Thaksin Lawyers Probe Will Have Credibility Issues

[webfact]

Thaksin lawyers' probe will have credibility issues

By The Nation

"Experts" must beware of joining an exercise that will be biased and has no legal basis

BANGKOK: -- Professor G J Knoops - an international war crimes expert - should think twice before joining the half-baked legal team under the payroll of Thailand's fugitive former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra.

On Monday, Thaksin's legal team in Bangkok issued a statement saying Knoops will be part of a team that will investigate the recent violent clashes between government troops and red-shirt demonstrators. The statement has not been independently confirmed by Knoops, a Dutch academic who has reportedly worked on a number of high-profile cases including in Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

But if Thaksin's new legal mouthpiece Robert Amsterdam - a lobbyist who calls himself an international legal expert - is to be believed, then Knoops should reconsider whether being associated with a convicted criminal, much less becoming part of his payroll, is a wise decision.

This is not to say that The Nation is against a full and independent investigation, or even the possibility of foreign mediation in the investigation into the clashes between the reds and the government troops. But an investigation that is being launched and paid for by a stakeholder - not to mention the fact that this stakeholder has been charged with being the mastermind behind the violence - is not exactly credible or neutral.

Furthermore, we need to ask ourselves if the state mechanism - namely our legal system - is in such a state of shambles that a foreign mediator is needed at all?

If the answer is no, then Amsterdam and the other hired legal hands should invest their time and energy elsewhere.

Look at the genocide tribunal being held in Cambodia to investigate the murderous Khmer Rogue regime. Last we heard, it hasn't been going well because the current government in Phnom Penh is resisting the tribunal's effort to go after more suspects in the genocide of some 1.7 million people.

And if Thaksin and his team love Thailand so much, how about investigating the deaths of the Tak Bai demonstrators in October 2004? About the same number of Thai citizens suffocated to death in one day while in the custody of the security forces, as died in the three-month-long red-shirt seizure of central Bangkok. They were all unarmed, so there should be no dispute about who was culpable in that case.

Or how about the 2,500 alleged drug-dealers killed extrajudicially in just a few months in 2003 and 2004 under Thaksin's "war on drugs". Both of these incidents happened while he was the country's prime minister.

According to a statement posted on his website, Amsterdam said he and Knoops have collaborated over many years, and in 2006 published an article on Russia as a dual state. He said Knoops "is a world authority on war crimes and international criminal law and is critical to this investigation".

According to the site, Thaksin has hired Amsterdam "to investigate the killings and government breaches of international human rights and laws".

Nobody in Bangkok, until very recently, had ever heard of Amsterdam or Knoops, or their work. Furthermore, Thaksin's hiring of a lawyer (or a team of lawyers) to gather evidence to support his own case is one thing. Even the most evil person has that right. But it's a bit far-fetched to think that the public will take this as an honest and fair gathering of evidence and opinion.

If Knoops is what Amsterdam says he is, then the Dutch lawyer should know the difference between "lobby" and "legality". If he wants to become a lobbyist for Thaksin, then that's fine. But he should have the integrity to say so and not hide behind another profession just to hoodwink the public.

-- The Nation 2010-06-02

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[SomTumTiger]

Do you think?

[whybother]

Anything to do with Thaksin will have credibility issues.

About the same number of Thai citizens suffocated to death in one day while in the custody of the security forces, as died in the three-month-long red-shirt seizure of central Bangkok. They were all unarmed, so there should be no dispute about who was culpable in that case.

[kmj]

I'm sure he will take your expert advice onboard

Edited June 2, 2010 by kmj

[virtualtraveller]

I feel sorry for Thaksin, he's become so good at believing his lies and is in such a state of denial that he firmly believes hiring these goons will achieve a positive result for him, I can just imagine the money it's costing and how it could be put to better use.

[mausplan]

Good article. Could we get Dan ( the Man ) Rivers to rebroadcast this so we get wider coverage about what might be seen as the fox being put in charge of counting the chickens.

Maybe Dan would take up the case of Tak Bai. Perhaps Dan could also look into what was the significant event that triggered the drug war and its horrific consequences.

Lastly, Dan could look into the simple matter of who financed the Reds. I know we all know every Red paid THB50 each to join and they held moon cake raffles and buffalo races to build up the war chest but I think we all know it took more a little more than that to get the job done. The estimates are about THB 20billion which is about THB100,000 contribution per official Red member. that is a lot of moon cakes and som tum.

