Potjaman Shinawatra Found Guilty Of Tax Evasion

[marshbags]

The Nation, 08-08-2008

Speculation rises over whether Shinawatras will return for hearing on Monday

Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat, brother-in-law of the former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, said Thursday he didn't believe Thaksin and Pojaman would flee overseas, but he said he never talked to them about their plans.

"They are Thai people so they must live in Thailand. Why do they have to seek asylum? I am confident they will not seek asylum," said Somchai, who is also a deputy prime minister.

Khunying Pojaman, wife of the former PM, flew to China with her adopted brother and secretary on Tuesday amid rumours they would seek "political asylum" abroad.

Pojaman, Bhanapot Damapong and Kanchanapa Honghern quietly left Thailand at 10.40am from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to Beijing on Tuesday.

The Nation

Unquote

I was going to highlight the full article as it really is a joke from start to finish.

Stay in exile until such times as the impossible happens and they win the appeal, or failing that wait for more favourable times to return sounds more realistic, IMHO

Not to say they will not sneak in with certain powers turning a blind eye, low key and incognito of course.

marshbags

Edited August 8, 2008 by marshbags

[cloudhopper]

Where might these people seek, and be granted asylum? I know he owns a soccer team in the UK but would the UK grant it in the face of criminal convictions?

[marshbags]

To expand on post 332..............................

Is Pojaman seeking asylum overseas?

By The Nation

Published on August 8, 2008

Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat, brother-in-law of the former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, said yesterday he didn't believe Thaksin and Pojaman would flee overseas, but he said he never talked to them about their plans.

"They are Thai people so they must live in Thailand. Why do they have to seek asylum? I am confident they will not seek asylum," said Somchai, who is also a deputy prime minister.

Khunying Pojaman, wife of the former PM, flew to China with her adopted brother and secretary on Tuesday amid rumours they would seek "political asylum" abroad.

Pojaman, Bhanapot Damapong and Kanchanapa Honghern quietly left Thailand at 10.40am from Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok to Beijing on Tuesday.

They were seen to carry several bags with them. Some of her three children broke down in tears as they saw her off.

Reports have been rife that they would flee abroad after the Criminal Court sentenced the Pojaman, her brother and secretary to three years jail after finding them guilty of seeking to avoid paying tax of Bt546 million on a share deal in the late 1990s.

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders has summonsed both Thaksin and Pojaman, who are defendants in a trial over the purchase of a prized block of land on Ratchadaphisek, to give final testimony Monday.

So there is renewed interest over whether the pair, particularly Pojaman, will return for the case. The court is due to give its verdict on the Ratchada case on Sept 16.

Thaksin has been expected to return from China on Sunday. He flew to Japan on August 1 to give a special lecture, and was reportedly due to attend the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, today.

Double the in fact treble em.

marshbags

Edited August 8, 2008 by marshbags

[Briggsy]

I wish the press would stop talking about 'asylum' or 'political asylum', it is "self-imposed exile [to avoid imprisonment]".

[Marvo]

I wish the press would stop talking about 'asylum' or 'political asylum', it is "self-imposed exile [to avoid imprisonment]".

HEAR HEAR!

[Tony Clifton]

Quite sweet to sit at the Changi airport lounge or watching the hotel`s cable news channels and see Thaksin and Pojaman making the news with her 3 yeal jail sentence and his criminal cases described. He loved the spotlight so much...

It was mostly paid for interviews before with his Baker- Botts- lobbying- firm -I'm- Innocent! Really! - World- Tour but now he sure is getting the freebies. Oh the calls and offers the broadcasters must be receiving from his camp...

Bit off more than they could chew.

Edited August 8, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[sriracha john]

I wish the press would stop talking about 'asylum' or 'political asylum', it is "self-imposed exile [to avoid imprisonment]".

They heard ya, Briggsy...

Thaksin, Pojaman 'returning on Sunday'

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, Pojaman, have booked a flight from Beijing to Bangkok on Sunday evening, dispelling - at least for now - growing speculation that they would be seeking exile.

