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Thaksin, wife on 'wanted' list
Warrants circulated nationwide by police
Bangkok Post – 15 August 2008
MONGKOL BANGPRAPA & MANOP THIP-OSOD
Police have added deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, Khunying Potjaman, to their "wanted list", distributing warrants for the couple's arrest to authorities concerned nationwide yesterday.
Assistant national police chief Pol Lt-Gen Watcharapol Prasarnratchakij said the arrest warrants for the couple have been updated in police criminal records after the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions forwarded the warrants to national police chief Pol Gen Patcharawat Wongsuwan.
He said the warrant for Mr Thaksin had a statute of limitations of 15 years, while the one for Khunying Potjaman had a statute of limitations of 10 years.
The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions issued an arrest warrant on Monday for Mr Thaksin and the one for Khunying Potjaman was issued yesterday.
The couple skipped bail and failed to report for a hearing on the Ratchadapisek land case.
"Police will be circulating the arrest warrants to agencies concerned nationwide, including immigration authorities," he said.
Pol Lt-Gen Watcharapol said since the couple are known to be living in England, it is the job of the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG) and related agencies to bring them back to stand trial here.
The distribution of arrest warrants enraged the couple's lawyer, Wichit Plangsrisakul, who called it an attempt to humiliate Mr Thaksin and his wife.
"There is no need to distribute the arrest warrants because Mr Thaksin has issued a statement that he and his family have travelled to England. The police act is inappropriate and may violate the defamation law," he said.
Mr Wichit also doubted the OAG will be able to ask for the extradition of Mr Thaksin from England as no court has convicted him of anything yet.
He said the former prime minister has instructed his legal teams to handle all the cases, including defamation charges to be filed against his critics.
In the Ratchadapisek land case, the court has decided to proceed with its deliberations in the defendants' absence. The warrants are for the couple to appear before the court for jumping bail.
Mr Thaksin and his wife have not been convicted in the Ratchadapisek land case, although Khunying Potjaman has been found guilty and sentenced to three years in jail for tax evasion.
Legal experts have pointed out that securing Mr Thaksin's extradition may be a long and arduous task.
"The extradition process is likely to have to wait until the court finds them guilty of the charges, which are also recognised by the country where they are staying," said one legal expert, who requested anonymity.
The Democrat party, led by party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva and MP Alongkorn Polabutr, yesterday took the government to task for its failure to rebut Mr Thaksin's criticism of the country's criminal justice system.
Mr Alongkorn, a Democrat MP for Phetchaburi, also demanded to know how the government would bring the couple back to stand trial.
Mr Abhisit repeated his call for the government to counter Mr Thaksin's criticism of the judiciary.
Justice Minister Sompong Amornwiwat, who was assigned by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej to address the matter, dismissed Mr Thaksin's criticism and denied the government was trying to protect him. He said the former prime minister's remarks did not seem to make a dent in the credibility of the Thai justice system, otherwise the international community would have reacted.
Foreign Minister Tej Bunnag said in reply to a query from the Democrats that the extradition process would take time. He also countered Mr Thaksin's criticism of the judiciary system.
Despite the changing political situations, "the third pillar, the judiciary, has remained unaffected by the political changes. In fact, the Thai judiciary has always been a stable and steadfast fixture that is universally accepted by all sectors of Thai society", he said.
"The Thai public has always had strong faith in the integrity and impartiality of the Thai judiciary and knows that it can be counted upon," he added.
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