http://asiancorrespondent.com/bangkok-pundit-blog/wikileaks-former-thai-pm-samak-on-who-was-responsible-for-the-coup

WikiLeaks: Former Thai PM Samak on 2006 coup		+ enlarge
Dec. 14 2010 - 07:40 pm View comments (2)

		5	WikiLeaks, Thailand coup, Samak

The Guardian is one of the news agencies who have access to the WikiLeaks cables. The Guardian:

The Guardian is one of five publications around the world which has had prior access to the material – around 250,000 cables in all – on condition that we observed common deadlines over the timings of release. The others are the New York Times, Le Monde, El País and Der Spiegel.

So far only a small percentage of the 250,000 cables have been released. The Guardian has been taking questions from readers on what material they would like to read about in a section called "You ask, we search". A reader has asked about the involvement of xxxx in the 2006 coup. Below are some excerpts from the latest article. Any redactions are those made by BP. Given the nature of the subject matter, BP can't link to the article. Key excerpts:

[BP: title redacted] of Thailand encouraged the 2006 ousting of former prime minister and Manchester City owner Thaksin Shinawatra, US dispatches from October 2008 allege.

[BP: name redacted] was indirectly "responsible for the 2006 coup d'etat", according to Samak Sundaravej, one of Thaksin's successors as prime minister from January to September 2008, according to US diplomats. Samak also claimed, the cable writers add, that [BP: name redacted] had a hand in the "ongoing turmoil generated by PAD protests", a reference to the mass protests by the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy which have contributed to the downfall of several Thaksin-associated governments since 2006.

[BP: whole sentence redacted] 

The cable appears to add to rumours of the scale of [BP: name redacted] political involvement. [BP: whole sentence redacted] 

Samak alleged the [BP: name redacted] "operated through privy council president Prem Tinsulanonda who, along with others presenting themselves as royalists, worked with the PAD and other agitators", according to a report by US ambassador Eric John, within a cable from October 2008.

There is no mention in the cables of any coup involvement by BP: name redacted]. But an earlier dispatch written in the week following the coup states [BP: name redacted] called the leaders of the coup to [BP: place redacted] for a meeting the evening after Thaksin was ousted and was "happy, smiling throughout".

A subsequent cable also claims [BP: name redacted] explicitly ordered Anuphong Paochinda, commander-in-chief of the Thai armed forces, not to launch a coup in November 2008 against the then prime minister Somchai Wongsawat. [BP: name redacted] also expressed irritation at PAD protests, the cable alleges.

Further reports on Thailand from the leaked cables will be published by the Guardian later in the week.

BP: It will be interesting to read more about this when the cables are published and particularly whether the US Ambassador added a comment at the end of the cable.... In regards to the subsequent cable about the order not to stage a coup, BP understands this comes from a direct meeting between someone from the US Embassy (from memory the Ambassador) and the person whose name has been redacted. BP was told this in early December at the time there were significant coup rumours and well the source and information was solid enough to make BP believe Anupong would not stage a coup....