Why do I mention Dan so much. Well ,since he received a few brickbats about what some saw as one eyed coverage he has become Thailand's newest best friend so who better to give a fair and balanced report.

[scorecard]

Good article. Could we get Dan ( the Man ) Rivers to rebroadcast this so we get wider coverage about what might be seen as the fox being put in charge of counting the chickens.

Maybe Dan would take up the case of Tak Bai. Perhaps Dan could also look into what was the significant event that triggered the drug war and its horrific consequences.

Lastly, Dan could look into the simple matter of who financed the Reds. I know we all know every Red paid THB50 each to join and they held moon cake raffles and buffalo races to build up the war chest but I think we all know it took more a little more than that to get the job done. The estimates are about THB 20billion which is about THB100,000 contribution per official Red member. that is a lot of moon cakes and som tum.

Why do I mention Dan so much. Well ,since he received a few brickbats about what some saw as one eyed coverage he has become Thailand's newest best friend so who better to give a fair and balanced report.

I support the idea of giving CNNDan some stories to follow up, would be interesting to see how balanced, how deep and how comprehensive his analysis and findings are. I'm not holding my breath.

The results of CNNDan's investigative journalism work re tak bai, the mosque tragedy, the missing muslim lawyer, and the 2,500 murdered Thais could be handed over to Prof. Knoops to help him in his work. All conributions welcome. Of cousre a prompt but in-depth comment from Prof Knoops would be expected as a thank you gesture.

And of course a nice well publicized hand over ceremony so that Dan gets the chance to redeem himself.

By the way, I wonder if CNNDan is still on the Thailand beat?

Edited June 2, 2010 by scorecard

[scutaro]

He doesn't sound all that well-informed at all:

Geert-Jan Knoops

Dutch lawyer to help exiled Thai leader

A leading Dutch lawyer has agreed to help defend former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra against terrorism charges related to the recent unrest in Bangkok. Geert-Jan Knoops will also look into whether the Thai government committed human rights abuses when it raided the “red-shirts” protest camp.

Thai soldiers stormed a camp set up by the red shirt protestors last month in central Bangkok. The raid followed days of violence in the capital and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has accused Thaksin of stoking the resulting clashes. War crimes expert Geert-Jan Knoops will advise the legal team defending the exiled former leader, who has denied any involvement:

“My understanding is that Mr Thaksin denies this charge, and it’s my understanding that the facts of the case contradict this allegation. I’ve not seen yet the official arrest warrant for the charges, but apart from all these procedural issues it’s far from clear, on the basis of what evidence, or what facts the Thai government or the Thai prosecution thinks Mr Thaksin was willfully behind these demonstrations.”

Geert-Jan Knoops is well-known in the international legal community, and has worked on cases relating to rights violations in Rwanda, former Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone. As well as providing advice for Thaksin’s defence, the team is also considering bringing charges against the Thai government:

“One of the issues we are currently legally investigating is the qualification of the acts of the Thai officials versus the red shirts - what qualification can you attach to those actions. The reports which have been issued, also by Amnesty International and other international organisations, are quite alarming on what happened there. And I’ve been made aware that, also within other governments, there’s quite some concern about how the military dealt with these events. On its face it seems that human rights violations have occurred there.”

Thaksin has been in hiding since being ousted from power in 2006 but could face the death penalty if extradited to Thailand to stand trial. Knoops says it’s “obvious” he would fight any deportation order, because the Thai government may not even be able to mount a case against him.

“If the evidence is not clear, or if there’s no evidence at all, I think Mr Thaksin would fight any potential extradition request which may arise. Furthermore of course it’s really a question whether there’s sufficient ground for any prosecution.”

The Thai government has allegedly called in Interpol to help try and track Thaksin down.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide June 1, 2010

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch-la...led-thai-leader

[mausplan]

Good article. Could we get Dan ( the Man ) Rivers to rebroadcast this so we get wider coverage about what might be seen as the fox being put in charge of counting the chickens.

Maybe Dan would take up the case of Tak Bai. Perhaps Dan could also look into what was the significant event that triggered the drug war and its horrific consequences.

Lastly, Dan could look into the simple matter of who financed the Reds. I know we all know every Red paid THB50 each to join and they held moon cake raffles and buffalo races to build up the war chest but I think we all know it took more a little more than that to get the job done. The estimates are about THB 20billion which is about THB100,000 contribution per official Red member. that is a lot of moon cakes and som tum.

