Thaksin’s Name on National Flag Spurs Furor
Thaksin Shinawatra’s name on a Thai national flag displayed by football fans in Manchester England has sent reverberations across the world by offending many Thais including Prime Minister Samak. The flag with Mr Thaksin’s name on it has become a topic of discussion yesterday when a photo of it appeared in the Matichon newspaper. The big question was whether it was or was not appropriate. The prime minister felt it was not and called for an apology from Mr Thaksin. Samak stated ”It is inappropriate, it must not happen again.” The flag was apparently the work of local English fans who wanted to show their support for their favorite team’s owner. Article 53 of the 1979 Flag Act, states that affixing pictures, letters, numbers or any type of symbols on the national flag is a violation of the law with a penalty of a up to year in jail and/or a fine of 2,000 baht. Another regulation of the Prime Minister’s Office, issued coincidentally by the Thaksin administration in 2004, also forbids any private entity from putting up the national flag for a commercial propose. This instance however happened in England and was apparently done without any connection to Thaksin or the football organization. The offending flag was displayed last Saturday at the City of Manchester Stadium. Mr Thaksin, the team owner, was present as a spectator. His team was defeated 3-2 by Fulham. Mr Thaksin’s spokeswoman Sansanee Nakpong said ”Please do not jump to conclusions. No one would be happy seeing their name on the national flag.” Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama, who worked as Mr Thaksin’s legal counsel before joining the present cabinet, said the flag with Thaksin’s name applied was the work of football fans.
Thaksin’s Name on National Flag Spurs Furor
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