All You Want To Know About Thaksin

[webfact]

Key dates in saga of Thailand's Thaksin

BANGKOK: -- (AFP) - The Supreme Court of Thailand is due to rule Friday on whether the government can seize the 2.2-billion-dollar fortune of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Here is a timeline of events since Thaksin's first election victory in 2001:

-- 2001 --

January: Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party, formed three years earlier, wins most seats in a general elections. The party's platform includes a focus on health care and debt relief for the rural poor.

-- 2003 --

January: Thaksin launches controversial "war on drugs," which rights groups say leads to more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings.

-- 2004 --

January: Start of insurgency in Thailand's restive Muslim-majority south, on which Thaksin takes a tough line.

-- 2005 --

Feb 6: Thaksin is re-elected, becoming the first prime minister to complete a full term in office.

-- 2006 --

Jan 23: Thaksin family announces the tax-free sale of their 49 percent stake in telecoms giant Shin Corp to Singapore's state-owned investment unit Temasek for more than 73 billion baht. The move sparks months of protests by the royalist People's Alliance for Democracy, known as the Yellow Shirts.

Sept 19: The army seizes power in a bloodless coup as Thaksin attends a session of the UN General Assembly in New York. More than a year of military rule follows and Thaksin remains in exile.

-- 2007 --

June: Anti-graft panel freezes Thaksin's assets.

December: The People Power Party, comprised of Thaksin's allies, wins elections and forms a coalition government in February 2008.

-- 2008 --

May: The PAD relaunches street protests.

August: Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman -- who had returned to Thailand in February -- flee again, saying they will not get a fair trial on corruption charges.

October: Clashes between police and demonstrators kill two people and wound nearly 500. A court sentences Thaksin in absentia to two years in jail for conflict of interest.

November-December: Thousands of PAD supporters blockade Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports.

December: The Constitutional Court dissolves the People Power Party, forcing out Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat as Prime Minister. British-born Abhisit Vejjajiva of the rival Democrat Party becomes premier.

-- 2009 --

January-March: "Red Shirts" loyal to Thaksin hold protests against Abhisit's government.

April: Red Shirts storm the venue of an Asian summit in the beach resort of Pattaya. Riots and a state of emergency in Bangkok ensue, leaving two people dead.

November: Cambodia appoints Thaksin as a government economic adviser, angering Thailand. Thaksin visits Phnom Penh and Cambodian leader Hun Sen refuses to extradite him.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-02-26

Published with written approval from AFP.

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[webfact]

Thaksin: tycoon and defiant former Thai PM - Profile

by Danny Kemp

BANGKOK: -- (AFP) - Thaksin Shinawatra was a flamboyant but divisive prime minister of Thailand, backed by vast riches that paved his path to power and then contributed to his downfall.

The fugitive 60-year-old tycoon was ousted in a military coup in 2006 after months of protests sparked by his family's sale of around two billion dollars' worth of shares in his telecommunications firm.

Thailand's top court is set to rule on Friday whether the government can seize his assets on the grounds that he boosted his wealth through abuse of power, in a move that could spark protests by his supporters.

But with or without his fortune, Thaksin is likely to remain a fixture on the kingdom's turbulent political scene.

"One could try to reduce Thaksin to his... baht, but no," Jacques Ivanoff, an anthropologist at the Research Institute on Contemporary South-East Asia, told AFP, referring to the Thai currency.

"Even if he disappears (for a time) because he doesn't have enough money to support his movements, it is Thailand, he could very well wait 10 years and in 10 years they will call him back."

Thaksin's fans, mainly from the poor rural north where he hails from, still love him for finally giving them a political voice and for introducing populist policies such as cheap healthcare and microcredit schemes.

But he is hated by Bangkok's powerful elites in the palace, military and bureaucracy who saw him as corrupt, authoritarian, a destabilising influence on the social order, and a threat to Thailand's revered monarchy.

Thaksin was born on July 26, 1949, into one of the most prominent ethnic Chinese families in northern Chiang Mai province.

