Thailand: the Prime Ministers speak
Amid ugly scenes on the streets of Bangkok, I spoke to both the former Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, and the current prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
First I asked Mr Thaksin, who is living in self-imposed exile, if he is organising the anti-government protests himself. Here's the interview:
Then I asked Mr Abhisit if he gave the order to soldiers confronting the protesters to use live ammunition to disperse them.
(Broadcast on Newshour, BBC World Service, 13 April 2009)
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~08~RS~)
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As a Thai citizen, I would like to support our primeminister, Mr.Abhisit Vejjajiva to bring back this country to peace. What is Mr.Thaksin doing is an act of Satan and he and his family should not be allow to come back to this country ever again.
He has munipulated poor and uneducated people with his money and 24 hours brain watch TV programme. Just before this riot took place all his family has flew away from Thailand while he was encouraging poor people to come out on the street to fight for him. What for? He just need his 7 billion baht which been frozen back??
The gas trucks which been taken to park in the middle of the road, trying to make the disaster, are from Siam Gas which is own by member of his family. How one family could do such an evil things?
A lot of Bangkok people now is coming out on street to help government fight with red shirts group.
Please believe me that he and his family will not be able to walk on the street of Bangkok again with no people spit on their faces.
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Me too. I will support our prime minister and anti-Taksin. Taksin is the criminal and he shouldn't receive any supporting .
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Dear Secretary of United Nations,
I am a Thai citizen living in Bangkok. I watch news all day and found out that our government is a liar. At least 4 - 5 red shirt people were killed this morning as troop pointed guns and shot at protestors. They stole dead bodies from protestors and hided them.
Before noon military spokeman gave speech through all Thai free TV channels which also appeared on CNN later on that the troop will not point gun directly to protestors. However, in the afternoon Thai free TV channels, NBT and TPBS, show 2 videos that troop was pointing gun and shooting at protestors in distance. At least 4 protestors were reported wound by gun shot at the hospital nearby victory monument, shooting cite. The military spokeman immediately phoned in at least 2 TV channels to explain that the gun pointed and shot to protestors were loaded with blank paper head bullet. This statement is quite clear and different from his first statement given to public. It is totally lies and not a good excuse. There is no different side of news in our TV as our government shut down website, radio, online communications. The red shirt is now surrounded by troop at government house (NOW! 11.44pm Bangkok time). No reporter is allowed to get close to the cite and I heard from news that they are set to stay quite away from the government house.
"I expect hundred of red shirts will die tonight."
Our government see protestors as enemy and always discredit protestors via public communication. Our PM support yellow shirt groups and never blamed them for seizing our international airport as they were supporting each other. Now he ordered troops to come out and kill red shirt protestors who support his political enemy, Dr. Thaksin Shinawatr. Red shirt apparently has no weapons at all. Please help our country as we have no one else to go.
Very Truly Yours,
A Thai citizen
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The 3rd comment is not true. He could be one of the red trying to distort message to the world. Now our government is doing the right thing. As a Bangkokian, I strongly believe that locals here are sick of what the red is doing. They are violating rights of the others. They rampaged everything on the street and killed innocent people. They are ones who are supposed to be eliminated. I don't want to say this but I am the one who will not regret if the government would use violence. In my opinion, the government has stood enough. I support them to stop the delinquent mob as soon as possible.
Now the red is trying to discredit the government. They started to invade into TV stations but failed. Mass media in Thailand are not supporting them anymore so they are trying to convince international media to believe them. However, the truth is the truth. I do believe that your reporter will show it to the world.
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I'm a 20-year-old Thai girl. I love my PM Abhisit and believe that all the things he has done are for our country. I 100% believe that if Mr. Taksin or other nominees of him is running the country and if he face with the situation like what my PM is facing, Thai people would definitely be killed more and more. Personally, I think that the protestors are now trying in every way ,especailly the violent ones, to against this government. All the things they want are just to win this game without any thoughts of the affect. They might not consider what they have been doing is causing a big loss in both the harmony among Thai people and trustful image of Thailand in the eyes of the world. Anyway,I think Mr. Abhisit is the best PM at this moment.
http://abhisitvejjajiva.hi5.com There're still ocean of people keeping their fingers crossed for him...
One of Thais
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If Thaksin is a good person and wants the democracy for the people in Thailand, why don't he phone in to tell the red group to stop killing people on the street and breaking public asset. It is very opposite from the way that Mr. Abhisit is trying to do. He always gave opportunities for the red group to speak and express their opinion until they tried to make violent both in the Asian Summit and on streets, so he has to declare the state of emergency to bring peace back to the country.