Why do I mention Dan so much. Well ,since he received a few brickbats about what some saw as one eyed coverage he has become Thailand's newest best friend so who better to give a fair and balanced report.

I support the idea of giving CNNDan some stories to follow up, would be interesting to see how balanced, how deep and how comprehensive his analysis and findings are. I'm not holding my breath.

Yes , exactly, spot on. I was channel hopping during the protests and saw really skewed reports on ABC ( OZ) , BBC and CNN from the heart of the Red protest ( aka Red media tent). Funnily enough Fox and Al Jazerra showed a view from both sides. I though both of these channels would have been really skewed , one only for Uncle Sam and one only against Uncle Sam. Al-Jaz has a "mature aged " reporter here named Tony who was really quite good with his observations.

[mausplan]

He doesn't sound all that well-informed at all:

Geert-Jan Knoops

Dutch lawyer to help exiled Thai leader

A leading Dutch lawyer has agreed to help defend former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra against terrorism charges related to the recent unrest in Bangkok. Geert-Jan Knoops will also look into whether the Thai government committed human rights abuses when it raided the “red-shirts” protest camp.

Thai soldiers stormed a camp set up by the red shirt protestors last month in central Bangkok. The raid followed days of violence in the capital and Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has accused Thaksin of stoking the resulting clashes. War crimes expert Geert-Jan Knoops will advise the legal team defending the exiled former leader, who has denied any involvement:

“My understanding is that Mr Thaksin denies this charge, and it’s my understanding that the facts of the case contradict this allegation. I’ve not seen yet the official arrest warrant for the charges, but apart from all these procedural issues it’s far from clear, on the basis of what evidence, or what facts the Thai government or the Thai prosecution thinks Mr Thaksin was willfully behind these demonstrations.”

Geert-Jan Knoops is well-known in the international legal community, and has worked on cases relating to rights violations in Rwanda, former Yugoslavia and Sierra Leone. As well as providing advice for Thaksin’s defence, the team is also considering bringing charges against the Thai government:

“One of the issues we are currently legally investigating is the qualification of the acts of the Thai officials versus the red shirts - what qualification can you attach to those actions. The reports which have been issued, also by Amnesty International and other international organisations, are quite alarming on what happened there. And I’ve been made aware that, also within other governments, there’s quite some concern about how the military dealt with these events. On its face it seems that human rights violations have occurred there.”

Thaksin has been in hiding since being ousted from power in 2006 but could face the death penalty if extradited to Thailand to stand trial. Knoops says it’s “obvious” he would fight any deportation order, because the Thai government may not even be able to mount a case against him.

“If the evidence is not clear, or if there’s no evidence at all, I think Mr Thaksin would fight any potential extradition request which may arise. Furthermore of course it’s really a question whether there’s sufficient ground for any prosecution.”

The Thai government has allegedly called in Interpol to help try and track Thaksin down.

Radio Netherlands Worldwide June 1, 2010

http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/dutch-la...led-thai-leader

Geert Baby, maybe you look at the video evidence of Takkie ( your clients alias) exhorting Thais to take to the streets and revolt. PS look up Tak Bai and the drug war,. you might have to defend his involvement in these first.

[Samuian]

Good article. Could we get Dan ( the Man ) Rivers to rebroadcast this so we get wider coverage about what might be seen as the fox being put in charge of counting the chickens.

Maybe Dan would take up the case of Tak Bai. Perhaps Dan could also look into what was the significant event that triggered the drug war and its horrific consequences.

Lastly, Dan could look into the simple matter of who financed the Reds. I know we all know every Red paid THB50 each to join and they held moon cake raffles and buffalo races to build up the war chest but I think we all know it took more a little more than that to get the job done. The estimates are about THB 20billion which is about THB100,000 contribution per official Red member. that is a lot of moon cakes and som tum.

Why do I mention Dan so much. Well ,since he received a few brickbats about what some saw as one eyed coverage he has become Thailand's newest best friend so who better to give a fair and balanced report.

I vote for a round of Hard Talk with Tim Sebastian!

As I stated before - while he is getting ever more "shrewd" on turning things his way - this could easily backfire on "the man"!

[Lizard2010]

Just another Thanksin media spin.

To stop people thinking about what he has really done.

