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CNN Live Saturday
President Bush Attends Asian Summit In Thailand Today
Aired October 18, 2003 - 18:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, fighting terrorism is just one topic at the Asian Summit President Bush is attending. He and the first lady arrived in Bangkok, Thailand earlier today. As you can probably guess, trade is the other big issue. Our Bangkok Bureau Chief Tom Mintier joins us now for a preview.
Good evening, Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN BANGKOK BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Carol.
Trade may be the issue, but terrorism will probably top the agenda. In just a few hours U.S. President George Bush and the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will sit down for talks. Talks where the U.S. president will probably offer his gratitude. Thailand has sent more than 400 troops to Iraq and they also sent a contingent to Afghanistan.
Now the U.S. president has made it clear that the relationship between Thailand and the United States maybe improving with Thailand being granted a non-NATO allied status. That would improve military assistance to Thailand.
The Thai prime minister is enjoying a very high popularity in the polls, but now everyone here likes the way he governs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MINTIER (voice over): He has been Thailand's prime minister less than three years, before that a successful businessman who made millions in communications. Since coming into office the economy has turned around, the Thai currency, the baht, has stabilized. And he has promised to end poverty in Thailand.
Along the way he has, according to some, ruled like a dictator.
GILES UNGPAKORN, CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY: He is fairly dictatorial. He doesn't understand basic democratic right to protest.
MINTIER: Protests aren't officially banned at the upcoming APEC Summit, but the prime minister has made it clear protestors will have few options.
THAKSIN SHINAWATRA, PRIME MINISTER OF THAILAND: I'm not really prohibiting it, but I would just like to ask for cooperation.
MINTIER: Some view asking for cooperation as a veiled threat to crack down on dissent. At a recent speech to international journalists the prime minister admitted his style may not please everyone.
SHINAWATRA: Some people are mistaken that I'm a dictator. But actually, I'm pushing for achievement.
MINTIER: That push, say his detractors, is undemocratic. And some are openly critical of his style of leadership.
UNGPAKORN: Really the picture of Thailand that Thaksin wants to paint a people who are semi-retarded, who can't make a decision about whether the guests that he has invited are good for the world peace.
SHINAWARTA: Don't worry, that I can be dictator. I cannot. The system cannot allow -- even you want to, you cannot. I have the parliament, the checks and balances system.
MINTIER: But the parliament isn't always consulted, say his opponents. They cite the recent deployment of Thai troops to Iraq as an example.
UNGPAKORN: He didn't ask parliament's permission to send troops. He doesn't want to discuss further military cooperation with the USA, which he's going to be discussed at APEC.
MINTIER: Despite his critics, the Thai prime minister enjoys widespread popularity. A spokesman for the Thai government claims the prime minister has a 70 percent approval rating. He's so confident that he's already talking about a second term, long before scheduled elections.
SHINAWATRA: It would (ph) be good to election today. It would be not a landslide, but an avalanche.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MINTIER: At about the same time the U.S. president and the Thai prime minister will be sitting down for talks demonstrations are expected here in Bangkok. Everyone is waiting to see how the government deals with the protestors on the street at the same time the meeting is going on with the Thai prime minister and knowing basically how that is going to go already.
Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much, Tom Mintier, our Bangkok bureau chief.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 18, 2003 - 18:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, fighting terrorism is just one topic at the Asian Summit President Bush is attending. He and the first lady arrived in Bangkok, Thailand earlier today. As you can probably guess, trade is the other big issue. Our Bangkok Bureau Chief Tom Mintier joins us now for a preview.
Good evening, Tom.
TOM MINTIER, CNN BANGKOK BUREAU CHIEF: Good evening, Carol.
Trade may be the issue, but terrorism will probably top the agenda. In just a few hours U.S. President George Bush and the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will sit down for talks. Talks where the U.S. president will probably offer his gratitude. Thailand has sent more than 400 troops to Iraq and they also sent a contingent to Afghanistan.
Now the U.S. president has made it clear that the relationship between Thailand and the United States maybe improving with Thailand being granted a non-NATO allied status. That would improve military assistance to Thailand.
The Thai prime minister is enjoying a very high popularity in the polls, but now everyone here likes the way he governs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MINTIER (voice over): He has been Thailand's prime minister less than three years, before that a successful businessman who made millions in communications. Since coming into office the economy has turned around, the Thai currency, the baht, has stabilized. And he has promised to end poverty in Thailand.
Along the way he has, according to some, ruled like a dictator.
GILES UNGPAKORN, CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY: He is fairly dictatorial. He doesn't understand basic democratic right to protest.
MINTIER: Protests aren't officially banned at the upcoming APEC Summit, but the prime minister has made it clear protestors will have few options.
THAKSIN SHINAWATRA, PRIME MINISTER OF THAILAND: I'm not really prohibiting it, but I would just like to ask for cooperation.
MINTIER: Some view asking for cooperation as a veiled threat to crack down on dissent. At a recent speech to international journalists the prime minister admitted his style may not please everyone.
SHINAWATRA: Some people are mistaken that I'm a dictator. But actually, I'm pushing for achievement.
MINTIER: That push, say his detractors, is undemocratic. And some are openly critical of his style of leadership.
UNGPAKORN: Really the picture of Thailand that Thaksin wants to paint a people who are semi-retarded, who can't make a decision about whether the guests that he has invited are good for the world peace.
SHINAWARTA: Don't worry, that I can be dictator. I cannot. The system cannot allow -- even you want to, you cannot. I have the parliament, the checks and balances system.
MINTIER: But the parliament isn't always consulted, say his opponents. They cite the recent deployment of Thai troops to Iraq as an example.
UNGPAKORN: He didn't ask parliament's permission to send troops. He doesn't want to discuss further military cooperation with the USA, which he's going to be discussed at APEC.
MINTIER: Despite his critics, the Thai prime minister enjoys widespread popularity. A spokesman for the Thai government claims the prime minister has a 70 percent approval rating. He's so confident that he's already talking about a second term, long before scheduled elections.
SHINAWATRA: It would (ph) be good to election today. It would be not a landslide, but an avalanche.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MINTIER: At about the same time the U.S. president and the Thai prime minister will be sitting down for talks demonstrations are expected here in Bangkok. Everyone is waiting to see how the government deals with the protestors on the street at the same time the meeting is going on with the Thai prime minister and knowing basically how that is going to go already.
Carol.
LIN: All right, thank you very much, Tom Mintier, our Bangkok bureau chief.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