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May i say both interviews are apparently the evident to compare the difference between the poor & the great, the bad & the good, the liar & the truth. Time now is running out for the exPM who exiled himself from the criminal charge judged by the supreme court on the politicians. It's just the first judgement already made by court. The followings would come after if he didn't run away with a huge sum of money stolen and corrupted from all thais' taxation. He still dared to make phone-in and video-link to deliver wrong messages and his will to destroy our beloved peaceful country. His ultimate goal is to bring revolution, not for the true democracy oftenly acclaimed by him but to CHANGE my country to replubic by ruling out my greatest king who has done incrediblt jobs for the people and the country for more than 6 decades. The first moment that he has been on the throne is come before the birth of mr. Taksin. How dare he has done many wrong coments on the one who never lets thing passed falsely. My present PM, Mr. Abhisit is absolutely our hope to heal the country after the huge loss by corruptions of Taksin and his family. Please be assured that not only me but most of the Thai people will give mr. Abhisit a big support. We belive in him. We trust in his will. We will never let our country back to Taksin's dirty hands. Mr. Taksin firstly came in with 20,000 million baht in 2000 but came out with at least 400,000 million baht in 2006. Nothing to say more about him, the GREATEST LIAR .......
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I feel pity for the convicted Thaksin yet I have to say his hunger and struggle for power is second-to-none.
Some points to share;
1. Thanksin has been crying and moaning to his supporters many times about how badly he wanted to come back to Thailand, and yet he told the world he dont really mind.
2. If also told the world that he is not afraid to fight against his "unfair" charges, well why didnt he come back to Thailand then?
3. He told his supporters "If my brothers and sissters are hurt, I am hurt too" and something like "Dont be afraid and never retreat". Well, apparently all of his family members coincidently flew out of the contry few days ago.
Now you might get a better idea of what is really happening: he is the one who commanding the mob. I put my support to PM Abhisit and hope that he could solve the problems soon.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
Oh dear. How short peoples memory is in politics. Thaksin over 9 years made and kept promises to help the poorer people. The yellow group forced his group out by demonstrating on the streets as the only way to regain power. Hence the present troubles as started by the yellow groups example. Red groups TV channel stopped, what are the yellows afraid of. The answer is to have an election right now and put this sad period behind them. To abide by the result as a mature democratic Country, bringing back the Tourists and helping to avoid economic free fall. View from Thailand.
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I do not think we have a short memory about Thaksin and his policy. Yes, on the surface it may look like he was helping people. But in reality people do know that they were policies which been crafted to buy vote in the grass root level, shall I mentioned 1 million baht for every village. The country lived in fear throught out his time in the position. No one dare to say anything against him cause trouble will soon come to you. He put his people and his family to all high posittion in the country. We knew that we aimed higher than just being a primeminister of this country. We saw our future as one of the neighbourhood coutry which has a dictator and his family rules our life. That's why we then have yellow shirt, coup, then the present day riot. How can one deny that it is not what Mr.Thaksin created for us.
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I am proud to have Mr. Abhisit as my Prime Minister. He did an excellent job to control the riot. He had all the right from parliaments to become a Prime Minister. Thaksin was so angry because he doesn't have directly over Thai government anymore.
The information from Thaksin is untrustworthy. His information is based on whatever he could make up. How could he even deny that he was not behind the Red Shirt? He was pretty much daily phone in to talk the Red Shirt and accused our high respected people. Not like information from Prime Minister Abhisit, he pointed out where you could find the fact. It is cleaned and cleared.
The worst time of democracy was when Thaksin was in power. Like the 11th comment mentioned. All independent parties were controlled by his people. Even the election control party was planted by his people. All the votes, he got were very questionable. However,since most independent parties to investigate those issues were under his power, no one dared to find out the truth. Until the PAD started to proclaim that Thaksin abused the power and used it to his own business. PAD is the real power of people. I do not agree with them in some matters but over all I am admired them.
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How naive. If you help the poor people you are then accused of buying there vote. In his time people were encouraged to employ from ability and not as before only having the right name or from the right family. Many fears were removed especially being stopped by the police for no reason and having to pay a few hundred baht to carry on your way without delay. The open sale of drugs also dissappeared. Shall I carry on or is it sufficient to say a rich business friend told me "In Thai culture money will buy anything"
Please open your eyes, you have an unelected government, that is a Dictatorship that you say you are afraid of. All I asked for was an election and no sour grapes after like last time.
