Cables From Bangkok, Phnom Penh Show Varying Analyses
According to diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks US officials in Bangkok believed that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s decision to name former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an economic adviser in 2009 backfired after it increased support of the opposition. The Premier at the time of his appointment was already in self-imposed exile in order to avoid a corruption conviction. It was speculated that the appointment was in order to push Thailand into holding elections that would bring the premier’s party, Pheu Thai Party, back into power.
