No.18 - 03/2006
22 March 2006

Politics

Star-crossed Thaksin crosses border

If the citizens of Shan State's Tachilek were to be believed, the technical border crossing on Monday (20 March) by Thailand's beleaguered Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was merely an astrological act to avert his impending departure from the kingdom.

On his arrival in Maesai, Thaksin crossed the Friendship Bridge I between the two towns to shake hands with three Burmese officers to express his appreciation for the drug campaign in January that had reportedly made a record seizure of 12 million speed pills.

The prime minister, who is campaigning for his re-election, is known to be a fervent believer in the influence of the stars in human affairs.

"By going over the bridge, he had gone technically out of the country," said a Shan who makes a living as a sara, master of the occult arts. "So he could come back without fear of any future expulsion by his opponents."

Zaray Auto, one of the saras in Chiangmai, well-known among Shan circles, told a meeting on Shan culture at the Chiangmai University last month that Thaksin would be under the influence of malevolent planets until July.

The prime minister has been under heavy pressure to resign since his sale of controlling stake in his Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings on 23 January.