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<div>A MAN OBSESSED<br><br>Jakrapob Penkair's unflagging loyalty to Thaksin Shinawatra has upset even some of his closest friends<br><br>Story by KULTIDA SAMABUDDHI<br><br><br>Jakrapob Penkair addresses demonstrators who braved the rain at the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship rally at Sanam Luang, which started on May 26.<br>
After 31 days under rain and sun at the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship rally, 40-year-old news analyst-turned-politician Jakrapob Penkair was still fully fresh and fit.<br><br>His voice was clear and his face beaming.<br>
<br>"Tired? Not at all. I've never felt as sturdy as this before. This is the most joyful moment of my life," Mr Jakrapob said, sitting relaxed in his air-conditioned Toyota Sport Rider waiting for the next round of speeches on Sunday night.<br>
<br>"The only thing that bothers me now is that I have no chance to swim. I like swimming very much," he said, "but the fact that I've had to change my safe-house everyday for the past month makes it impossible for me to go swimming regularly as I do when I stay at my condominium."<br>
<br>It is his conviction that a person who does what he likes and fights for his beliefs will always be happy and energetic.<br><br>When asked what he was fighting for, the close aide of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra replied: "I am fighting for democracy."<br>
<br>"And Mr Thaksin is the most vivid symbol of democracy," he added, "because he came to power through a general election under a democratic system.<br><br>"So, I believe that protecting Mr Thaksin is also protecting Thai democracy."<br>
<br>The PTV executive said leading the DAAD rally had added colour to his life.<br><br>"I have lived a very simple life, always acted politely and stayed in a safe environment. This is a very good chance for me to taste the real excitement."<br>
<br>He is addicted to politics _ outspoken politician Samak Sundaravej, a former Bangkok governor, is a role model _ and says he is now ready to take a risk by choosing sides.<br><br>"And by doing this I earn a lot of criticism and new foes, but I'm ready to face up to this," he said, referring to his devotion to the fight for the reinstatement of Mr Thaksin and his leading role in the anti-coup rally.<br>
<br>His strength came partly from the support he received from family members, all of them strong supporters of Mr Thaksin and the Thai Rak Thai party.<br><br>The young-blood politician said he made his own decisions, each political step of the way.<br>
<br>"I don't have a personal mentor. When I need help, I turn to textbooks, news articles and academic papers," said Mr Jakrapob, better known among his friends and close aides as "Ake".<br><br>"I study books and articles by a range of writers and thinkers _ among them Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, Pridi Banomyong, Jit Phumisak and even anti-Thaksin academics such as Nidhi Eowseewong and Kasien Techapira," he said.<br>
<br>Since he began playing a leading role within DAAD over the last month, the two books he has been reading are The Private Life of Chairman Maoand George Orwell's political novel1984.<br><br>Born in 1967 into a middle-class family of five, Mr Jakrapob studied at Satit Kaset school for 12 years before entering Chulalongkorn University's faculty of political science.<br>
<br>Mr Jakrapob furthered studies with a master's and doctorate degrees in economics at Johns Hopkins University.<br><br>After returning to Thailand, the politically-obsessed man worked briefly for the Charoen Pokphand Group before moving to the Foreign Affairs Ministry's information department.<br>
<br>While at the department, he also worked as a news analyst for some TV and radio stations, but real advancement came when he served as the government's anchorman reporting the Apec meeting in 2003.<br><br>Mr Jakrapob was appointed the government spokesman later the same year. Since then he has never strayed far from Mr Thaksin.<br>
<br>A Satit Kaset school teacher who taught Mr Jakrapob from Mathayom 4 to 6 said he was "different" from his peers.<br><br>"He looked much older than the other students. The boy always acted like he was a great professor," said the teacher who asked not to be named.<br>
<br>He wore thick eye-glasses, his school uniform was too big for him and his hair was always neatly set with thick wax.<br><br>"Jakrapob was always being teased by his friends because of his weird appearance," said the 62-year-old teacher.<br>
<br>"He was very good at acting when assigned to speak in front of the class, but his ideas and points of view were not so sharp," the teacher recalled. He won a number of awards in school-level debates. "Jakrapob is a good public speaker, but not a good thinker."<br>
<br>A Foreign Affairs official who is one of Mr Jakrapob's best friends but declined to be named described him as "easy-going and sincere, although he has very few close friends".<br><br>"We love him because he is honest to his thoughts. If he likes someone or something, he will readily make a sacrifice," he said.<br>
<br>The close friend conceded that Mr Jakrapob's mission as a staunch supporter of Mr Thaksin had upset some of his friends.<br><br>"When we meet, we try not to talk about politics," he said.<br><br>"However, his political standpoint will not affect our friendship. His friends will still love him as he is."<br>
<br>Although the DAAD demonstration has fizzled out over the past two weeks, Mr Jakrapob said he did not think he and the other PTV executives who spearhead the rally will lose the struggle.<br><br>But the form of the battle might change, from street rally to an information war.<br>
<br>"We will continue our fight, whatever form the war takes," he said.<br><br>And if the situation turns violent and "this country has no place for me to stand, I might apply for a job as a political lecturer in a foreign university," he added. </div>
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