[Figglymiggly]

I'm sure he will take your expert advice onboard

Yep, is'nt it just a lifesaver that once again we have the Nation expressing its totally unbiased, expert analysis and and considered opinion, furthermore in a spirit of conciliation, offering its professional advice to the Nations lesser known, though world renowned advocates, such as Dr. Knoops. Where would we be, or what would we do without the fair, balanced and objective views the Nation treats us to on a daily basis, truely a newspaper for all......tee hee

[givenall]

I feel sorry for Thaksin, he's become so good at believing his lies and is in such a state of denial that he firmly believes hiring these goons will achieve a positive result for him, I can just imagine the money it's costing and how it could be put to better use.

Sooner the fools and his money departed the better

[hammered]

Credibility issues. Talk about stating the obvious.

[quiksilva]

I vote for a round of Hard Talk with Tim Sebastian!

I'd settle to hear an interview with almost any reporter at Al Jazaeera. From the coverage I have seen they dont wait for special programming to ask the hard hitting questions, and all seem to have done their homework prior to the interview.

Edited June 2, 2010 by quiksilva

[jayjay0]

I'm sure he will take your expert advice onboard

Yep, is'nt it just a lifesaver that once again we have the Nation expressing its totally unbiased, expert analysis and and considered opinion, furthermore in a spirit of conciliation, offering its professional advice to the Nations lesser known, though world renowned advocates, such as Dr. Knoops. Where would we be, or what would we do without the fair, balanced and objective views the Nation treats us to on a daily basis, truely a newspaper for all......tee hee

Do you really read that news paper every day.

[bendejo]

Great for the lawyers. I like seeing TS throw his cash away. I suppose part of face is showing how much $$ you can afford to spend on entertainment.

Maybe also an expert witness on illusionism to explain that there were no mysterious 'men in black,' it was shadows that some people were seeing.

[Rucharee]

It takes a murderer to catch a murderer.

Thaksin murdered 2,500.

Mark murdered 90.

Who is the bigger murderer?

[scutaro]

Ex-Thai PM now 'Richest Montenegrin'

While Red Shirts fight in Bangkok, Shinawatra finds sanctuary in Balkans

Edmonton Journal

May 29, 2010

As downtown Bangkok burned following heavy fighting between the army and hard-core followers of the opposition movement, and while the "Red Shirts" counted their dead and wounded, many people asked about the man whose shadow looms over the bloodied streets of the Thai capital. Where is Thaksin Shinawatra?

Some analysts argue that the former Thai prime minister is a grey eminence behind the months-long bloody anti-government protest. The leader of the "Red Shirts" recently told the CBC's morning show The Current that he considered Shinawatra to be an important political player who could contribute to the continuing democratization of Thailand.

For Thai authorities, Shinawatra is a fugitive from justice, convicted of embezzling billions of dollars of state funds. In its February ruling, the Thai Supreme Court had ordered $1.4 billion US to be confiscated from bank accounts belonging to the former prime minister and his relatives. The court found that Shinawatra had adjusted the policies of his government to the business interests of his family. To many people of Thailand, however, he is their "beloved Thaksin" whose populist policies still resonate strongly in the countryside.

So where is Thaksin? Many might think that a politician of his calibre who is burdened by legal troubles would keep a low profile. Surprisingly, the former Thai prime minister does not hide the fact that he divides his time between Dubai and the Montenegrin town of Budva.

Montenegro is a tiny Balkan country on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Until the bloody breakup of the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro was its smallest republic. In May 2006, the country regained its long-lost independence and sovereignty.

In recent articles, both Newsweek and The New Yorker described the country as a refuge for organized crime and a haven for money laundering operations. The country's prime minister, his relatives and political subordinates are cited in at least two lawsuits in Germany and Switzerland for cigarette smuggling and money laundering.

According to state officials and the media in Montenegro, Shinawatra was granted Montenegrin citizenship in 2009 in hope that he would invest in the local tourist industry. The government of Montenegro had decided not to follow its own immigration laws and standard procedures, and fast-tracked Shinawatra's citizenship application.

The former prime minister of Thailand had become one of the most talked about individuals in this former Yugoslav republic. He is often jokingly called the "richest Montenegrin."

The Montenegrin minister of finance and deputy prime minister, Igor Luksic, claimed that "Shinawatra will help the economy by either bringing new investors to Montenegro or by investing himself."