By the way the electricity base charge in March was increased by three times. How do the poorer people cope with that. That is worthy of a protest and demonstration but the lovely ordinary Thai people just try to carry on. In the USA, UK and many other countries they would not be allowed to make that kind of increase.
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Watch this. Doesn't this answer the question that BBC was trying to get from Thaksin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5K6bGlnirgk
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I wholeheartedly support our PM Mr.Abhisit Vejjajiva and the team who restore the peace back to our country successfully, at least at this moment. I'm sure many Thais who have followed the country situations during these few days are realised the underlying purposes of the ex-priminister. His words were not with his actions. He lost his power and he has struggled to do so many things to resume his power and position, even all those things can destroy his country profoundly.
If you have chance to listen to his recent interview by BBC, you will surprise how he dodged from the point of questions.
If you be able to understand his phonelink talks in Thai, I doubt for what he said he didn't instigate the turmoil.
He looked down his own country justice and claimed he was treated unfair because his opponents.
Is it right to claim the democracy via this way of riots, threathen other lives and poscessions?
He doesn't care to go back to Thailand, he wouldn't like to lead the country again, he has done notthing wrong related to the corrupted charges.
He hasn't done so many thing wrong,
Look on the other way round, not just follow his true democracy demanding,
He corrupted the country, caused the breaking among Thais, verbally intruded the Monarchy institution. on his court case,
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After all this satanic action from Taksin's Red-shirt army, here is what I would like to share. It is what made me smile by just looking at the pictures. How greatful I felt for the military and the prime minister. It was the happiness and joy we were supposed to get during this Thai New Year holiday.
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9520000042089
Hope all the bad things and 'the bad people' will be gone very soon. I want my peaceful country back.
Long live the King.
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I do not support this primeminister or Thaksin but why when the yellow group took over the airport did the PMs request for help go unanswered. Different story when the yellow groups PM asks for help?
All very clear to those with ears and eyes open but sadly will only divide the Country deeper than before.
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I live in Bangkok for all my life.. I think that the difference is that the red shirts are more vilolent with their actions, they break the rule of manifestants, they hit the car of the priminister, and hit the secretary until he was brought to the hospital, they burnt the bus in Bangkok and shot the people in Nang Loeng Area. They lack the real information, they believe in Thalksin, the former priminister and their leaders of the party always lie about the information or the situation to the red shirt party by D Television media.
The problem has occurred since more than 2 years. It occurred when the former priminister, Taksin, corrupted many national projects and we know secretly that he will has a long term plan to change the system of the democracy in Thailand. He wants to be first president of Thailand. If we didn’t observe, we don’t know this. People in the rural area in the northeast or north don’t know this. They like Thaksin because his policies give the money to the poor people, especially in the north and the northeast. They believe that Thaksin bring the rich economy to them or to Thailand. His background is a business man. And he is good at making a good propaganda for himself. So the yellow shirt party know this information, they wants to chase him from being the government. So it occurred the MOB of the yellow protestants. And the government of Thaksin in that time try to build secretly a red people party to support him in 2006. That is the starting point of the yellow and the red shirt party and the lack of the unity in Thai people.
Thaksin was taken un coup d’etat by the soldiers in 2006, that time, it occured because the soldiers don’t want to see the red and the yellow had a violent mob on that day so the soldiers came out, Thaksin went out of Thailand to stay upcountry, and after that another priminister come from the middle man, stays for 1 years, Thaksin was sentenced two tears terms in jails on land corruption case.
After that the next election, the elected priminister became the husband of Thaksin’s younger sister. Thaksin Party was elected because the poor people in this coutry has more votes. The yellow shirts believe that he is nominee of Thakin. It is true. He try to change the policy or the constitutional to help Thaksin. During this two years the radio and a program TV of the Thaksin party give the untrue information about another side like the soldier party or bureaucratic systems to change or convince the thinking of people to and hate another party. And Thaksin try to create the news about him all the time, such as buying Manchester United Team or be advisor of the African country or be interviewed by international magazines. He did that to show that he is famous guy and for preventing Thai people forget him. He don’t want to be disappeared. He always phone- in to Thailand.
