U.S. PR Firms Help Thailand's Deposed Prime Minister

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The public relations company Edelman has confirmed that its Washington and Hong Kong offices are handling media relations for the deposed Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra. A September 2006 military coup saw Thaksin, a controversial media mogul and politician, toppled from power while he was in New York. "We are supporting him as a private citizen in his efforts to return back to his home country," said Alan VanderMolen from Edelman Asia-Pacific. The Thai paper The Nation reports that Barbour, Griffith and Rogers is also working for Thaskin, to "promote democracy in Asia." While Thaksin was popular in rural areas, he was also noted for suppressing critical media and launching a brutal military response to increasing violence in the largely Muslim south of the country.