, and would attempt to ram through a US-Thai free trade agreement without parliamentary approval in 2004.
It was also during his time as prime minister that he and a police force he increasingly consolidated control over began an unprecedented killing spree in 2003, leaving some 3,000 people dead over the span of just 90 days. Allegedly carried out as part of a "war on drugs," it would later turn out that most of those killed by Shinawatra's regime had no connections to the drug trade whatsoever - the incident apparently a political stunt aimed at attracting support from rural communities ravaged by drug trade Shinawatra's own police controlled.
Shinawatra also instituted a campaign of censorship, political intimidation, kidnappings, and even assassinations targeting critics and political opponents. After years of abuse, corruption, mass murder, and attempts to consolidate total control over Thailand's political landscape, in 2006, the Royal Thai Army ousted Shinawatra from power. After which, years of political instability and violence unfolded as Shinawatra and his political allies attempted to seize back and cling to power.
Today, Shinawatra hides abroad, a convicted criminal sentenced to but evading 2 years of jail time, while his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra who served as prime minister in his place from 2011-2014, faces multiple counts of abuse of power and corruption back at home.
Shinawatra's political machine also included militant street thugs called "red shirts," who between 2006 and 2014, periodically attacked Shinawatra's political rivals in violent incidents, carried out 2 city-wide riots between 2009 and 2010 - the latter of which included 300 heavily armed terrorists fielded by Shinawatra who triggered gun battles that cost nearly 100 lives, and terrorist attacks targeting protesters opposed to Shinawatra's proxy regime in 2013-2014 which left nearly 30 dead.
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| Image: Shinawatra and his supporters regularly employ terrorism and violence. This scene from 2010 came from the opening shots fired in a weeks-long conflict that would claim nearly 100 lives. |
Despite this, the US and a myriad of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) funded directly by the US State Department through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), has invested immense resources, time, and energy to condemn the current ruling government, while obfuscating, covering up entirely, or attempting to justify violence and criminality carried out by the ousted regime of Thaksin Shinawatra.
Many of these NGOs masquerade as "human rights" advocates or "pro-democracy" activists, "journalists," and "academics." In reality, they are all funded by the United States government in an effort to overturn the current political order in Bangkok, and return to power their proxy Thaksin Shinawatra. In addition to this army of NGOs, Shinawatra more directly has received backing from several of the largest names in Washington lobbying including Kenneth Adelman of the Edelman PR firm (Freedom House, International Crisis Group,PNAC), James Baker of Baker Botts (CFR), Robert Blackwill of Barbour Griffith & Rogers (CFR), Kobre & Kim, and currently Robert Amsterdam of Amsterdam & Peroff (Chatham House).
Kenneth Adelman - a stalwart Neo-Conservative - not only served as lobbyist to Thaksin Shinawatra, but also chairs NED's Freedom House which in turn funds many of the faux "pro-democracy" and ironically "liberal" NGOs attempting to undermine the current Thai government, and return Shinawatra and his supporters back into power. This includes propaganda outlet Prachatai.
Protecting Investments: Why US Sees Thais as Either "Pro/Anti-Thaksin"
It is clear why the United States sees a list of Thailand's most prominent political figures and labels them only "pro-Thaksin" or "anti-Thaksin." The US and the many corporate-financier special interests that direct its destiny have invested two decades and billions of dollars building up Thaksin Shinawatra and an accompanying network of sedition designed to help overthrow, then overwrite Thailand's long standing ancient institutions and the current standing political order.
Beyond a mere breach of diplomatic protocol, or even a tasteless episode of a foreign nation playing favoritism amid a tense political stand-off, the recent US Embassy scandal in Bangkok is another reminder of how global hegemons see the entire world, and how little they think of the nations hosting their embassies around the globe.
Thais must readjust their relationship with the United States - a nation that repeatedly proclaims itself a "friend" while colluding with Thailand's enemies. America is no longer the unquestioned voice of reason or "shining beacon" of democracy and freedom. It is a menace until its own people manage to dislodge from the positions of power the sort of corruption and criminality Thailand's military has recently flushed during its latest coup.
And finally, Mr. Nakornthab is not an "anti-Thaksin activist." In addition to being an academic and a politician, he is an activist advocating anti-corruption, anti-mass murder, anti-terrorism and anti-political intimidation - which all just so happen to be everything Thaksin Shinawatra was promoting. The US embassy in Bangkok's labeling Mr. Nakornthab as such attempts to deny legitimacy to the many millions who risked their lives and rose up against the regime of Thaksin Shinawatra to finally oust it from power.