Arisman Pongruengrong, a former Bangkok MP of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, said the couple would be flying back to Bangkok after attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. They are booked on Thai Airways International flight TG615 at 5pm on Sunday, arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 9.40pm.

Surakiart Sathirathai, a former Foreign Minister in the Thaksin government, yesterday said that if a person sought exile, the potential host country would only accept them if they were subject to political persecution at home. "Like in the case of some African countries, when millions of people were killed. Then exile is allowed, because they are very extraordinary circumstances. But if it is a criminal case [as Thaksin is now facing], then it should not be considered a reason to seek exile," Surakiart said.

Arisman stressed that Thaksin's return trip fell under his original travel schedule, as the former prime minister has been making it clear all along that he would be fighting his court cases in Thailand. "I would like to confirm that Thaksin and Pojaman will definitely return home. This is not part of any attempt to leak the news. On Sunday, there will be several core political leaders and MPs standing by at the airport to greet them," he said.

Earlier, there had been speculation as to whether the couple would return to report themselves to the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, which has granted them permission to leave the country on a case-by-case basis.

The Supreme Court is holding a hearing into the Rachadaphisek land-purchase deal, in which both Thaksin and Pojaman have been accused of abuse of power by taking part in the bidding for land owned by the Financial Institutions Development Fund, a unit of the Bank of Thailand.

In another case, Pojaman has already been found guilty of tax fraud and is now trying to launch an appeal.

Rumours of Thaksin and Pojaman's possible plan to seek exile had boosted sentiment in the stock market, where investors feel the recent sell-off might have bottomed out due to an improvement in the political situation.

- The Nation

[marshbags]

Should they return on Sunday, it seemingly suggests that they are confident at the outcome of

1) A successful appeal for her which will give them additional time to muster their supporters.

2) The political scenario turning in their favour, while allowing for valuable time to plan an orderly escape to friendlier location / s

3) Give him hands on control in 2) to oversee the forming of the TRT mark 3.

In summing up this short post, i think it has to be the worst scenario should their arrival become fact as the only thing to look forward to is much unrest and chaos nationwide as the cornered rat / s are not about to give up and leave the below the waterline sinking ship without much Ado, of which much bloodshed is the probable outcome.

Not forgetting, while it the present time, the dreaded coup, which would take it all back to square one again.

Me, I still hope they do a runner now and <deleted> off out of it, while being found guilty in their absence, given long jail sentences, and the money on hold forfeited in full with additional monetary penalties for mega baht relating to their wealth and how the achieved their excessively rich status unlawfully.

I still do not trust Chalerm and wonder what he is up to now in relation to the Mk 3 party and as he is no longer part of the Mk 2 party, should they get banned then he is possibly ??? left unaffected and therefore in a position to front it.

marshbags

P.S.

I am amazed that a banned party and it,s officials are openly allowed to own and control surrogate replacements.

Should the PPP get a red card which i assume will include it,s officials, who else is then left to officially front the Mk 3 party should an election take place.

TIT i,m loathe to quote but... i am still in a positive mind set on justice prevailing and look forward to a new look Thailand with a fairer society for it,s long suffering, deserving citizens

Edited August 9, 2008 by marshbags

[Bill97]

It does not mean they think they are going to win or have a successful appeal, it means they are going to try to loose as little as possible. They are coming back to do damage control/minimization and get their hands on as much cash as they can. They have a lot of time to do that before anybody is sent to jail and if they are going to run, they do not need the court's approval to leave the country.

[sriracha john]

they do not need the court's approval to leave the country.

That was true when another Southeast Asia dictator took off. Marcos had the crates of gold bullion loaded onto a plane and off he went....

[thaigene2]

the question just gets funnier by the second!!

It does indeed.

Would you care to rephrase it in simple words? I suppose you were TUI - typing under the influence.

Er..Not many Chinese-Thai Trotskyites?..Howz that for TUI?

[thaigene2]

And so now they've returned..

Anyone still care?

[toret]

Potjaman Shinawatra, or "The Mistress", as she is often known,

Why is she called that? Are they just pretending to be married?