As for his political activities back home, Montenegrin foreign minister Milan Rocen said he warned Shinawatra "not to use Montenegro as his headquarters for co-ordinating political activities in Thailand." He also said several European countries had granted citizenship to controversial international businessmen and that Montenegro is no exception. If anything, he argued, Shinawatra becoming a Montenegrin citizen brought new respect to this country.

The newly minted Montenegrin told the local media that he is pleased with his new homeland and the hospitality of its people and that he already feels like a true Montenegrin.

As for his ties to the country of his birth, Shinawatra confirmed that he maintains constant daily contact with his supporters in Thailand.

Shinawatra's legal adviser, Noppadon Patama, has confirmed his client's new citizenship and his considerable investing in the hotels and vacation spots along the Montenegrin coast. Rumour has it that the former Thai prime minister had purchased the island of St. Marc, also known by locals as Hawaii, located near Budva.

Shinawatra has joined the long list of international investors who over the last two decades found Montenegro receptive to their business ideas and enterprises. The list of the well-known business partners of the Montenegrin government includes the Rothschilds and the TriGranit Corporation, and the Russian oligarchs Roman Abramovich, Oleg Deripaska and Jury Luschkov. They all now claim their piece of the Mediterranean "wild beauty" as Montenegro tourist guides likes to describe this country.

There are simple answers to two obvious questions: Why would the former Thai prime minister, who is now on the run, choose Montenegro as his latest investment destination and as his place of refuge?

First, due to the less than transparent investment policies of the Montenegrin government, any foreign investor who strikes a deal with the prime minister and his immediate family and does that through the bank they own could count on a substantial and speedy turn of profit. As long as the relationship between the foreign investor and the Montenegrin prime minister is mutually beneficial, no one asks difficult questions about the source of funds invested.

Second, the Montenegrin Constitution does not allow extradition of its citizens. Those deemed suitable to acquire the Montenegrin citizenship could, therefore, leave all potential legal troubles behind once they get the passport of this first and only ecological state in the world.

It would seem that the former prime minister of Thailand had found in Montenegro both his safe port of call and an unlimited and unregulated investment market.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Thai+R...0256/story.html

------------------------------------------------------------------

and in reply to the above:

Article on former Thai PM helpful

Edmonton Journal

June 1, 2010

Re: "Ex-Thai PM now 'Richest Montenegrin', The Journal, May 29.

I'd like to thank Dr. Srdja Pavlovic for shedding some light on the new abode of ex-Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra and what he's been up to.

The ex-PM is, indeed, a very busy man these days, who travels the world on his private jet looking for profitable countries to invest his ill-gotten wealth in and still finds time to organize and support the "Red Shirt" demonstrators in Thailand. He encouraged the Red Shirts to use any tactics, including killing, burning and looting, to topple the present government to pave the way for his return.

The story of Thaksin Shinawatra is one of power, greed and total lack of scruples. He bought his way into the Thai PM office in his first term by buying up MPs from other parties, then used populist policies to win the hearts and souls of the "rural poor" in the most populous northeastern and northern Thailand, resulting in the landslide victory in his second term.

He could have been a great PM by using his business talents to lead Thailand to prosperity with true democracy.

Instead, he ran the country as his own company, buying or getting rid of his opposition or "undesirable" elements, while changing laws to favour his own and his cronies' businesses.

The last straw occurred in 2006 when he changed the country's business laws to enable the sale of his telecommunication giant, Shin Corp., to a Singapore company at huge profit, without paying any taxes.

This gave rise to the "Yellow Shirts," who staged lengthy but relatively peaceful demonstrations to expose Shinawatra and bring him and his government to justice, which eventually culminated in the military coup that toppled his government.

Thaksin Shinawatra was tried for corruption and misuse of power as PM. He was convicted in one case and sentenced to a two-year jail term. Many more cases are pending.

He chose to flee the country and has been stirring up his supporters in the north and northeast to try to whitewash his guilt and bring himself back to power.

Thus, were born the "Red Shirts," who have been wreaking havoc in Thailand for the past several months. Unfortunately, through his clever and apparently effective propaganda, most western countries still regard him as "a champion of democracy."

If there ever was one person, through greed, ambition and vengefulness, who could tear apart an erstwhile peaceful and relatively prosperous country, that person is Thaksin Shinawatra, the ex-PM of Thailand.