He joined the police in 1973 and he and his then wife, Pojaman, soon dabbled in several businesses, with varying success, but when he left the police in the early 1980s his business career took off leasing computers.

Thaksin later founded a series of data networking and mobile telephone firms that would eventually be grouped together as telecoms giant Shin Corp.

In 1998 he moved into politics when he formed his own political party, Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) and was elected as prime minister in 2001, becoming the country's first premier to serve a full term.

He was re-elected in 2005 to create Thailand's first single party government in seven decades.

But his habit of installing relatives in key posts angered opponents, while a "war on drugs" outraged rights activists who said more than 2,200 people died in extrajudicial killings.

By 2006 the embers of discontent erupted into flame when around 1.42 million shares or 48 percent of Shin Corp. were sold to Singapore's Temasek Group for a total of 69.72 billion baht, tax-free.

Months of mass protests by the royalist "Yellow Shirt" movement culminated in the nullifying of snap elections, and in September 2006 the army finally stepped in, toppling Thaksin while he was at the United Nations in New York.

All of Thaksin's assets in Thailand were frozen in 2007.

But Thaksin continued to roam the globe in style, showing off his remaining riches by purchasing Manchester City football club, while his allies stormed in victory in the first post-coup elections in December 2007.

In 2008 he returned briefly from exile but in August he failed to return from the Olympic Games in Beijing ahead of a court ruling that gave him a two-year jail term over the illegal purchase of land by his wife.

His allies were toppled by another court ruling in that December and pro-Thaksin "Red Shirts" have since held repeated protests against the current government.

From abroad, Thaksin has continued to rile his foes in Bangkok, triggering a diplomatic spat with Cambodia in December when Phnom Penh appointed him as a government economic adviser and refused to extradite him.

And both Thaksin and his supporters have vowed to continue their campaign until he is allowed to return home.

"He has reserved a place in the collective political imagination of Thailand which he could retain with or without his money," said Ivanoff.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-02-26

Published with written approval from AFP.

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[webfact]

Key facts of the case against ex-Thai PM Thaksin - Facts

BANGKOK: -- (AFP) - Thailand's former premier Thaksin Shinawatra is set to find out Friday if the state will seize all or part of his frozen 2.2-billion-dollar fortune, alleged to have been earned by abuse of his power.

Here are some keys facts and figures of the case:

THE DEAL: On January 23, 2006, about 1.5 billion shares, or 49.6 percent, of Thaksin's telecoms giant Shin Corp are sold to Singapore's Temasek Holdings, netting the family 73.3 billion baht in total (1.88 billion dollars at the time, 2.2 billion dollars now).

WHAT PROSECUTORS SAY: That Thaksin's business became rich through his abuse of power as prime minister, manipulating laws and negotiating deals to boost profits in Shin Corp.

Prosecutors say Thaksin therefore earned his fortune by illegal means and caused damage to the government, so the money should be given to state coffers.

WHAT THAKSIN SAYS: That the shares were owned by his family members, divided between his son Panthongtae, daughter Pinthongta, his sister Yinglak and his then-wife's stepbrother, Bannapot.

Thaksin says the fortune rightfully belongs to his family and the case should be dismissed.

The prosecutor does not dispute that the family members owned the shares in name, but says that Thaksin and his now ex-wife Pojaman were the true owners of the financial holdings as he made all decisions related to the sale.

WHERE ARE THE ASSETS NOW: After the coup that ousted Thaksin on September 19, 2006, the military government set up an anti-corruption committee to investigate Thaksin and froze the assets.

The attorney general decided to press graft charges against Thaksin in the Supreme Court on August 25, 2008.

The Supreme Court will rule whether the government can seize the assets on Friday.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-02-26

Published with written approval from AFP.

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[webfact]

Thaksin still a hero in Thailand's poor northeast - Feature

by Rachel O'Brien

UDON THANI: -- (AFP) - Down a bumpy rural track in Thailand's impoverished northeast, Pichit Peema is gathering produce for his thriving local business, set up seven years ago under a village loan scheme.

