LONDON (AFP) — Ousted former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Thursday that a two-year corruption sentence against him was politically motivated.
Thaksin said in a statement that after hearing the judgement, "I am still confused; there is no evidence of fraud, corruption nor abuse of power."
He said: "I was convicted simply because I was a politician."
Thaksin, who fled to Britain in August, was sentenced in absentia on Tuesday to two years in jail for violating corruption laws when he helped his wife buy a cut-price lot of government land in 2003.
The 59-year-old was cleared of more serious charges of abuse of power and his wife Pojaman was cleared of all charges.
The couple have said they came to Britain because they would not get a fair trial on corruption charges in Thailand.
Writing in a letter to the media addressed from his temporary home in Surrey, southeast England, Thaksin said the Thai court did not appear to have found fault with his wife's purchase of the land.
"Interestingly, the court did not find the sale transaction of my wife unlawful or illegal, they did not convict her because she is not a politician; nevertheless, I was," Thaksin wrote in the letter.
He continued: "If I were to be guilty of anything, that would be what I have shown to the Thai people, especially those underprivileged rural Thais that they can, and have the right to, demand their government to provide effective policy and programs to improve their lives."
Thaksin said he represented a "threat" to various Thai elites who "believe in anything but democracy" because "I represent the principle of liberal democracy which promote hope and pride of the poor of my country (sic)."
Of his country's future, he said he did "not know should I laugh or cry to see the direction Thailand is moving."
He lamented the resignation of the current prime minister's predecessor, Samak Sundaravej, after a Thai court ruled he had illegally accepted payment for TV cooking shows.
But Thailand "is and will remain a great and beautiful country" whose people "will win over this struggle," he added.
Since the judgement, Thai prosecutors have begun gathering evidence to submit to Britain requesting Thaksin's extradition, according to an official in the Thai attorney general's office.
Earlier this month, a British Home Office spokesman said Thaksin and his wife had applied for political asylum, although people close to Thaksin were quoted in Thai media Wednesday as saying that report was incorrect.
Thaksin was overthrown in a military coup in September 2006, and the junta set up a corruption investigation unit to look into alleged abuses of power.
So far, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear five cases against Thaksin.
The land deal verdict on Tuesday was the first judgment against him.
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Woodsome Manor Dear My Friends in International Media, What you have read is true, I was convicted for two years, but not because of corruption charge. The only reason I was sentenced to Jail is because at the time my wife bought the land through the open bid, I was the Prime Minister. I listened to the judgment yesterday and even now I am still confused ; there is no evidence of fraud, corruption nor abuse of power in relation to the bid in question; my wife was the one who in volved and made decision to bid for the land, offered a lot more seller, Financial Instit ution Development Fund (FIDF), than other bidders, signed the contract with the seller, paid for the land with no involvement from her husband except when he was required to sign a spousal consent form, In terms of any alleged influence I may have had no direct supervisory power over the FIDF. Interestingly, the Court did not find the sale transaction of my wife unlawful or illegal, they did not convict her because she is not a politician; nevertheless, I was . I trust that you will independently verify the above facts as professional journalists often do. Unfortunately, most of you professsional colleagues in Thailand refuse to do so. The best. I can comprehend is that I was convicted simply because I was a politician . In that case I was quite guite guilty cause I was quite a successful politician, I got elected twice by the majority of thai people as Prime Minister. If I were to be guilty of anything, that would be what I have shown to the Thai people, especially those underprivileged rural thais that they can, and have the right to, demand their government to provide effective policy and programs to improve their lives. I received this judgment with mixed feeling; relief for my wife as I pulled her into enough troubles because of my politcal ambition to bring greatness and well-being to my country and my people, amused and bitter with the illogical of the judgment, and worry for those politicians in Thailand that they could go to jail simply because their unhappy spouses may sought to manipulate the law. For those of you who may not be too familiar with Thailand, state offices and enterprises in Thailand are doing so many businesses from telecommunication, banking, power generator or even owning gas stations. I do not know should I laugh or cry to see the direction Thailand is moving forward: a democratically elected leader was put out of job because he cooked on a TV show but those who unlawfully trespassed and occupying the government house got protection from the Court. Whatever happen to me is a political driven actions collaborated by various group of privileged elites who believe in anything but democracy. I am a threat to them because I represent the principle of liberal democracy which promote hope and pride of the poor of my country. Thailand is and will remain a great and beautiful country. Few people cannot face the face,obstructing the will of majority of the people. I believe that at the end Thai people will win over this struggle. And the end of their nightmare is not far. I thank you for the opportunity to share the facts with you. Truly Yours, |
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