bannork

Yes, sadly Jim, Thaksin got his monopoly contract for AIS from guess who? The military. He apparently bought a Benz for one of the coup leaders of 1991. He knows the game and will bend over double to be allowed to return to Thailand

Depends who orders it

I dislike Prayuth.He should be in jail along with Suthep. Thaksin should have served jail time too. He hides millions, perhaps billions of baht, in his servants' names for years, using their names to trade on the stock exchange. The motive? Surely stock market manipulation. Drive up the price, leading other investors to believe that company is sound, then sell having made a profit. And he called it 'an honest mistake', the weasel. Then he stacked his government with rich industrialists, no reformers in sight, gave the poor just enough to keep them happy, the 30 baht health scheme was good, and then proceeded to eliminate any opposition by buying up political parties, banning lucrative state advertising in any media that criticised him and suing anyone who criticised him. Not a genuine democratic bone in his body.

I hope you're right Eric.

https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/Democracy-not-goal-Thaksin Thaksin is a populist demogogue, and as such is yesterday's man. Read Dr Thitinan 's article published today showing how Thaksin never challenged the elite or intended to reform Thailand, unlike MF. And once again, Jim, try to remember, a dislike of Thaksin does not mean a love of the junta

I think the elite know full well a coup would be very bad news all round. They would much prefer to mute MF's rise by coopting PT to join with their boys, Bhumjaithai and Pravit and support Settha as PM. Bring Thaksin home to please the red shirts and distract from the removal of MF in the government.

Okay TR, so how do you see things playing out?

I'm convinced the old guard have turned to Thaksin to save themselves. Pita fails to be PM, banned or Senators won't vote for him, so PT step up and Settha is elected PM with Senate support, providing MF are dropped and replaced by Bhumjaithai, Palang Pracharat, etc. Included in the deal is an amnesty for Thaksin. Signs for this possibility: Thaksin's confidence at coming back next month. The meeting of Settha and Anuthin in the UK. The problems are public backlash and the demolition of PT's image as a democracy loving party.

No mention of his convictions regarding the Exim Bank and his use of nominees in Shin Corp in that article

Jim, your attempt to liken the Thai courts to Nazi Germany is absurd. The findings of the Court's verdicts, the reasonings behind the verdicts were all published at the time. The only way Thaksin can escape these convictions is a pardon from above, using the new regulation that says convicted offenders don't have to be detained in jail, or faking illness like Kamnan Poh did and live it up in a hospital. I think Thaksin would only accept the first option. We will just have to see how it plays out. Whilst Thaksin is waiting for the sun, he may be waiting for you to tell (him) what went wrong.

A summary of the charges against Thaksin, convictions and acquittals. The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions pronounced him guilty of power abuse in his wife’s purchase of a state-owned plot in the coveted Ratchadaphisek area at a price much cheaper than market value. In October 2008, Thaksin was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison. The 10-year statute of limitations for that court verdict expired in October 2018. The court later gave Thaksin another two years in prison after finding him guilty of malfeasance in the two-and three-digit lottery case. He was handed a further three years’ imprisonment for abusing his position to authorize loans totaling 4 billion baht to Myanmar via the Export-Import Bank of Thailand. The loans were then spent on buying supplies from a telecom firm owned by Thaksin’s family. Thaksin was sentenced to five more years in prison in another case in which he was found guilty of using nominees to hold shares in Shin Corp. The law prohibits any political office holder from holding shares in a telecom company. Acquitted in two cases The court acquitted Thaksin in two of the cases brought against him. In 2019, it dismissed charges of dereliction of duty and malfeasance in the Finance Ministry’s administration of a rehabilitation plan by the private firm Thai Petrochemical Industry (TPI). In the same year, Thaksin was also acquitted of masterminding loans of 9 billion baht granted by the state-owned Krungthai Bank to subsidiaries of property firm Krisda Mahanakorn. The court found no convincing evidence to prove accusations that Thaksin was the “big boss” who ordered bank executives to approve the loans. The money was meant for refinancing and land acquisition for real estate development, but it was instead used for share trading on the stock market and was laundered to conceal its source, according to public prosecutors. In 2015, Krungthai’s former executive board chairman Suchai Jaovisidha and former bank president Viroj Nuankae were among more than a dozen defendants sentenced to prison terms in connection with the loan scandal.

Neither of those articles you quote mention anything about Thaksin's convictions by The Supreme Court

Thaksin was found guilty by The Supreme Court not by the A.E.C.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/the-verdicts-and-the-jail-time-thaksin-faces-in-thailand/

Dr Thitinan Pongsudhoc's article published today is excellent reading for grasping how the elite perpetuate power and how much of a threat MF poses to them

A new regulation of the Corrections Department allows jailed convicts to seek approval to serve their period of detention outside a prison. The Royal Gazette website published the new regulation on Wednesday, effective immediately. Amazing Thailand, as TAT used to say in a slogan.

I'm not sure those behind the scenes, trying to pull strings, care about double standards. Thaksin has been hated by the military elite etc for years so why does he seem more confident about returning now? Imo, realising that MF pose a far greater threat to those in power than PT, he's trying to convince the elite to let him back on the promise PT joins forces with the pro military parties in forming a government. The problem is there's resistance to this idea within PT, the Shinawatra family realise this, hence the publicised family lunch yesterday, held by the family matriarch Potjaman, announcing that the date of Thaksin's return was not certain. In other words, shut up Toni, things are not as easy as you think.

There's a new regulation enacted from immediate effect yesterday that convicted criminals don't have to necessarily be detained in prison. Really!

If they dissolve MF, the MPs have 60 days to move to a new party. As FF prepared MF for that eventuality, so I'm sure MF will have a spare party. Very difficult for the authorities to ban 150 plus MPs! Even if Pita is banned, Settha from PT can take over as PM candidate. The Shinawatra clan have already said Thaksin's daughter is too inexperienced to be PM. If PT remain with MF as their left leaning MPs urge, then it will be difficult for the senators to resist voting for Settha as PM if Pita is banned. Business leaders are urging quick formation of the government, and any unrest following a ban of MF will be blamed on the government. Yesterday Wan Noor, leader of the southern party Prachachart and part of the coalition, made a moving speech, to paraphrase his words: ' I've spent the last two weeks upcountry and everywhere the people asked me when will the government form. The people comprise of 75 million people, the Election Commission just a few members, their job simply to ensure the election went smoothly, the Constitution Court just a few judges. Meanwhile the Thai people urgently want the government to start work. The people have spoken, the age of dictators is over.

Charges Thaksin faces https://www.thaipbsworld.com/the-verdicts-and-the-jail-time-thaksin-faces-in-thailand/

Here's looking at you, kid..

The establishment fear MF far more than Thaksin who is both conservative at heart and neutered by his conditions of return. With the noose around his head of release providing he's a good boy, we can expect to see PT leave MF after Pita is conveniently banned or fails to be elected as PM due to the senators.

There you go As Floyd said, 'Wot's Uh The Deal?' I have a good idea