This new priminister just come 3 months from another party opposite to Thaksin. He try to solve the economic problems but he didn’t prevent the red shirt party propaganda. Before this events, Thaksin call the red shirt party, who love him, to demonstrate near the parliament to Thailand since 26 march, so the people come more and more and then they destroyed Asean Meeting at Pattaya and now Bangkok peace with violence . It is the long story of Thailand chaos. I understand each believes in their belief, their point of view and their faith. I don’t know what it will be ..We need peace. For the red shirts, I think you should see TRUTH TODAY of of what you believe and of our beloved country, Thailand
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Thank you so much for all your hard work, our PM Abhisit Vejjajiva.
Go to hell, Thaksin Shinawatra.
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I am totally disagreed with no 3 (Anthonybkk) and no 10 (vorter). I am afraid they have been brain wash by Tuksin. If no 3 has watch tv at home and found out the Prime Minister is a liar as he quoted - he shoud consider himself seriously - he is more than a liar then. Can't people see how Tuksin behaved, how he corrupted. What had he done for the country? The answer is he devided the Country in to two.
I challange him - someone like him would be cowardly hide himself and his family behide the poor protesters. Tuksin If you want to do one good thing before you die!!!! Tell the protester to go home. We know you are behind all these things.
Please protesters -go home it is time to move on - I am no yellow shirt or red shirt but I want the country to unite again.
Let us give the new Prime Minister a chance to put our Country right again.
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I really not agree with commment no.3,
Our PM is a Hero. I hope in the future he is not a corruption PM as Thaksin.
How much surplus money Thaksin has before and after being PM ?
How many people died at Kruesae,Muslim Musjid?
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Yes no 21 I hope so too. And all the other members and government officials.
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I'm so proud of my PM, Mr. Abhisit. Not because he graduated from Oxford or good looking guy but he proved the world to see how to handle those damn devil protesters with Wisdom, Endurance & Peace not by Violence & Money.
Poor people may never know that how sufferable middle & upper class thai people feel from evil behavior of Thaksin eg. Conflict of interest, Corruption, Popularity campaign. I'm just hoping a real Free 15 years Education system of Mr.Abhisit come true, helping the next generation of those poor more knowledge. Know what is right or wrong by themselves. Be proud & more self-confidence to live on their own by sufficient economy no matter what they're poor or rich.
That's why I'm so proud of my PM, he's a sincere & reasonable man that want to see more educated people. Very contrast to a fugitive Thaksin. Even sentence to die is not enough for his guilty. A Loser who never accept democracy way but ask for democracy, Making Thai people split into many groups, Pretendig to ask for peace from government & military while instigating Red Shirt protesters to do violence--setting fire, blocking many intersection, gas truck, causing ASEAN summit stop, could have no place on this earth to breath.
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Now the Thai politics has cooled down (if you can notice, we celebrated Songkran the water festival right away after the 'peace' was announced. On one hand, i feel appreciated on PM Abhisit to manage the conflict without violence and the rule of law being folllowed. On the other, the challenge is waiting for him ahead. As i understand, the anti-govt movement is resulted by the decayed political system decades ago that the poor have been ignored. They were important when election is coming. 'Your votes are needed!' but after that the politicians never keep the promise to eradicate the poverty--being elected is to pave way for corruption. Until Thaksin came to power. He gave hands to grassroots by populism policy i.e community village fund, the universal healthcare. How can you not be loyal to this person as a saver of all life spheres ? The wrong thing is he too much enjoyed his power and eventually became the crooked one by meddling the role of businessman and politician (open-up policy by privatization of state-owned infrastructure, non-pay tax, the corruption of his family and politician colleagues in land and property bidding), human rights violation on drug eradication campaign and in southern muslim killing issues.
The polarlization is clear when the yellow shirt (pro-Royalist, anti-Thaksin) came to protest last year which the main message is the politics is the matter of educated and middle class group (you are poor and uneducated, that's why you select the silly politicians). it is their duty to organize the wrong poitical system to be in place. they ousted pro-Thaksin government (ex PM Samak and Somchai). This was sucessful, but incited more conflict. PM Abhisit is accepted in the eye of int'l and among educated people including new generation. His three month probation is hard working in term of restoring the downturn economy, he launched the populism campaigns like free education, 2,000 save-our-country cheque, fund for ageing group, etc. Pitifully the campaign is too little to touch the grassroots people and the time is too short to show the tangible outcome. Thaksin knows the game; he did not want Abhisit as a quick learner to be in power so long and he wants to get back to his position again. Red people are used as the instrument to achieve his goal. The only recommendation for Thaksin is he should come back to Thailand to fight for his corruption charge. If he is really quilty, it might not be matter if being in jail for two years and back to play a politician role again (Is his role model 'Neilson Mandela'?). For Abhisit, he has to resolve the conflicts that embeded in the mind of rural people. This is not an easy job. But i feel some sincerity in this young PM. what makes me inconfident is the coalition government (their support will be given when 'some benefits' gained) and some threats like world economy, joblessness, underground movement of pro-Thaksin group. How can he work under unsettled pressure?
