Son of Thailand's ex-PM Thaksin charged with money-laundering

[joecoolfrog]

4 hours ago, eggers said:

Really, find that v hard to believe ... Comes from a fine family of convicted criminals, who’ve conned Thais for decades.Pathongate certainly had a good teacher in his father, “the Puppeteer from Dubai” & Aunt Poi, now hiding somewhere in Europe... All have great ethics & morals... NOT!! 

And you are remarkably foolish if you think any of the above are the reasons they are being prosecuted.

[Skeptic7]

A chip off the old block...

 

Like father, like son...

 

All in the family...

 

There was a crooked man...

[sjaak327]

3 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

Ironic isn't it that the Cambodian dictator's eternal friend has been squeezed out and prevented from trying to follow suit.

Hmm, that's a bold accusation. Of course as always with you Junta huggers, the people you support are doing it, and the evidence for it is overwhelming. but alas their name isn't Shinawatra.

[yardrunner]

9 hours ago, Cuchulainn said:

What a scumbag family.

yes nearly as bad as the scumbags who pick and choose who thy want to prosecute and who will be allowed to go where they want in the world without being arrested (including Thailand )

 

[phantomfiddler]

"He created one of the most successful telecoms companies in the country" ? Did he really ? The way I heard it, he went into partnership with an American highly knowledgeable in telecom affairs, and as soon as the company was up and running he had his partner thrown into jail on a trumped up charge, thrown out of the country, and basically stole the company ! I would assume now they will go after the gardener and the maid :)

[Grumpy Duck]

9 hours ago, epicstuff said:

Wasnt it obvious enough for you that the family was on the take?  Even if the stories about his rise to ridiculous wealth from a policemen isn't true, the sheer greed of trying to evade his tax should give a pretty clear measure of their ethics.

Corruption by government authorities has been a way of life throughout asia for thousands of years. I remember not understanding what my Korean ex wife meant using the expression "must show appreciation" I soon learned it meant money needed to cross palms. 

From Wikipedia "Dynastic Cycle"  

is an important political theory in Chinese history. According to this theory, each dynasty rises to a political, cultural, and economic peak and then, because of moral corruption, declines, loses the Mandate of Heaven, and falls, only to be replaced by a new dynasty. The cycle then repeats under a surface pattern of repetitive motifs.

[Grumpy Duck]

Does wealth spring from great wisdom and hard work? Not usually from my readings. Wealth in the US Usually comes from inheritance. (Kochs and Waltons as well as Rockefellers) Even the current appointed president of the US collected his wealth from starting with his not so grandfather who ran whorehouses for the rockefellers miners. In the NW US and Canada. No wealth has been collected without a large amount of lying cheating and stealing. Even the liberal wonder Bill Gates originally started by stealing the original code for Windows from IBM. 

 

I feel fairly safe in guessing a similar pattern exists world wide. The wealthy will fight anyone trying to separate them from their wealth. 

 

As I understand the Shinawatras are hated by the Bangkok "old money" families as they tried to force them to take better care of their workers. And face it old money usually has a lot of influence in running things under the table. 

 

But, I could be mistaken, doubt it but it is possible

[bendejo]

11 hours ago, bristolgeoff said:

what a surprise like father like son.also another one for dubai very soon

 

As we say in the US these days "the orange doesn't fall far from the tree."

 

Maybe junior was jealous of Donald Jr getting all the press attention....

 

 

Edited October 18, 2017 by bendejo

[joecoolfrog]

7 hours ago, Shroud said:

He fooled the poor into voting for him and made the country even more corrupt than ever before, and made it difficult for other businesses to invest and thrive except for his own circle. Thailand is one of the most corrupt countries in the world thanks to this guy. The redshirts are nothing more than unpaid salaries for his rice scheme, but he ain't coming back for sure. Say what you want, but the Coup d'état was necessary. 

Yeh he fooled millions but not clever old you eh ? Which surprises me given the rest of the nonsense you have written.

Edited October 18, 2017 by joecoolfrog

[charmonman]

10 hours ago, rwdrwdrwd said:

He created one of the most successful telecoms companies in the country.

What's the salary of a senior army official these days - they seem to do pretty well on it.

If we're taking tax evasion by rich Thais into account then I think we're going to run out of internet if we properly delve into whether or not this particular family are being abnormally targeted.

I did a contract at his company in the nineties, before he entered politics. Every member of senior management that I saw was either an ex or then current high ranking police officer. So right, the success of his company was definitely free of any corrupt influences (sarcasm alert).

[charmonman]

4 minutes ago, joecoolfrog said:

Yeh he fooled millions but not clever old you eh ? Which surprises me given the rest of the nonsense you have written.

