Return of Thaksin billions will 'not affect Puea Thai'

via Khmer NZ

Published: 25/08/2010

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has recovered the 30 billion baht not seized by the Supreme Court in the assets seizure case, his legal adviser Noppadon Pattama says.

But Mr Noppadon said yesterday the return of the money would not bring about a significant change in the opposition Puea Thai Party.

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions ordered the seizure of 46 billion baht in assets from Thaksin's family in a ruling handed down in February. The amount confiscated was judged to have been accrued irregularly through the sale of the family's Shin Corp.

Thaksin and five of his family unsuccessfully appealed against the ruling of the court on Feb 26 to confiscate the money.

The state earlier had seized 76billion baht from the family and it now has returned the 30 billion baht not confiscated.

Mr Noppadon said Puea Thai had proved that it could manage to remain in the political arena without the 30 billion baht to support it.

He said Thaksin would spend part of the recovered assets on investments.

The party has mainly relied on financial support from former Thai Rak Thai Party exectutive Pongsak Raktapongpaisal and Thaksin's younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, a party source said.

The source said Thaksin's resignation from his post as an economic adviser to Cambodia was part of the party's reconciliation plan arrived at after talks between figures representing the Thaksin camp and the government.

The talks concluded the two sides would live together and Thaksin's resignation was aimed at showing his determination to reconcile, the source said.

Puea Thai MP for Si Sa Ket, Thanes Kruearat, said Thaksin's relations with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen remained as close as ever despite Thaksin's resignation.

The party source said conflicts between Thailand and Cambodia had gone beyond the point where the two sides could reach a solution together because Cambodia desperately wanted international organisations to step in and end the conflict. Thailand "had no choice but to deal with that", the source said.