Court of Appeals sentences Sondhi Limthongkul to 20 years prison

[JacChang]

Worried there for a second when I saw media tycoon

Scrambling to see which one, if it's one of my holdings

[casindonet]

Will he serve time in jail?

He might end up neighbours with his nemesis in Dubai, now that would be political justice 555555

Well....they use to be great buddies once upon a time.

[kieran2698]

Time to pay China a visit and a promise to come back. Maybe a reunion with his old buddy TS.

You do know he's a Yellow shirt, right?

[ParadiseLost]

Worried there for a second when I saw media tycoon

Scrambling to see which one, if it's one of my holdings

No such luck - Murdoch sold his soul to the devil a few 100 years ago...

[RickBradford]

while the second defendant gets two ears and six months

I think I'd rather serve the full sentence............

[ggt]

Soon...he will become a highly paid consultant to the newly formed government...

[tubby johnson]

He's hi-so. Untouchable. He will never have to spend a minute in jail.

[gbswales]

Power corrupts - always has and always will. It is only a tiny handful of people who have ever managed to maintain honesty in power - not just in Thailand but worldwide.

The reason for this is that to succeed in politics you have to be ambitious and once you are driven by ambition you start to make decisions based, not on what is morally right, but which further that ambition. Most people running businesses do not consider the needs and feelings of their employees when making decisions based on "sound business criteria". They may feel sorry about the people they displace in redundancy for example, but generally they will not sacrafice their own well being to avoid redundancies. It is not that they are intrinsicly bad people who dont care but have simply forgotten that businesses, and governments, exist to provide for people and not the other way around. Most ordinary nice people will become corrupt once put in postions of power, we only judge them by the extent of their corruption. In fact our definitions of crime are by and large based on value - we dont think that someone who takes a pencil home from their employment and uses it for their own purposes is "stealing" but if they take £500 from petty cash they are. A person who takes £5million from a wealthy company is seen as more guilty than a person who steals a small amount from a less wealthy company. We have become a society in which people do what they believe they can get away with (not just in legal terms but also in terms of what their concience will justify)

[bangrak]

Should it matter which colour of shirt someone wears, which movement he's part of, which party he's a member of, which clan he pays allegiance to, what family he comes from, how much money he has, etc.? Shouldn't it be that each and every corrupt and dirty individual is swiftly processed by the Courts, the 'bigger' the more strictly, for a start all his, and the family's (drivers, maids, etc. too), assets seized for later compensation, and when found guilty in first instance is at once put, and kept in jail, with the common population, and stays there to serve, all, his term when no appeal reverses his conviction, no bail, no pardon, and no escape, passport revoked? Or should that 4th world concept from the dark ages called 'Thainess' be stronger than Justice?

[hanuman2543]

Time to pay China a visit and a promise to come back. Maybe a reunion with his old buddy TS.

You do know he's a Yellow shirt, right?

You do know that before he became a yellow shirt, he and TS were big buddies until TS was tired bailing him out many times?Right?

[culicine]

it would be nice to see AT LEAST 1 person from the 'yellow shirt' camp do some jail time, we have seen the reds goto prison but the other 'elite' side seems to get away with it since their friends run the courts.

Name all of the elite reds that have done time...

[tonbridgebrit]

For God's sake, I really do feel that some of the people who are cheering on Sondhi's punishment simply don't know or have forgotten who this man actually is.

Right, yes, he was friends with Thaksin back in the late 90s, and indeed, prior to 2003 or 2004. In 2005/2206, Sondhi organized/orchestrated the massive demonstrations AGAINST Thaksin. Yes, this was the vast number of Thais wearing YELLOW shirts on the demonstrations. By the way, I think Sondhi managed to get far bigger crowds than Suthep.

Right, so these mass demonstrations in Bangkok, eventually, in 2006, the army did a coup. This coup removed the Thaksin government, so Sondhi got things his way. The anti-Thaksinites should have been thanking Sondhi, after all, the coup against Thaksin was justified by the mass demonstrations.

Anyway, the army guaranteed elections twelve months later. And the elections were won by Thaksin. So Sondhi is once again, organizing mass demonstrations against Thaksin. Yes, this was when the yellow-shirts took over the airport.
Right, Abhisit and the Democrats then got in power, (by the way, it was not via an election, we all know that the Democrats can/will never win an election).

The term yellow-shirts has carried on. When Suthep did his demonstrations against Thaksin, well yes, some people regarded Suthep's crowd to be 'yellow-shirts'. Basically, the anti-Thaksinites should be supporting Sondhi.

Right, so right now, he's been given a harsh sentence. By the way, he probably won't serve much of it. What does this actually mean ? As in, Sondhi was actually a massive figure (he was the MAIN MAN) in the anti-Thaksinite movement, and yet, he has been given this harsh sentence ?

Okay, please let me give my opinion. Sondhi is, basically, expendable, he's no longer needed by the 'system'. The courts have got to look impartial, they've got to look like that they are dishing out justice BOTH to Reds and Yellows. And basically, Sondhi is a sacrificial lamb. He probably will serve no (or very little) time, but who knows, maybe he will.

Where does this leave Suthep ? Remember, this happens a lot in life, you get your reward when you are useful. But when you're not, it might make more sense to sacrifice you.

Everybody is, after all, expendable.

[chotthee]

He's hi-so. Untouchable. He will never have to spend a minute in jail.

