BANGKOK: Former Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong believes there is little chance of paroled former PM Thaksin Shinawatra (pic) fleeing the country to avoid penalty over a recent lese majeste lawsuit.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday (June 5), the former Nakhon Si Thammarat MP said Thaksin is confident of being granted bail in the case, so there is no reason for him to flee.
Thaksin has not been seen in public since the attorney-general issued an order on May 29 for him to be arraigned over lese majeste and computer crimes charges arising from an interview given to a newspaper in South Korea on Feb 21, 2015.
His disappearance has led to speculation that he may have fled the country like he did in 2008.
Thaksin left Thailand shortly before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Office convicted him for helping his then-wife Khunying Potjaman Na Pombejra buy a prime plot of land in Bangkok’s Ratchadapisek area at a huge discount.
Speculation of the former PM’s disappearance prompted Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to assure reporters on Tuesday that Thaksin was still in the country and would not flee again.
Srettha said he had met Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn on Tuesday morning and she had told him that her father was fine and in his Bangkok mansion.
The PM said that Thaksin will be ready to fight the lese majeste charges and that 17 years in exile was long enough for him to not want to flee again.
Thepthai shared Srettha’s belief that Thaksin would not want to live in exile again after 17 years. Besides, he said, Thaksin would not want to give up his powers as “super prime minister” through the ruling Pheu Thai Party. Thaksin is considered the patriarch of the party, while his daughter is its leader.
The former MP said he believes Thaksin is in a far better position than the conservatives, and can negotiate with the powers that be. Hence, he said, there is no need for him to be worried about the lese majeste charge.
Plus, he said, the charge only carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, which can be suspended. This was another reason for Thaksin not to want to flee again, he said. - The Nation/ANN
