Pheu Thai claims to have information that would destabilise govt

By THE NATION ON SUNDAY
Published on November 1, 2009

The opposition Pheu Thai Party yesterday claimed it has damaging information regarding extradited financier Rakesh Saxena that could threaten the existence of the government.

The party is taking advantage of the political sentiment surrounding the Bangkok Bank of Commerce (BBC) embezzlement case against Saxena by making a revelation that could link politicians in the government camp to the scandal.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said politicians of great influence and clout - not part of the government but belonging to coalition parties - were believed to have been involved in the case.

The case will test the government's political courage and integrity on whether it will take action against the suspected politicians, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who at the time of the bank's collapse was in the opposition during the Banharn Silapa-Archa government, played a leading role in exposing the scandal on the House floor that led to the police pressing embezzlement charges against those involved.

"The public and society will see if the government is sincere in bringing about the truth. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Suthep must ensure the safety of Saxena. This case is under the media spotlight both locally and internationally. If anything happens to Saxena, the justice system will be affected,'' Prompong said.
The Pheu Thai Party is gathering information and will seek approval from its senior officials to reveal it to the public within the next week.

A source from the ruling Democrat Party yesterday described the opposition's move as an attempt to discredit the coalition, but with no real impact in terms of destabilising the government.
The source, who requested anonymity, said that even though there were certain cases that could be linked to some government figures, the statute of limitations on most of them had expired.

Meanwhile, Jatuporn Promphan, a Pheu Thai MP and leader of the red-shirt movement, yesterday called on police to use the tape that recorded Suthep's speech in Parliament that linked the "Group of 16" and some Democrats as having involvement in the BBC case as evidence in their investigation.
"This will make Suthep and the Democrats realise that they cannot change their stance to bring the culprits to justice, even though the politicians involved in the case are now on the government side,'' he said.
He accused the government of ordering the police not to let Saxena talk to the press.

When asked whether Saxena could give a press conference concerning the case, Abhisit said everyone had the right to do so. Asked why police did not let Saxena talk to the press, the PM said he would ask Saxena whether he had been prevented from doing so.

Abhisit said police would probe further into whether any politicians had any involvement in the case.
Democrat Party spokesman Buranat Samudharak, meanwhile, said his party would not interfere in the police investigation in the BBC case because it had vowed to uphold the legal and justice system.
"The party is willing to provide the police with any information, no matter who it involves, and they will be brought to justice in a straightforward manner,'' he said.


-- The Nation 2009/11/01

Claims and more claims. Never can trust these claims anyways

I believe the Thai justice system has chosen a very tough bone to chew on in this instance , Saxen , from what I have read about him , has far more actual intelligence than all who will appose him in this case , he is likely to make absolute dog meat of his opposition .

I would think Saxena has information that will affect a number of high ranking officials past and present and across all parties.

Saxena has said he will only speak in court. That is going to have anumber across parties worried. Oddly enough the Dems probbaly have the least to worry about here. Two of their coalition partners and the opposition may be more nervous. Saxena is intelligent and he was part of the banking industry and will know about more skeletons than just the BBC ones.

The Oxford boy may have to distance himself from Newin.As far as I can remember he was ,as also in many other shady deals, involved quite a bit.In this case the coalition might become a bit shaky.

Yeh, everyone around here has plenty of 'good' stuff on everyone else. It's the good old boy network. Saxena will use his knowledge of everyone else to leverge a deal for himself and that should be the end of that.

// one posts deleted

Reason:
Politicians, former politicians, convicted politicians and public figures we dislike have proper names.
Please use them.

That should go for all then, right? Saxena is called, "Scum, scumbag, ect" he is not even convicted?

Really nothing new. Same oh Same oh. According to Bloomber LOS is the most corrupt in South East Asia
and has helds the #1 or #2 spot the last 10 years.Is really anyone surprized here?
I am not 1 bit just the way of life here

Well yes, Thai politics has never been about policy or ideology. It has always been about which group or coalition will get the biggest piece of the pie for themselves. Saxena's alleged misdeeds occurred long enough ago that his peers are now scattered about all the various political factions. A tell all expose by Saxena could indeed bring down the Thai government and not just the current ruling party, but it will never happen.

