Criminal Wanted: Thaksin and Pojamarn

The Supreme Court issued arrest warrants Monday for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Khunying Potjamarn, after a fax declared "I have decided to live in England" rather than face court cases at home.

The Supreme Court's division for political office holders ordered the warrants and seized 13 million baht ($389,222) in bail deposited by the billionaire former first couple. They missed a scheduled appearance on Monday after spending the weekend in Beijing to attend the Olympics.

Mr Thaksin claimed that he was being defamed and threatened. The former premier said he will always be loyal to the royal constitution, and is not an evil person as being accused.

If there is a chance, he would like to live and die in Thailand, according to the statement.

"I have decided to live in England," Thaksin said in the hand-written statement faxed to TV stations to explain his failure to return to Thailand.

Thaksin owns the Manchester City Football Club and several properties in Britain and has a currently valid business to reside in the country. The Thai media spoke of "political asylum" but it is unlikely Thaksin will need to resort to that.

In his statement, Thaksin claimed that his court cases were part of a campaign by his political enemies to keep him out of politics.

"What has happened to me and my family is the fruit of a poisoned tree," said Thaksin, who argued that his political enemies had biased the investigations into corruption charges against him in the aftermath of his overthrow by a military coup on Sept 19, 2006.

Thaksin and Khunying Potjamarn flew to London Sunday night from Beijing where they had attended the opening ceremony of the Olympics on Friday.

The Supreme Court on July 29 granted the fugitive couple permission to travel to Beijing on the stipulation that they returned to Thailand Monday to stand trial later this week in the Ratchadaphist land case, in which the couple stand accused of abusing power in a land purchase deal in 2003 when Thaksin was still prime minister.

The couple had booked return tickets on Thai Airways International flight 615 Sunday night but never boarded the plane.

Thaksin faces at least four corruption and abuse of power cases from his controversial premiership while his wife was sentenced to three years in prison on a tax evasion charge on July 31. She had appealed the verdict.

He was twice elected prime minister and served from 2001 until Sept 19, 2006, when he was toppled by a military coup on charges of corruption, dividing the nation and undermining democracy and the monarchy.

Their three children - son Panthongtae and daughters Pinthongta and Paethongtan - departed Bangkok for London on Saturday.

Political observers viewed Thaksin's decision to seek asylum abroad as the end of his political career.

"His political career is effectively finished in the event that he seeks asylum or goes in to exile because if the court cases go against him he will be a fugitive," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) at Chulalongkorn University and Bangkok Post analyst.

Although he is closely allied to the People Power Party, that leads the current government, Thaksin's political clout has not protected him from the Thai judiciary which is pressing several cases against the former first couple and has already sentenced his wife to jail.

He remains one of the most popular, and controversial, political figures. (BangkokPost.com, dpa)

Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=129527