[toret]

Not sure what you mean by "discos" though, you mean like in historical documentaries like Saturday Night Fever?

Sorry about that, please forgive me as I am an old man. I ment "clubs" of course. And not as in ancient discussion- or bookclubs

[toret]

Heng - are you suggesting the present system of keeping the craven feudal families at bay is "USSR-esque"??

No, he is suggesting exactly what he writes, that the society could become post-USSR-esque. Nowhere does he suggest that the country is USSR-esque. Or did I miss something maybe?

[sriracha john]

They are booked on Thai Airways International flight TG615 at 5pm on Sunday, arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 9.40pm.

And so now they've returned..

Never a good idea to put the cart before the horse when the Shittywaters are involved.

Edited August 10, 2008 by sriracha john

[hammered]

Potjaman Shinawatra, or "The Mistress", as she is often known,

Why is she called that? Are they just pretending to be married?

Maybe she's into thigh length boots and whips etc. Oh no I really shouldnt be letting PPP/TRT fantasy stuff out of the bag

[george]

Not confirmed, hope I heard right, but Thai Television now apparently reports that Thaksin and wife canceled their flight. Will try to get some english source to back it up.

[sriracha john]

We can always trust the word of a lawyer..... right?

Lawyer says Thaksin, wife will appear in court Monday

BANGKOK, Aug 10 (TNA) -- A lawyer to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Sunday that the ex-premier and his wife will definitely appear before a Bangkok court Monday to fight against legal proceedings in connection with the Ratchadapisek land case.

Lawyer Kamnuan Chalopatham said Thaksin and Pojaman Shinawatra would appear at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions to fight charges on the Bangkok land scandal.

Rumours have spread that Thaksin and his wife -- who went to Beijing to attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics on Friday -- may go into exile overseas to escape several legal proceedings, including the land purchase case, which await them in Bangkok.

[Heng]

Heng - are you suggesting the present system of keeping the craven feudal families at bay is "USSR-esque"??

No, he is suggesting exactly what he writes, that the society could become post-USSR-esque. Nowhere does he suggest that the country is USSR-esque. Or did I miss something maybe?

Yeah, that's what I was saying. Feel free to re-read, Gene.

[Heng]

I for one am looking forward to the post USSR-esque free for all that it'll likely all become. I have my chess pieces in place, how about ya'll?

Good point Heng. But do you expect a complete free for all-scene for all farangs too? That would be fantastic :-D

Good old days, open discos until the sun comes up and goes down again?

Okay- but here's a way to stop this one DEAD IN ITS TRACKS...Wait for it...

Heng - are you suggesting the present system of keeping the craven feudal families at bay is "USSR-esque"?? Now who would be capable of doing that? No, didn't think you meant that (since the truth may almost be certainly the opposite of USSR-esque??). How many trotskyites you reckon there are presently in Thailand? Maybe only me - but I don't count since I'm not Thai. Now then, how many Thai-Chinese Trotskyites and the question just gets funnier by the second!!

Were you about to type 'a way' that'll stop this one 'dead in its tracks' or did you change your mind?

The post USSR free for all wasn't the work of one man or even a few thousand people, but rather hundreds of thousands of business folks + out of work or at least under-employed police and army folks unifed by that universal common goal: to live fat and easy.

[thaigene2]

Heng - are you suggesting the present system of keeping the craven feudal families at bay is "USSR-esque"??

No, he is suggesting exactly what he writes, that the society could become post-USSR-esque. Nowhere does he suggest that the country is USSR-esque. Or did I miss something maybe?

Yes I guess you did miss something then. Thailand has been been for many years full of oligarchs - perhaps you see the country in some other way?

Thailand IS RUSSIA POST-USSR - and it has been for many years before, during and after the USSR. Spare me the left-wing bogey-man <deleted>. Do your homework on Thailand's Sakdina system - the country is run buy 1,000++ rich families with tentacles into the military, police, bureaucracy and business mafias - often inter-married in chinese-guanxi style. Look at all the Benz's pulling into the Government Offices every morning and puking out some fat 45,000 baht per month civil servant and ask yourself - tham ally - how did he/she/big hair manage buying that car that is ten times their average salary? Funny how some obvious things go so un-noticed..