Agreed.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

It's interesting to note that the original SEC filing that started this dates to 2000, according to the OP article. So it took 14 years or so to get thru the original court ruling and now the appeals ruling. Wonder how many more years before it gets to the final (I assume Supreme Court) appeal?

Meanwhile, the apparent appeals argument they're raising is an interesting one, in this sense. If the courts, politically, were inclined to give Sonthi and his colleagues a break, they could pretty easily have gone with the multiple actions, but one fraud approach that would have yielded a maximum 5 year sentence. Instead, the two courts thus far appear to have accepted the each action constitutes a separate offense approach, leading to much longer maximum sentences.

So why aren't the courts giving Sonthi and Co. a break, as befitting his position in society?

[jayboy]

Just goes to show how moronic the mindless sheep who followed the PAD and their reincarnations up until the PDRC.

The leader of the group being as corrupt as Thaksin! Well i think most people with half a brain new this already.

Pity the self portrayed 'educated' middle class who followed them are so brain dead!

The only mindless thing is your misguided gloating, painting everyone and everything that goes against Thaksin and his minions as being Yellow Shirts and Sondhi's "sheep".

No I think Smutcakes is pretty much on the money, particularly his comment on the myopic mainly Sino Thai middle class.

The fact that notorious zealots for the PAD cause " like " your post simply underscores my point.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[SPALAX]

Sometimes I can learn something through TV.com

Most of the times I learn that many farangs do not know anything about Thailand except the price of beer maybe a little bit more though and stay politically correct

So they think about the bad man and the good man

The bad man is staying far away

Well I'm happy to live here so ...

If you are not a "stupid farang"

you don't have to spend hours with your computer trying to know about what and why

because you already know

you keep your mouth shut and enjoy

If you are a stupid one

enjoy too but keep your mouth shut

Don't worry be happy

[AleG]

Just goes to show how moronic the mindless sheep who followed the PAD and their reincarnations up until the PDRC.

The leader of the group being as corrupt as Thaksin! Well i think most people with half a brain new this already.

Pity the self portrayed 'educated' middle class who followed them are so brain dead!

The only mindless thing is your misguided gloating, painting everyone and everything that goes against Thaksin and his minions as being Yellow Shirts and Sondhi's "sheep".

No I think Smutcakes is pretty much on the money, particularly his comment on the myopic mainly Sino Thai middle class.

The fact that notorious zealots for the PAD cause " like " your post simply underscores my point.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

The fact that you wrote "The fact that notorious zealots for the PAD cause " like " your post simply underscores my point." rather underscores that you still haven't learned the meaning of intellectual honesty; you are incapable of seen beyond your prejudices.

[jayboy]

Just goes to show how moronic the mindless sheep who followed the PAD and their reincarnations up until the PDRC.

The leader of the group being as corrupt as Thaksin! Well i think most people with half a brain new this already.

Pity the self portrayed 'educated' middle class who followed them are so brain dead!

The only mindless thing is your misguided gloating, painting everyone and everything that goes against Thaksin and his minions as being Yellow Shirts and Sondhi's "sheep".

No I think Smutcakes is pretty much on the money, particularly his comment on the myopic mainly Sino Thai middle class.

The fact that notorious zealots for the PAD cause " like " your post simply underscores my point.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

The fact that you wrote "The fact that notorious zealots for the PAD cause " like " your post simply underscores my point." rather underscores that you still haven't learned the meaning of intellectual honesty; you are incapable of seen beyond your prejudices.

I'm afraid that is just a jumble of words devoid of meaning.If you disagree with a post do make some effort to be coherent.

[kimamey]

it would be nice to see AT LEAST 1 person from the 'yellow shirt' camp do some jail time, we have seen the reds goto prison but the other 'elite' side seems to get away with it since their friends run the courts.

Well if their friends run the courts maybe they should review their friends.

[surangw]

more time allotted to negotiate bribes or make threats

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

If a doctor can dismember his wife and get released after serving half the time then surely a tycoon can get released in half of half of half the time sentenced.

[leesgems]

This will make Yingluck feel better when they deliver her sentence.

[makescents]

Will he serve time in jail?

Not yet.

Bail, then supreme court.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Wish I could stay out of prison whilst I wait for an appeal.

[Old Man River]

He's hi-so. Untouchable. He will never have to spend a minute in jail.

He's untouchable???

Check out what happened to him in 2009. You will probably change your opinion.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[oldsailor35]

He should have joined his corrupt mate down in Surat and signed up in the temple before it was too late.

[oldsailor35]

Suthep next ?

Would be nice, but he is as cunning as a "shit house rat" why do you think he is in the monk hood.

[Nickymaster]

The end of an era. What will ThaiVisa be like without the but but but Sonthi?

Don't worry, this will end up the same as the previous 5/6 times he's received bail, thus providing ample opportunity to provide many more perfectly justified "but, but" moments......

Let's hope he will end up in jail. Just like we all hope that Thaksin will one day serve his time in jail while other cases against him continue. You agree?

[oldsailor35]

I just cannot understand it all. He is such a nice looking man.

[oldsailor35]

Time to pay China a visit and a promise to come back. Maybe a reunion with his old buddy TS.

You do know he's a Yellow shirt, right?

Someone has lost the plot here. He was a yellow shirt, formed the org to shit on Thaksin. I expect Khun Thaksin will be doing celebration cart wheels over this.

[rubl]

He should have joined his corrupt mate down in Surat and signed up in the temple before it was too late.

'sign up in the temple' ?

If you don't know what you are talking about, maybe keep quiet rather than confirming that ?