Thanathorn puts Move Forward in awkward position

Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit / AFP

While he was in exile, Thaksin Shinawatra welcomed Thai visitors all the time, so it’s not such a big deal that Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit has admitted to meeting him overseas during the hectic attempts to form a government after the May 14 election. It’s Thanathorn’s apparently-harmless statement about the Move Forward-Pheu Thai relationship that can do far-bigger damage.

In a court of law, Move Forward would be able to easily play down the meeting and even tell the judges that it knew nothing about it. Thanathorn is a grown man who can go anywhere he likes without having to tell anyone, it could be said. So, if Thanathorn and Thaksin happened to be in the same location overseas at the same time, the two politicians could naturally meet to catch up with family affairs or other trivial things, the defence would say.

This could dilute…