Buncha Ooraikul, Edmonton

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Articl...5695/story.html

------------------------------------------------

Dr. Ooraikul is a Thai citizen and Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta in Canada

Edited June 2, 2010 by scutaro

[animatic]

I feel sorry for Thaksin, he's become so good at believing his lies and is in such a state of denial that he firmly believes hiring these goons will achieve a positive result for him, I can just imagine the money it's costing and how it could be put to better use.

I am perfectly happy to let him drain his finances as much as possible.

But this guy will make some noise and time will be needed to counter it.

But that is part of Thaksin's ploys waste the governments time,

so he can say they aren't getting anything done.

THis guy Knoop is sort of like an expert witness for hire in court.

Pay him enough and he'll slant the testimony your way.

But a better offer would slant it diametrically.

Som nom na.

Edited June 2, 2010 by animatic

[Rama]

According to the website for Knoops legal firm - http://www.knoops.info/en/profiel/profiel.html, Knoops' real specialty is as a defense lawyer for people being prosecuted in the International War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague and as a defense lawyer against extradition and other international criminal proceedings.

He's a defense lawyer for international war criminals. All the other stuff they're issuing press statements on is spin and fluff to hide the real reason for Thaksin hiring him.

[Zolt]

According to the website for Knoops legal firm - http://www.knoops.info/en/profiel/profiel.html, Knoops' real specialty is as a defense lawyer for people being prosecuted in the International War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague and as a defense lawyer against extradition and other international criminal proceedings.

He's a defense lawyer for international war criminals. All the other stuff they're issuing press statements on is spin and fluff to hide the real reason for Thaksin hiring him.

Good find Rama - and I had an idea it must have been something like that. Some tell me Thaksin also tried to get Saddam Hussein's lawyer but the guy turned him down in disgust.

[Amdesign]

Mr.Knoops worked with puppet tribunal on Miloshevic. Another failed lawyer, but nobody cares becasue Miloshevic is dead.

[Skywalker69]

Just another Thanksin media spin.

To stop people thinking about what he has really done.

Desperate man, taking desperate acctions.

[citizen33]

Whether Prof Knoops is wise to get involved with Thaksin is indeed a pertinent question, but one cannot help but notice the sloppy reporting in the Nation Editorial. If nobody in Bangkok had heard of G J Knoops, presumably it was because they were not very interested in human rights law, though it may also be because he normally writes under the name of G G J Knoops. In fact Knoops is a well-known human rights lawyer at Utrecht University, with many books and articles to his credit. If people doubt this , just type his name into Google Scholar or look at the link below. Does the Nation really score any rhetorical points by using phrases like, 'If Knoots is what Manchester says he is....' (i.e. an international law expert)? Is the concept of background research unknown to this reporter?

http://www.knoops.info/en/Advocaten/de-hee...knoops-llm.html

Right through the article matters of fact that are easily verifiable are presented as mere claims. Thus Knoops has 'reportedly' worked on high profile cases. 'According to a statement' on a website Knoops and Amsterdam have worked together for many years (Knoop's website lists Amsterdam as an associate lawyer). Why not simply acknowledge that Knoops indeed wrote an article with Amsterdam in 2006 (in the Fordham Int Law Journal) rather than stating that 'Amsterdam said' they published this article? Perhaps I am old fashioned but I like a reporter to do his homework.

Edited June 2, 2010 by citizen33

[citizen33]

P.S. I just came across Amsterdam's own response to the Nation Editorial - about which I pass no judgement.

http://www.robertamsterdam.com/2010/06/the..._the_nation.htm

[hammered]

The main credibility interest is who is that the person paying is not a disinterested party and hence a lawyer becomes an advocate for an interested party. It isnt a neutral investigation as an investigation paid for by the government or army wouldnt be an independent one.

However with Clinton backing an "independent inquiry" into an international incident involving an attack by Israel on a vessel flagged to a NATO ally in international waters, it is does somewhat show the standard for independent investiagtions is maybe more about poltical expedience these days or to put it another way she has just accepted that independent inquiries by governments with an interest in the case are OK which is......

[bendejo]

So, what does TS want: amnesty to return to the beloved country he loves so much he's willing to destroy, or to feed his narcissism? Maybe he's become like Donald Trump.

Q: what is the most dangerous place in the world?

A: the space between Donald Trump and a television camera

[Phuket Stan]

Exactly.Typical self publicist.. What ground breaking case did he ever win let alone be the principal lawyer..He is a first class opportunist..His greatest claim to fame is that he is very good at smelling money.