Yes, he was a charismatic politician who fooled millions. You think he was the first or the last to do that? I've got news for you, it's not exactly uncommon, and it happens even in countries like the USA, and it usually ends very badly.

[bendejo]

25 minutes ago, Grumpy Duck said:

Does wealth spring from great wisdom and hard work?

 

“Behind every great fortune there is a crime.”
― Honoré de Balzac

 

 

[wayned]

And again, the cop killer "boss" and the Monk from the flying saucer have disappeared from the news! I can't wait until the Thai government officials open Twitter accounts and get proficient in their use!

[webfact]

 

Thaksin’s son meets DSI, denies charges of money-laundering and vows to fight in court

By THE NATION 

 

CCTV footage from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) shows Panthongtae Shinawatra reporting on Tuesday after being charged for alleged money laundering and summoned by the department. He is accompanied by three men and his younger sister.

 

PANTHONGTAE SHINAWATRA, the son of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and three other persons who are facing money-laundering and related charges filed by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), have denied any wrongdoing and will fight their cases in court.

Pol Colonel Paisit Wongmuang, the DSI director-general, said yesterday that all four reported themselves and acknowledged the charges to the agency on Tuesday, October 17, ahead of the October 24 deadline set by authorities. They were released without bail.

 

He said the Anti-Money Laundering Organisation (AMLO) had previously submitted details of the charges to the DSI. They relate to alleged multi-billion-baht fraudulent loans from the state-owned Krungthai Bank, in which a Bt10-million cheque was said to be issued to Panthongtae and another Bt26-million cheque given to Kanchana and Wanchai Honghern, and Kesinee Jipiphop.

 

As a result, the DSI is pursuing money-laundering and related charges against the four suspects, who said they will provide evidence to defend themselves in court. 

 

Money-laundering cases have a 15-year statute of limitations, so the DSI is required to close its investigation in this case by the middle of next year.

 

Panthongtae earlier petitioned the DSI to also investigate another 150 people and organisations that had allegedly received ill-gotten funds from the Krisada Mahanakorn Group, but they are not being investigated. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30329618

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-10-19

 

[joecoolfrog]

2 hours ago, charmonman said:

Yes, he was a charismatic politician who fooled millions. You think he was the first or the last to do that? I've got news for you, it's not exactly uncommon, and it happens even in countries like the USA, and it usually ends very badly.

Yes of course, he was a classic popularist and a very efficient one at that. It was this 'popularity ' that made him such a danger to the system which had served the fuedal overlords so well .

He was not forced out because he was corrupt , nor because he was unpleasant , simply because he threatened the status quo.

Frankly he could have been the spawn of Satan , robbed the country blind , even mistreated soi dogs and have been considered acceptable if had sat at the top table and played by the 'rules '.

The idea that he and his family were singularly monstrous is clearly nonsense and I shall continue to mock those who continue to pretend otherwise.

That doesn't make him a nice person , far from it , in fact I have always detested him but thats really not the point. 

About 2004 my girlfriend of the time , by Isaan standards pretty well educated and with fluent ( non bar ) English had this to say. I had asked her why she supported TRT when it seemed to me that Thaksin was just a nasty crook ; " We are not stupid , we know he is using us , but the fact is he gives us something , not much but some money , some hope , before him we got nothing , we were invisible "

I was struck by her sincerity at the time and I still am , that I think is why his supporters have always stood by him.

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

vows to fight in court

Sounds like the regular slogan of this family.

[Ricardo]

13 hours ago, rwdrwdrwd said:

He created one of the most successful telecoms companies in the country.

 

If you google on  'Thailand', 'telephone' and 'monopoly', you will find  ...

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Info_Service

 

"AIS started off as a computer rental business. In October 1990, it launched analog 900 MHz  mobile phone services with a  20-year monopoly concession  from the Telephone Organisation of Thailand, and later became the first company allowed to operate on the GSM 900 frequency."

 

Would you agree that, when you've been granted a 20-year monopoly in what turns out to be one of the top new industries of-the-decade, it doesn't make you a wonder-boy of business, when you then achieve commercial-success with your company ?

 

I too remember the court cases, brought by his American-partner, who had been sqeezed-out once it became successful.  But suing a Thai PM, in Thai courts, was not very productive.

[Happyman58]

Witch  hunt will go on  If you charged every person in government   with corruption the jails would be full. Here the Generals have thrown away there guns because they can see easy money to be made in Gov.

[JAG]

4 hours ago, Grumpy Duck said:

Does wealth spring from great wisdom and hard work?

Well sometimes it comes from having a telecoms monopoly.

 

Sometimes it comes from having a monopoly in trading with the Khmer Rouge.

