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Published on April 22, 2008

The Nation

"It is unfair to use the state media for personal bickering," he said in reference to Samak Sundaravej's weekly show on Sunday.

Samak said Chuan had taken the moral high ground on honesty by saying that a prime minister's reputation should not be tainted by litigation. He said he was not a corrupt politician and that Chuan called for an unreasonable standard as his brother Raluek was involved in corruption and had to flee abroad.

"If Samak had reviewed my remarks in full, he would have known that I did not single out him or any individual PM," Chuan said.

He said Samak's swipe at Raluek was inappropriate because his younger brother was not an office holder. Raluek was a bank branch manager, hence he could not be charged for corruption as Samak had claimed, he said.

Meanwhile, deputy government spokesman Nattawut Saikua said Chuan unfairly attacked Samak by describing him as a PM convicted in a defamation case. He said the offence was much lighter than that of Chuan's brother Raluek, who was accused of embezzlement.

He said there was a need for Samak to explain himself and his government against allegations or they could become victims of misinformation.

The Thaksin Shinawatra government failed to explain itself properly against false rumours, he added.