This International Dateline episode includes three segments: Senator Kraisak Choonhavan, Sol Trujillo on the Line and Phil Burgess.
Senator Kraisak Choonhavan
Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, recently left for the UN when an overnight military coup was staged, thankfully, bloodless. The world's media are calling it "the festive coup" with young Thai women in miniskirts posing for pictures in front of the tanks. In recent months, talk of a coup had gone from idle Bangkok cafe gossip to a matter of serious concern. So, why the coup, and why now? And what will its impact be on the so-called democratic evolution in Thailand?
Until the recent coup, Kraisak Choonhavan was an independent Senator in the Thai Parliament and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. Dateline's George Negus interviews Mr. Choonhavan about the current state of affairs in Thailand.
Sol Trujillo on the Line
Since Sol Trufillo took over at Telstra last year, the giant Australian telco's share price has fallen by about 30%. The Telstra chief and his top 'amigos,' as they're known, have conducted an aggressive campaign against Australia's corporate regulator, the ACCC; leaving shareholders shaking their heads in confusion and dismay. In this episode, Dateline asks the question who is the controversial Mr. Trujillo and what is his business record?
Phil Burgess
Dateline did seek an interview with Sol Trujillo so that he could respond to some of the strong claims made in Chris's report, however, he wasn't available. But one of his amigos was. Phil Burgess is in charge of public policy and communication at Telstra. Like his boss, he's no stranger to controversy. Last year, for instance, he said he would not recommend Telstra shares to his mother. And recently, he was moved aside by Telstra from commenting on the forthcoming T3 sale after he'd defied a Federal Government plea to stop criticizing industry regulation. His comment, that only "someone from another planet would stop agitating about government regulation,” caused a major falling out with the Australian government. Dateline sits down with Mr. Burgess to understand more about Sol Trujillo and Telstra.
About International Dateline
SBS Dateline, which began in 1984, is Australia's longest-running international current affairs program. It has a well-earned reputation for authoritative and incisive reporting. Dateline has taken the traditional way of producing TV current affairs and turned it on its head. Reporters who used to travel with a cameraperson and sound recordist now travel alone and have the responsibility of both filming and reporting their stories. The reporters became video-journalists, gaining access to people and places that the conventional camera crews cannot.
