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Published on April 7, 2008

During his weekly "Talking Samak's Style" programme broadcast on the state-run NBT (formerly known as Channel 11), Samak pulled no punches against social critic Thirayuth Boonmi and fortune-teller Warin Buawiratlert.

He also hit back at PPP spokesman Kuthep Saikrajang for having suggested that the PM should be doing more and talking less.

Samak lashed out at Warin for trying to politicise a prediction to undermine his government.

The fortune-teller reportedly said on Friday that the political situation would spiral out of control next month, resulting in the collapse of Samak's leadership, and that Army chief General Anupong Paochinda would become the next prime minister following military intervention.

Samak countered that Warin was proved wrong after he predicted before the general election that Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva would become prime minister.

"This fortune-teller has no shame about making a wrong prediction and I wonder what he is doing to the country by invoking my name and that of the Army chief to insinuate another coup," he said.

He said it made no sense for him to stage a military intervention against his own leadership.

He voiced suspicion about Warin's motive and challenged him to clarify why he acted as if he wanted to destabilise the country.

At his Chiang Mai residence yesterday, Warin led an astrological ceremony to bless the horoscopes of his followers. Election Commission member Sodsri Sattayatham was seen among the participants.

Pramote Samakkan, a close follower of the fortune-teller, said Samak lacked manners by his use of disrespectful references to Warin. "Other followers of Anahn Warin agree that what Samak said would cause rifts," he said.

One source close to the fortune-teller said Warin had predicted that the Samak government would not survive its first year due to lack of unity, but he had not said there would be a coup or the Army chief would become prime minister. Warin did not give media interviews on the matter yesterday.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama yesterday said Anupong had assured with his life that there would be no coup by the Army under his leadership.

"He said to me that anyone going to overthrow the government will have to do so over his dead body. They will have to shoot him first," Noppadon said.

During his programme, Samak also attacked Thirayuth, a lecturer at Thammasat University's Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, for pointing to degradation in five areas of society, including political morality.

"He should have looked in the mirror to see how much he has degraded, how time has changed his facial look. What he did hasn't done much benefit to the country. It's just a show of ego," Samak said.

In response to Kuthep's criticism, Samak said his programme was not meant to be a weekly report by the prime minister and that he wanted to talk about various issues he preferred.

The Nation