Previously a struggling rice farmer, he used the policy introduced by ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra to start a mushroom-growing operation, and can now collect up to 200 kilogrammes (440 pounds) a day to sell across Udon Thani province.

"My life is better -- I can give the money to my children so they can graduate and have a better life," Pichit, 47, told AFP, adding proudly that his eldest son is now a qualified electrical engineer in Bangkok.

Taking a break by his brightly-painted new house topped with a huge satellite dish, he praised twice-elected Thaksin for bettering his lot with the low-interest lending programme.

"Thaksin was a great social engineer because he helped poor people," he said of the telecoms tycoon, who was deposed in a coup in 2006 and now lives abroad, mainly in Dubai, to escape a two-year jail term for graft.

The controversial former PM continues to be a source of deep divisions in Thailand, where his numerous critics accuse him of corruption, widespread cronyism and grave human rights abuses during a notorious "war on drugs".

But Pichit is one of the "Red Shirts" -- the brightly-dressed, pro-Thaksin group planning their next mass anti-government protests after a court ruling due Friday on whether to seize the billionaire's assets, frozen after the coup.

Here in Thaksin's stronghold -- the neglected northeastern region of Isaan, the poorest part of Thailand -- his followers say he was the first prime minister to properly address the needs of the rural populace.

"In our era we have not seen a person like Thaksin before. He is a hero for us," said Tongsri Yothkeaw, 55, who works as a rice farmer and on her family's small flower-growing operation in the village of Huay Samhan, also in Udon Thani.

Pointing to her throat, she explained that a thyroid operation cost her less than one US dollar thanks to the so-called 30-baht healthcare scheme introduced by Thaksin after he swept to power in 2001.

"He used to help us. I want him to come back," she said. "The government doesn't help us any more... We are very scared about the economy nowadays."

While agriculture is the main economic activity in Isaan, which is tucked away from Thailand's well-trodden tourist trail, farming has been hindered by the mainly arid, sandy land that allows for fewer rice harvests than in other areas.

Analysts say a dearth of quality education, technology and infrastructure has also been key to the poverty of Isaan's people.

Thaksin appealed to these marginalised masses not only with his populist policies but also in his style of leadership, according to historian Chris Baker, who has written extensively on the former premier.

"Here was this man who appeared in his open-necked shirt, not very smart, coming to the village and saying, 'Tell me what you want me to do'," said Baker.

"This was a very empowering idea in a country where politicians have tended to be rather remote," he said.

While current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has maintained some of Thaksin's policies, Baker said he has returned to the older, more detached style of governance -- only serving to strengthen Thaksin's popularity.

"He was a little bit corrupt but he worked more for the people," said Bangkok food vendor Yoon Poodindan, 47, one of the capital's many economic migrants from the northeast.

The fugitive ex-PM's supporters have vowed to hold fresh protests in mid-March until they see the back of Abhisit's government, which took power in December 2008 after the fall of the previous, pro-Thaksin administration.

The Red Shirts say they are campaigning against the power of Thailand's elite -- including army and palace officials -- whom they accuse of ousting elected governments and defending entrenched social inequalities.

"I think the Red Shirt movement is not about Thaksin alone, it's for equality in society," said Samreng Mahakor, 40, a Bangkok motorcycle taxi driver also from Isaan.

"Red Shirts have been treated as second-class people. Even if Thaksin died, we won't stop until we get fairness," he said.

-- ©Copyright AFP 2010-02-26

Published with written approval from AFP.

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[marshbags]

The following will IMHO come back to haunt him...

-- 2003 --

January: Thaksin launches controversial "war on drugs," which rights groups say leads to more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings.

It has been pushed under the carpet for far to long.

For me it sums up what this inhuman being is all about and the lengths he will go to to keep his name in the headlines.

On this occasion it backfired on him and his reputation detroyed.

Like so many of his past endeavours the day of reckoning will resurface big time and KARMA will duly be repaid in full.

The figure of 2,200 is very conservative and is was much higher ( extremely so ) than this as time went by and the horrendous hidden statistics surfaced.

