Bangkok Braces for Thaksin Court Verdict
Photo Courtesy AP/Sakchai Lalit, File
The big news this week is the coming verdict in the Thaksin Shinawatra Supreme Court case. The Supreme court has been deciding whether or not to confiscate Thaksin’s fortunes which have been frozen for some time due to corruption allegations. The issue at hand for the Supreme Court is to determine if the money Thaksin made during his reign as Prime Minister was made by illegally using his influence in business dealings for himself and family members.
Many countries have posted warnings and advisories to travelers and expats alike that Bangkok is not the place to be in the coming week due to the likelihood of violence centered around the verdict to be handed down by the Supreme Court next Friday.
With the uproar of the red shirts and thousands of police and army personnel taking to the streets of Bangkok before the verdict comes down it would seem the Supreme Court holds Thailand’s future in the balance at this critical time. There are many that believe the court will decide to confiscate all of Thaksin’s fortune but it might not be that simple. The Supreme Court is in the hot seat and no matter what the decision, there is sure to be many upset with the verdict.
The Supreme Court has no doubt heard from all sides in this matter from the government to Thaksin’s people and it’s a sure bet that everyone involved wants their pound of flesh. As for Thaksin he has long made the arguement that the bulk of his fortune was made prior to becoming Prime Minister. This may leave the door open for the Supreme Court to take a higher road and piss off everyone involved.
The court has to decide if Thaksin is guilty of corruption, and if so, how his family business, Shin Corp, profited from the illegitimate business deals associated with the case. Thaksin is a savvy business man and always has been, so his point that not all the money is from his time as Prime Minister of Thailand is a legitimate claim. This gives the Supreme Court a face saving get out of jail free card that they very well may use.
It is very possible that when they hand down the verdict this coming week that they will only seize a portion of Thaksin’s assets and relinquish the balance to the ex Prime Minister. Of course this will upset everyone in the government and all of the red shirt protesters but probably not enough for violence to erupt. The red shirts wouldn’t be happy with such a verdict but they would still claim it as a victory for their deposed leader. The government on the other hand can close the case on a large portion of the Thaksin saga without losing face.
As the world watches Bangkok this week with anticipation of the verdict on Friday we can only hope that the Supreme Court has done it’s job well, taking into consideration not only the law but the impact this verdict will have on the kingdom. It may be less a case of finding against Thaksin than a case of finding for Thailand.
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