Edited August 10, 2008 by thaigene2

[Johpa]

Thaksin knows that his house of cards is about to fall

May Baby Jesus, along with Moses, Buddha, Lord Shiva, or any other such deity grant me such a house of cards.

[percy2]

This thread needs splitting.

Thaksin going into exile deserves its own thread.

The split thread needs combing with this one. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Ousted-Thai-...ng-t205667.html

Cheers

[sriracha john]

or just roll future discussion of Thaksin's movements into the pre-existing, ongoing thread that covers his movements... for his next trial... for which he is scheduled to appear later this morning...

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2137895

Thaksin And His Wife Issued Arrest Warrants Over Ratchadapisek Land Case

Edited August 10, 2008 by sriracha john

[percy2]

This thread and that one are 400 and 500 posts long.

That's just too long for anybody to pick the information out of them.

Or following that logic why don't we roll every single Thaksin post into one?

Cheers

[sriracha john]

Compartmentalizing discussion by the different "case" threads provides continuity and completeness of information regarding the specifics of his each one. As each one is processed and the Courts move onto the next one, ancillary discussion, such as his movements, can easily be incorporated into them.

Within each thread as posts are chronologically entered, if someone is only interested the very latest aspects of it, that's pretty easily done by going to the end of the thread.

Historically on thaivisa, the greatest confusion occurs when multiple threads, and the accompanying discussiion, are running simultaneously on the same topic.

[percy2]

Lets roll all Thaksin threads into one then , that won't be confusing

Or would you prefer your logic only to be correct occasionally?

Cheers

[sriracha john]

Perhaps if you participated in the News Clipping Forum discussions more frequently, you would see what I mean by concurrent multiple threads.

Compartmentalizing doesn't mean one thread, but as the discussion has already moved to the other thread, I'll stop.

Edited August 10, 2008 by sriracha john

[Heng]

Heng - are you suggesting the present system of keeping the craven feudal families at bay is "USSR-esque"??

No, he is suggesting exactly what he writes, that the society could become post-USSR-esque. Nowhere does he suggest that the country is USSR-esque. Or did I miss something maybe?

Yes I guess you did miss something then. Thailand has been been for many years full of oligarchs - perhaps you see the country in some other way?

Thailand IS RUSSIA POST-USSR - and it has been for many years before, during and after the USSR. Spare me the left-wing bogey-man <deleted>. Do your homework on Thailand's Sakdina system - the country is run buy 1,000++ rich families with tentacles into the military, police, bureaucracy and business mafias - often inter-married in chinese-guanxi style. Look at all the Benz's pulling into the Government Offices every morning and puking out some fat 45,000 baht per month civil servant and ask yourself - tham ally - how did he/she/big hair manage buying that car that is ten times their average salary? Funny how some obvious things go so un-noticed..

Look at all the Benz's pulling into the Government Offices every morning and puking out some fat 45,000 baht per month civil servant and ask yourself - tham ally - how did he/she/big hair manage buying that car that is ten times their average salary? Funny how some obvious things go so un-noticed..

Ever over dramatic and ironically also 'funny' (that's both the "strange" and "haha" variety) that you choose not to notice the rest of the iceberg. You continue to 'discover' corruption among civil servants and big government, congrats.

The wealth here, if you can look beyond the top 1000+ families is fairly evenly distributed among the wealthiest top 15-20%. Yes, most of those folks are Thai Chinese, but not exclusively so. Most of those folks have no connections whatsoever to the "top" families. To discover the "tribute" (your "tentacles") paid to CP Group from a small businessman who built his fortune from nothing, just because he owns a few 7-11 franchises among his other businesses is like saying that "money circulates through society with few degrees of separation." Brilliant. You may as well be *complaining* that slow and untalented athletes rarely make it into professional athetlics and that it's a conspiracy among the pros to keep everyone else down.