Not alleged either but factual

marshbags

Edited February 26, 2010 by marshbags

[lazygourmet]

Chris Baker & Pasuk Phongpaichit book: "Thaksin: The Business of Politics in Thailand" is a must read.

[Latindancer]

January: Thaksin launches controversial "war on drugs," which rights groups say leads to more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings.

The figure of 2,200 is very conservative and is was much higher ( extremely so ) than this as time went by and the horrendous hidden statistics surfaced.

Not alleged either but factual

marshbags

Weren't there a couple of containers of bodies found off the coast at one stage ?

[Mobi]

Everyone seems to have forgotten about the huge issue that arose just after Thaksin was first elected, concerning his blatant failure to declare all his assets, as required by law.

It turned into a grim farce as he tried to claim that his servants were the legal owners of the undeclared assets.

Even so, it was touch and go for a while, and it was by a very slim majority that the Judges decided in Thaksin's favour, though I believe more than one judge later admitted that they ruled in favour of Thaksin to respect the 'voters' wishes' rather than on the facts of the case.

Right from day one, Thaksin was up his neck in lies, more lies and dam_n lies.

[geriatrickid]

Putting aside all the garbage about misbegottten profits, and the claim was never proven in court, the issue has always been the court sentencing of Thaksin in absentia to two years in jail for conflict of interest. I don't doubt for a minute there was a conflict of interest. Unfortunately, conflict of interest seems to be the defacto modus operandi of politics in Thailand.

Even though I believe that the court will decide against Mr. Thaksin, I think there is the potential for a positive outcome. Everything will hinge upon the reasoning and explanation given with the decision. Patience and a keen mind will be needed to understand the nuances and the impact of the statement. If we are lucky, we may see a precedent set on the management of conflict of interest.

BTW, in respect to my comment about the profits issue, yesterday, Bloomberg News had an interesting quote from one of the largest stock brokerages in Bangkok that looked at whether there was any opportunity to make windfall profits as has been claimed by so many people. It has since been edited to remove the person's name quoted and certain specifics.

However, the following info is still available;

Shin shares gained 121 percent from when Thaksin took office on Feb. 9, 2001, to when his family sold the company on Jan. 23, 2006, compared with a 128 percent gain in the benchmark SET index, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Siam Cement Pcl, Thailand’s fourth-biggest company, which is controlled by the monarchy’s investment arm, gained 717 percent in that time.

If anything Mr. Thaksin could be slammed for a mediocre financial performance.

[Mario2008]

1 post containing offensive photo deleted. Please keep it civil or expect a posting holiday. There is no need to stirr up the already overheated situation. Your help in keeping things cool and respectful is much appreciated.

[junglist]

January: Thaksin launches controversial "war on drugs," which rights groups say leads to more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings.

The figure of 2,200 is very conservative and is was much higher ( extremely so ) than this as time went by and the horrendous hidden statistics surfaced.

Not alleged either but factual

marshbags

Weren't there a couple of containers of bodies found off the coast at one stage ?

I think what you are talking about Tak Bai incident. The Sins of Mr. T. Many people in the south don’t just want him to lose his money they also want revenge.

[NALAK]

The following will IMHO come back to haunt him...

-- 2003 --

January: Thaksin launches controversial "war on drugs," which rights groups say leads to more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings.

It has been pushed under the carpet for far to long.

For me it sums up what this inhuman being is all about and the lengths he will go to to keep his name in the headlines.

On this occasion it backfired on him and his reputation detroyed.

Like so many of his past endeavours the day of reckoning will resurface big time and KARMA will duly be repaid in full.

The figure of 2,200 is very conservative and is was much higher ( extremely so ) than this as time went by and the horrendous hidden statistics surfaced.

Not alleged either but factual

marshbags

fit and proper ending for drug dealing scum selling yaba to kids. only people hacked off were pc correct western countries. how many people a year do the US cops shot and kill. his reputation amongst the Thai electorate rose, quote from news feed above, stormed back into victory afterwards, twice i think

[Samuian]

Putting aside all the garbage about misbegottten profits, and the claim was never proven in court....

stay calm, today we'll know....!

