Thailand: West Defends "VoiceTV" – Omits Fact its Owned by Mass Murdering Fugitive
October 20, 2020- West decries shutdown of billionaire fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra's VoiceTV media company
- Thaksin leads 1 of 2 billionaire-led opposition parties backed by the US government
- Thaksin Shinawatra mass murdered over 2,000 innocent people during a "war on drugs" in 2003
- Thaksin also organized violent mobs between 2009-2010 featuring armed militants and arson killing nearly 100
- Thaksin ran the country remotely from 2011-2014 via his sister Yingluck Shinawatra until the 2014 coup
- Before being ousted from power, Yingluck Shinawatra's crackdown on protesters killed over 20 men, women, and children
- Western media omits all these facts to depict VoiceTV's closure as "censorship"
October 20, 2020 (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - The Western media and Western fronts posing as "rights advocates" decried Thailand's decision to shutdown the opposition "VoiceTV" media network amid ongoing US-funded anti-government protests.
VoiceTV is a tireless promoter of the ongoing protests - but omitted from Western media reports is who owns VoiceTV and their role in episodes of mass murder, terrorism, and armed insurrection amid Thailand's political crisis.
READ MORE: The Complete Guide: US Government Role in Thailand's "Student Protests"
Should the Western media have included this critical context - VoiceTV's closure would clearly be revealed as a matter of protecting national security - not "censorship."
Western Media Covers Up for US-backed Fugitive Billionaire
VoiceTV was created and run by US-backed billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra who still openly runs Thailand's largest opposition party - Pheu Thai (PTP). Should US-funded mobs force the current Thai government to step down - it would Thaksin Shinawatra and PTP who would fill the void.
Thaksin was Thailand's prime minster from 2001-2006 - a period in which he executed a politically-motivated 90 day "war on drugs" in which over 2,000 innocent people were killed extrajudicially in the streets - making him the worst human rights violator in Thailand's history.
Even Human Rights Watch - now an apologist for the opposition's abuses - reported at the time in their 2004 report, "Not Enough Graves" (PDF, page 1) that (emphasis added):
Thaksin government instructed police and local officials that persons charged with drug offenses should be considered “security threats” and dealt with in a “ruthless” and “severe” manner. The result of the initial three-month phase of this campaign was some 2,275 extrajudicial killings, which the government blamed largely on gangs involved in the drug trade; arbitrary inclusion of drug suspects on poorly prepared government “blacklists” or “watchlists;” intimidation of human rights defenders; violence, arbitrary arrest, and other breaches of due process by Thai police; and coerced or mandatory drug treatment.
During his time as prime minister Thaksin aided US foreign policy by committing Thai troops to the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, allowed the US CIA to use Thai territory for its torture program, and attempted to pass a US-Thai free trade agreement without parliamentary approval.
Since being ousted from power in a 2006 military coup, being convicted and sentenced to jail, and fleeing the country as a fugitive - Thaksin has twice attempted to seize back power with US help through the very sort of mobs now in the streets of Thailand today.
In 2009 and again in 2010 - Thaksin Shinawatra organized street mobs and militants who attacked police, soldiers, bystanders, critics, and the media while rioting, looting, and carrying out large-scale arson. By the end of 2010 nearly 100 were dead.
READ MORE: The Truth Behind Thailand's 2010 Violence
Then - just as now - the Western media omitted any mention of violence by protesters and depicted the deaths instead as a "military crackdown."
From 2011-2014 - Thaksin Shinawatra ran the country remotely through his sister - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra - until a military coup ousted her. Before being ousted from power - counter-protests seeking to uproot Thaksin Shinawatra's influence on the country were violently suppressed killing up to 20 men, women, and children.
While the violence was impossible for the Western media to ignore - reportage was as ambiguous and as apologetic as possible regarding who was behind it and why. Today, Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra's crimes and their use of violence is entirely omitted from Western media reports referencing what led to the 2014 coup.
Since the 2014 coup - Thaksin Shinawatra, his political machine, and his media groups have again attempted to seize back power - participating directly in ongoing US-funded mobs now taking to Thailand's streets.
Together with fellow billionaire and Thaksin's nominee - Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit - they are providing media and logistical aid to protesters the US cannot risk directly providing at the moment.
Thaksin Shinawatra currently resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and has been allowed to freely travel to the UK and United States despite being a mass murderer and a fugitive. Pheu Thai Party members regularly meet him abroad - including in Hong Kong - to receive orders.
Shutting Down a Fugitive's Propaganda Network is not "Censorship"
Shutting down a media network owned by a fugitive, a murderer, and a terrorist is not "censorship" and directly concerns national security.
That Thailand has allowed VoiceTV and others to operate despite being owned by a violent criminal says much about how carefully Thailand has treaded to avoid escalating political crisis within its borders. But now that it has escalated regardless - there is little to no reason to allow it - or other media organizations promoting foreign sedition - to continue operating freely.
Considering the spectacularly sinister background of VoiceTV's ownership - that the Western media entirely omits mention of it illustrates the scale, depth, and coordination of propaganda currently aimed by the West at Thailand in support of anti-government protesters.
The US seeks to overthrow Thailand's government, military, and monarchy in a bid to roll back relations between it and China who is now Thailand's largest trade partner, investor, source of tourism, and even Thailand's largest arms supplier - replacing the US. China is also a key partner in Thailand's 5G rollout as well as a high-speed rail network that will eventually connect Thailand to China via Laos.