Newin is not in the government if there is a case against high ranking politician everything will need another 5-10 years due to the inefficient legal system.
So not much danger for the coalition at the moment.

That is a slander against the efficiency, transparency and honesty of the Thai legal system.The judicial process can move at the speed at light to take an example at random, dismissing a Prime Minister who accepts an honararium for appearing on a television cooking show.

Prompong and Jatuporn missed mentioning that over half (10 of 16) of the Group of 16 are politicians associated with Thaksin and are banned from politics as Party Executives with either Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party (Chamlong Krutkhunthod, Thani Yisarn, Newin Chidchob, Suchart Tancharoen, Pairoj Suwannachawee, Sora-at Klinprathumor, and Sonthaya Khunpluem) or with their Pheu Thai Party's precursor, Thaksin's proxy People Power Party (Sompong Amornwiwat, Itthi Sirilatthayakorn, and Songsak Thongsri).

Additionally, the ex-PM mentioned in the previous post who was removed from office for forgery and perjury is also banned from politics from his involvement as a Party Executive with Thaksin's proxy People Power Party. He awaits the final appeal on his previous conviction and prison sentence on another case as well as still facing a littany of other criminal cases in the process of adjudication.

Get real with the "forgery and perjury", as though they wouldn't have been brushed off if Samak's case hadn't been scripted from the beginning.We're not half witted children.In any case I didn't say Samak wasn't a typical Thai politician:his dreadful record is well known.My point was that the judicial system can move very rapidly when directed to do so.

I only put in the additional comment simply to set the record straight with the factual convictions involved, instead of the inaccurate "brushing it off" as an honorarium that you gave it.
I'll avoid the rest of your comments as they seem to contravene the forum rule that bar criticizing the legal proceedings or judgments of any Thai court of law.

Newins party is an important coalition member.

Yes, I am sure you would love to have Samak back running the country.... He was such a bastion of purity, wisdom, wit, and compassion

Hasn't he been indicted on numerous counts of corruption? Just like your boss?

But accepting the honararium was the offence in this case, and a judgement was made extraordinarily rapidly.I'm sure Samak and his defence team screwed up but the outcome was always pre-ordained.All this was widely discussed at the time in the Thai and English language press and on this forum.As I implied save your weasle words for the incurably naive.

Anyone who wants Samak as PM, raise your hand!

"your weasle words" ?
"case... scripted from the beginning"
the courts "move very rapidly when directed to do so"
"outcome was pre-ordained"

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

You do have a way with words, eh? Sorry to have interjected. Have at it.




This post has been edited by petaling: 2009-11-03 12:05:25

a) Another court
you can't appeal and
c) it is possible to verify the evidence in one second.
d) At difficult bank things the story is much more difficult.
e) it is very clear in the constitution
f) Newin is not in the government

Yes the critical thing on speed is that it is a specialist technical court with no appeal (unless yo uwant to appeal on grounds of constitutionality or administration in which case a technical arguement needs to be taken to the admin or consty court). It is more like a tribunal. Any case going through the three court system with appeals takes around 10 years according to my legal friends. Could be longer if it isnt an "important" one too. Rakesh Saxena could well see his case last another bunch of years with appeals.

Samak's case took 8+ months to get in gear,
but he then lied in court and paper trail evidence proved it.

That "Honorarium" was by itself illegal, and his own lawyers told him that.
He ignored them. The TV production company had reason to fear his displeasure
if not letting him continue to do the show, and that could have meant getting delisted
from broadcast schedules, so a CLEAR confilct of interest to keep him happy
and blathering politics while cooking

He hung himself with his own ego, in record time.

And in the end.... His own party didn't want him back,
he could have been PM in another day after his conviction,
but Thaksin/PPP said no, and went with Somchai.

There seem to be only 4 cases reedy implicating Saxena,
and nothing has said Newin is involved in any of those.
We await developments, but this shouldn't do any more harm to the government.
In fact #2 in the government started the whole ball rolling back in '96...

This post has been edited by animatic: 2009-11-03 14:08:28

You seem to forget something... "guilty until proven innocent." What... is he supposed to have REAL rights?! lol