Noppodol needs to clarify his role
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Re: "Thaksin to discuss Dawei in Myanmar: Noppodol", Politics, October 30.
It is news like this that portrays Thaksin Shinawatra as somewhat like a thief, using his connection with Thailand’s prime minister to peddle influence in a foreign country.
If Noppadol Pattama is truly the legal adviser of Thaksin, as he has claimed, he should advise Thaksin that there could be legal complications in the future as a result of this visit. No Thai person can act as a representative of the country unless he is properly appointed by the Thai government. Thaksin is no ordinary person: he is a runaway convict and a fugitive from Thai law.
Noppadol should advise his purported client that there has been no precedent anywhere in the history of democracy for a person or family using democratic means to turn a country into a private gold mine, expressly for their personal gain.
If Noppadol is just another Thaksin yes-man, though, then forget the above: you have been a good, loyal retainer. Many people have climbed the political ladder by simply doing this.
Vint Chavala
Lamphun
