The military rulers have produced a white paper to explain to the Thai public the key events and reasons leading to their decision to overthrow the Thaksin government.

The 35-page document, obtained yesterday by The Nation, has been prepared as part of a broad campaign to inform Thais about the military coup and the progress the Council for National Security (CNS) has made so far in pushing transitional politics towards the path of democracy.

Former PMs Chavalit Yong-chaiyudh, Anand Panyarachun and Chuan Leekpai have vented their disappointment with the CNS, which has failed to achieve significant progress in fulfilling its pledges cited during the September 19 coup. Key allies like Prasong Soonsiri and Sondhi Limthongkul have also not tried to conceal their disappointment with the military rulers, who appear to be more interested in fielding their people onto the boards of state enterprises than going after Thaksin and his associates.

The white paper, entitled "Facts about the Reform of Thai Politics on September 19, 2006", was recently completed after an initial delay.

Some 20,000 copies in Thai and another 1,000 in English will be distributed to the Thai public and foreign media and embassies by the end of the month, say political sources.

The document starts by painting the tortuous path of Thai democracy. Without naming names, it condemns democracy at face value as adopted by the Thaksin government, which led to unprecedented polarisation, destruction of the system of checks and balances among independent institutions and divide-and-rule tactics that risked creating violence.

The white paper justifies the coup as the last resort, because the democratic machinery had already broken down without any other options for Thai society.

The document outlines corruption scandals, abuse of power and conflicts of interest in the Thaksin government, which were among the key reasons that led to the coup.

Some of the more highly questionable projects include conversion of the mobile-phone concession fee to excise tax; Board of Investment privileges for Shin Satellite; Suvarnabhumi Airport and the CTX scandal; the railway Airport Link; dubious privatisation of state enterprises; and control of free TV.

Abuse of power in the previous government is also cited. Examples include appointing relatives or associates to key government positions, spending off-budget funds without approval from Parliament to boost the popular vote and abusing official capacities to negotiate with foreigners for personal benefit, such as the Export-Import Bank of Thailand's Bt4-billion loan to Burma.

The previous administration is also accused of exploiting the National Counter Corruption Commission, the Anti-Money Laundering Office and the Revenue Department to harass its political enemies.

The document accuses the deposed prime minister of violating leadership ethics by selling satellite and television concessions to a foreigner and selling stocks among family members without paying any tax.

The previous government also stands accused of having intervened in the system of checks and balances. Examples include its exertion of control over the Senate in the confirmation of key people to independent institutions and interference in the appointment of members to the Election Commission, the Constitution Court, the National Counter Corruption Commission and the Auditor-General's Office.

The Thaksin administration's policy mistakes also led to the abuse of human rights. There were mass killings, or extrajudicial killings in drug-related cases. The policy mistakes also resulted in failure to tackle the southern unrest.

The white paper also accuses the Thaksin government of withholding information from the public, in order to avoid being investigated. It also set up supporters to strike back against or confront peaceful anti-government demonstrators, which might have led to violence.

There were attempts to resolve the political crisis through peaceful means but to no avail.

The white paper then describes the political situation before the September 19 coup and the takeover of the country on that day. It paints a rosy response from the public towards the coup and the unusually calm - and bloodless - event.

The white paper also addresses important subjects that fall under public scrutiny, such as the monarchy and Thai politics, martial law, freedoms and liberties, economic sufficiency and the NSC's next step.

In spite of the bitter polarisation of the past year, His Majesty the King did not intervene in Thai politics, in particular declining to use Article 7 of the 1997 Constitution to appoint a new prime minister. His Majesty also gave advice to the judges of the Supreme and Supreme Administrative courts, to the effect that they should rely on the judicial process to resolve the political crisis, in order to protect the democratic system.

After the military elite took control of the country on September 19, they were granted an audience with His Majesty, to report on the situation. It is a tradition in Thai politics that whenever a coup topples the government, the military reports to His Majesty.

Political Desk

The Nation