Though the future is dark and light at the end of tunnel is still far away we should have hope, tomorrow must be better than today. I believe so.
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Thaksin, the more he expressed, the less trust I have on him.
Besides his politic, business and wife were claimed corruption, there were also similar issues by his son and relatives.
There is no perfect man anyway, it should be a chance for Abhisit (at least I have yet heard things bad about him & family).
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I love former PM Thaksin Shnawatra because he helped a lot of poor and rural peopls which I heard from them by myself. Every Thai could have their own thinkng and comments and no one should blame them that get money from Thaksin. So the people who used this website to attack people who love PM Thaksin should stop this kind of narrowed mind thinking. You can't stop people who loved him, all Thai are equal as per Thai Law, one man , one vote. I really believe there are a lot of people killed by Military troops as scene of military attacks to the Redshirts have been broadcasted by Reuters, AP and other wold press, how could these presses broadcasted these picutures if these are not true, did they get money from Thaksin again, same accuses that yeller shirt people always do to Redshirt. I believe the comments#3 are all true
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Is there anybody thinking about human right? All people agreed with the evedent that people died at Krusae.
Comparing to lasest case on 10-16 th April, how many people died? 100 people? Do all agree with that beliving thinking?
All has shown that Thaksin has a lot of surplus money from his being PM. This is not my blieving. While local people had got small amount of money, how much Thaksin got from being PM? I will give anybody 500 baht if you can tell me the right amount.
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Well said No 26.
If we listen to the yellow group on this blog then no poor people should vote.
Do they want to go back to no women voting as well. Perhaps an exam to qualify to vote.
This is not Democracy.
No 24 how patronising is the start of your 2nd paragraph. How can you live with yourself. You have just written off over half of your Country and the problem is you and your yellow friends believe it.
In a Democracy the majority vote should hold power and they are held accountable at the next election. It will never suit every one, how can it.
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What happen with my country?
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Well said 29. If only all Thai people ask this and stop fighting you will find the answer.
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At this moment an age of violence and turmoil, calamity is coming to Thailand. Why? Our PM Abhisit’s life was seriously threatened and might be killed at least 2 times. ‘Red Shirt’ demonstration pelted PM’s car with rocks, chairs, flags, and big sticks as well as PM’s secretary was hurt savagely. Obviously once Red-shirt disrupted the ASEAN meeting in Pattaya among more than many thousands of police and soldiers and the other time doing the same in Ministry of Interior. The latest situation Sondhi Limthongkul, a political leader who helped topple former PM Thaksin was shot in the head by many kinds of war weapons during the state of emergency on Bangkok and nearby areas. Remarkably t
hese situations would identify that the opposite sides or third party want to bring about civil war, guerilla war and impact on the stable of government administrative power particularly on the image of our PM Abhisit who is untainted, honest, clean, and devoid of corruption.
PM Abhisit is the best and most suitable to be the number one leader of Thailand to defy the current disruption, sabotage and any mess in our country. He proved his leadership, capability, answering the tough questions from international media with reasonable and truth.
Thai people and I have encouraged PM Abhisit to operate and lead the country pass through chaos and coup. We support and respect our PM’s decision in the right way. Please help our country becoming peaceful under monarchy. Put the right man on the right job. Eliminating bad things and bad people from Thailand where is Buddhism and Land of Smile as well as being the country with Long Live the King.
We believe in PM Abhisit and his new honest cabinet team.
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Honesty in Thai government?
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Thaksin seemed to be erratic in his speech . This might be caused by confusion in his mind. He tried to deny any connection with the rioters . However, the fact was that it was he himself who made several phone calls to the rioters giving them both moral support and idea how to fight with the government. He was certainly the one who must be responsible for this turmoil and unrest. (By me,Thera Thamawong at [Personal details removed by Moderator])
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This only causes pain and death.
We are fighting against any kind of violence and democracy should prevail in any country. Will never be right that many suffer because of few.
And violence only generates more violence!
My sincere wishes for peace,
Marcos Paulo
[Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]Otimização de Sites
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