# News from yesterday...



## KhwaamLap (Feb 29, 2008)

The year's mostly awaited news day in Thailand happened yesterday. The court decision on Thaksin's money...

The courts had previously frozen 76Billion (yep that a 'B') Baht and the decision day on what to do with it was yesterday. The high court deliberated all day and did a live point by point audio broadcast (TV and radio). Mostly it went against the former PM, with things like giving unfair advantage to Shin Corp and AIS, giving concessions, cutting short parliamentary discussion to allow Shin Corp to land contracts before competitors could get a look in and a whole host of other things. Some things were not attributed to him (Thaksin) as he had sold the company by the time the alleged activities took place. All in all it was a pretty fair, well laid out (and very long) process.

So, what happened? In the end, the courts decided that given that he had declared assets of 15Billion Baht on entering politics, they decided to keep 46 frozen and give back the other 30 Billion. It is still frozen until interest is calculated and share dividends etc (on both sets of money). 

Earlier the tax office had stated that if Thaksin got his money back, they would be looking to collect the 12Billion Baht in taxes that his (Thaksin's) children owe - due to his (Thaksin's) set up of putting assets in their names to limit his declarations.

SO, Thaksin will have to strive to survive on his mere 30Billion (plus the 100 Billion or so his diamond and gold mines in SA are worth and the money he already had shipped out of the country and the money his wife took to him stuffed in her suitcases when she still had her diplomatic passport and the profits from Man City FC sale and....etc). Don't expect we will see him in the soup kitchen queue anytime soon.

In response Thaksin urged for continual fighting, but peacefully (I guess this means non-violent), he repeatedly called himself a victim. Is this the end of matter? I doubt it...


----------