Besides how DO YOU "know" the notion about "misbegottten profits" is garbage ?

How come you "know" or do you simply claim it?

one readers comment (#3) in Thanongs Blog @The nation:

Good and thanks. Have you heard about where the family is? Just curious. If abroad, why the need to go? Afraid of being held a hostage if Red Shirts make an unexpected move or Thaksin does something?

The fact that they are not coming to hear the verdict is pregnant with meaning. ....................

Edited February 26, 2010 by Samuian

[unclejunta]

The Red Shirts say they are campaigning against the power of Thailand's elite -- including army and palace officials -- whom they accuse of ousting elected governments and defending entrenched social inequalities.

"I think the Red Shirt movement is not about Thaksin alone, it's for equality in society," said Samreng Mahakor, 40, a Bangkok motorcycle taxi driver also from Isaan.

"Red Shirts have been treated as second-class people. Even if Thaksin died, we won't stop until we get fairness," he said.

This about sums it up. So i guess the reds will prevail as there are definitely more poopr people than elites though the elites hold the guns.

[stormnut]

What about Thaskin selling the telco and brewery companies he owned BEFORE coming to power this is where he got the money from everyone is fighting over now.

[blackout]

no mention of 1997 asian financial crisis and thaksin role in the government he was in ?

this time is not the first time he try to destroy thailand.

the 1997 asian financial crisis, was the fist real damage (and/or took part) that thaksin have done to his own country.

well.. people seem to forget it anyway!

Edited February 26, 2010 by blackout

[rixalex]

The following will IMHO come back to haunt him...

-- 2003 --

January: Thaksin launches controversial "war on drugs," which rights groups say leads to more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings.

It has been pushed under the carpet for far to long.

fit and proper ending for drug dealing scum selling yaba to kids. only people hacked off were pc correct western countries.

If the 2,000 plus people killed were all "drug dealing scum", although most might not agree with the natue of their fate, few would complain or sympathise. The problem is, we have no idea if they were "drug dealing scum" or not. That's because there were NO TRIALS. The police were able to kill whom they wanted. Do you take their word for it that all those killed were deserving of that fate? I know i don't.

stormed back into victory afterwards, twice i think

Once actually.

[marshbags]

The following will IMHO come back to haunt him...

-- 2003 --

January: Thaksin launches controversial "war on drugs," which rights groups say leads to more than 2,200 extrajudicial killings.

It has been pushed under the carpet for far to long.

For me it sums up what this inhuman being is all about and the lengths he will go to to keep his name in the headlines.

On this occasion it backfired on him and his reputation detroyed.

Like so many of his past endeavours the day of reckoning will resurface big time and KARMA will duly be repaid in full.

The figure of 2,200 is very conservative and is was much higher ( extremely so ) than this as time went by and the horrendous hidden statistics surfaced.

Not alleged either but factual

marshbags

fit and proper ending for drug dealing scum selling yaba to kids. only people hacked off were pc correct western countries. how many people a year do the US cops shot and kill. his reputation amongst the Thai electorate rose, quote from news feed above, stormed back into victory afterwards, twice i think

I fully understand that most members will wish to concentrate on todays hearing and while all the content in the OP is important

They will not want to get tied down to much with what I consider one of the most important on the list.

Rather than take the thread up on the infamous EKJ,s as much as I,d like to, ( and possibly being accused of going way off the topic )

Please go to the following threads were you will find all the relevant information and opposition to views of the insensitive and offensive nature you have just posted.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Bringing-Tha...tml&st=1275

A follow on thread with new movement and updates is :-

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Police-Charg...ar-t267555.html

There are many human rights issues that took place during Thaksins years in office, I,ll name the Tak Bai incident in 2004 as another infamous incident which can be located via the T.Visa search function or if that proves difficult googled for in depth coverage on what took place.

Today is about his miss use in office and the resulting outcome of the final judgement re his ( considered alledged by others at present ) indiscretions and funding his families coffers ect. ect.

marshbags

P.S.

The EKJ,s will not go away...never, ever

Edited February 26, 2010 by marshbags