[catman20]

16 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I wonder how long it is going to be before he disappears and pops up in Dubai? His family do not have a good track record of turning up in court after all, do they?

agree take his passport away now before he has it on his toes.

[jgarbo]

16 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I wonder how long it is going to be before he disappears and pops up in Dubai? His family do not have a good track record of turning up in court after all, do they?

Well, they're Hakka. It's in the blood. Thieves & lairs from birth. 

[jippytum]

The bank during the Thaksin government was complicit in giving millions to a defunct building company . The money was shared among many hi so people .Some beneficiaries of the fraud are already in jail. Why should a member of the Thaksin family who received some of the ill gotten gains be treated differently from any one else .People who think this is victimization are wrong . This is  justice  be it overdue .

[candide]

So Thaksin's son received a money from a money-laundering company chaired by Meechai Ruchupan. Tss tss, he should have been more cautious! 

[mtls2005]

I guess working through the opposition in a serial (linear) fashion has the added benefit of scaring others into leaving the country.

 

“Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.”

 

Lavrentiy Beria, head of Joseph Stalin’s secret police

 

 

Well, they're Hakka. It's in the blood. Thieves & lairs from birth. 

 

Abhisit is also Hakka, as is a large swath of the luk-jin higher-so.

Edited October 19, 2017 by mtls2005

[steven100]

I doubt the son will like living in Dubai ....  this could cause some problem for the shins later on.

He will want to return to Thailand but he won't have a choice.

[charmonman]

3 hours ago, joecoolfrog said:

Yes of course, he was a classic popularist and a very efficient one at that. It was this 'popularity ' that made him such a danger to the system which had served the fuedal overlords so well .

He was not forced out because he was corrupt , nor because he was unpleasant , simply because he threatened the status quo.

Frankly he could have been the spawn of Satan , robbed the country blind , even mistreated soi dogs and have been considered acceptable if had sat at the top table and played by the 'rules '.

The idea that he and his family were singularly monstrous is clearly nonsense and I shall continue to mock those who continue to pretend otherwise.

That doesn't make him a nice person , far from it , in fact I have always detested him but thats really not the point. 

About 2004 my girlfriend of the time , by Isaan standards pretty well educated and with fluent ( non bar ) English had this to say. I had asked her why she supported TRT when it seemed to me that Thaksin was just a nasty crook ; " We are not stupid , we know he is using us , but the fact is he gives us something , not much but some money , some hope , before him we got nothing , we were invisible "

I was struck by her sincerity at the time and I still am , that I think is why his supporters have always stood by him.

Well, in the post I was responding to you seemed to be implying that the fact that he was supported by millions meant that he was not a venal, corrupt and anti-democratic demagogue. You actually seem to be saying he was all that but at least better in some way than the other venal, corrupt and anti-democratic politicians/system he was disrupting. 

 

I still disagree.

[YetAnother]

18 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I wonder how long it is going to be before he disappears and pops up in Dubai? His family do not have a good track record of turning up in court after all, do they?

my guess is that they have had contingent escape plans for some time now

[Eric Loh]

1 hour ago, jippytum said:

The bank during the Thaksin government was complicit in giving millions to a defunct building company . The money was shared among many hi so people .Some beneficiaries of the fraud are already in jail. Why should a member of the Thaksin family who received some of the ill gotten gains be treated differently from any one else .People who think this is victimization are wrong . This is  justice  be it overdue .

Somehow the 150 others who received some of the ill gotten money will not be investigated by the DSI. Justice misplaced? 

[pornprong]

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

I doubt the son will like living in Dubai ....  this could cause some problem for the shins later on.

He will want to return to Thailand but he won't have a choice.

Hahahahaha.

How wrong you are.

 

Democracy cannot be denied the people of Thailand for much longer.

1976, 1992, 2010 and soon 2018 will be added to the list.

 

The Thais know how to get rid of Junta's.

They may take their time going about it.

But in the end, they get it done.

 

And there is one more certainty to be added to this list.... whenever there are elections, Thaksin wins.

 

I can't wait to read what you're posting the day Thaksin and Yingluck step foot back in Thailand.

It'll be the biggest party the nation has ever seen and it will be within the next 5 - 6 years.

 

Hahahaha

(perhaps it is you who should be scouting out a residence in Dubai?)

Edited October 19, 2017 by pornprong

[joecoolfrog]

1 hour ago, charmonman said:

Well, in the post I was responding to you seemed to be implying that the fact that he was supported by millions meant that he was not a venal, corrupt and anti-democratic demagogue. You actually seem to be saying he was all that but at least better in some way than the other venal, corrupt and anti-democratic politicians/system he was disrupting. 

 

I still disagree.

You may be right , either way his family is being persecuted.