Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Potjaman Shinawatra (back) wade through an army of photographers at the criminal court in Bangkok July 31, 2008. REUTERS/Sukree Sukplang- Thaksin claims family received death threats
- Fears for Manchester City as tycoon's assets frozen
Tuesday August 12 2008Ian MacKinnon in Bangkok and Duncan Campbell
The Guardian (UK)The former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra skipped bail yesterday and fled to exile in Britain, claiming he could not expect a fair trial on corruption charges because of political interference.
Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, who was sentenced to three years in prison two weeks ago for fraud, said they flew to Britain because they had received "death threats" in Thailand.
Rumours were rife that the couple would flee after Pojaman, 51, was convicted of evading millions of pounds in taxes in connection with a 1997 shares transfer deal. But family aides had scotched the suggestion.
Immediately after Pojaman was sentenced, along with her stepbrother, Bhanapot Damapong, and former secretary, Kanchanpana Honghern, on July 31, Thaksin left for a speaking engagement in Japan before travelling to China for the Olympics opening ceremony. Last Thursday the trio boarded a flight for Beijing to meet Thaksin.
But when Thaksin and his wife, who were due to appear before the supreme court in Bangkok, failed to return to Thailand arrest warrants were issued and the court ordered the forfeiture of £195,000 bail bond. The tycoon's son Phantongtae and daughters Pinthongta and Paethontan, also face corruption allegations.
In a handwritten statement faxed from London and read on Thai state television, Thaksin, 59, said he travelled to Britain rather than board a flight he had booked to take him back to Bangkok on Sunday. No mention was made of seeking political asylum in Britain.
The tycoon, who held office for five years, said he would remain in Britain indefinitely, but hoped that he would be able to return to his homeland one day. "My wife and I have travelled to reside in England," he said in the statement.
"If I still have luck, I would come back to die on Thai soil like every other Thai person. What happened to my family is like fruit from a poisonous tree - the fruit will also be poisoned.
"There is a continuation of dictatorship managing Thai politics ... which is followed by interference in the justice system. These are my political enemies.
They do not care about the rule of law, facts or internationally recognised due process," he added. Thaksin lived in exile in Britain for two years after he was ousted in a 2006 military coup. He returned to Thailand this year to face corruption charges against him after his political allies won new elections and formed a coalition government.
But just five months after returning to a hero's welcome, Thaksin railed against the Thai judicial system that he said was stacked against him, despite his allies in the People Power party winning the election in December.
The swift action against the pair yesterday suggested that almost £1bn of Thaksin's assets frozen in Thai bank accounts could be at risk, though he is believed to have significant funds salted away in banks outside the country.
Chris Baker, Thaksin's biographer and a political analyst, said of the statement: "Clearly Thaksin is very angry by the way things have turned out. He is obviously extremely emotional. There's a fighting tone; he's not given up completely."
But after Pojaman's conviction Baker said the writing was on the wall for the former leader. He said Thaksin did not want to take any chances with the verdict of a corruption case about an allegedly dubious land deal, due in September, because the verdict, for which there would be no appeal, would be decided by the supreme court.
The arrival in London of the telecoms tycoon could present the British government with a diplomatic dilemma. Thailand has had an extradition agreement with the UK since a 1911 bilateral treaty.
The Thai authorities could apply to have their former prime minister extradited, although it would be a lengthy procedure and one which Thaksin would resist on the grounds that the judiciary were allegedly leading a witch-hunt against him.
The legal proceedings also raised questions about the tycoon's ownership of Manchester City football club and what effect his departure may have on his financing of it.
Thaksin bought Manchester City for £81.6m during his 17-month exile in the UK. It is thought that the Premier League must now ascertain whether he remains a "fit and proper person" to run the club.
Fans have also questioned whether the tycoon's latest move and the freezing of his assets could put in jeopardy the funds he had hoped to make available for the purchase of new players.
The club, which kicks off its premiership season this weekend, declined to comment on Thaksin's status yesterday.
Backstory
Thaksin Shinawatra, 59, a former policeman from Chiang Mai who made a fortune in telecoms, was the first Thai prime minister to win two terms of office. He went into politics in 1994, becoming foreign minister, and then founded the Thai Rak Thai party in 1998. He became premier in 2001 backed by the rural poor but soon faced allegations of authoritarianism and corruption. He was ousted by the army in a bloodless coup in 2006. After refusing to face trial, he sought exile in Britain and bought Manchester City football club. Vowing to clear his name, he returned to Thailand but fled after his wife was sentenced for tax evasion.
A doormat depicting former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman in Bangkok
