The Guardian has reported:
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.
Let's be serious: there are people wishing to issue death threats to almost anyone these days. That doesn't mean we have to take them seriously.
We do have to take tax evasion seriously.
We do have to take looting the state seriously.
We do have to take money laundering seriously.
We have to extradite Thaksin Shinawatra.
I also think we have a duty to freeze his assets, Manchester City included.
You don't believe me? Look at the UN Convention on Corruption. We're signatories. Now let's do what it demands.
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I guess he would not get a fair trial here either?
Alastair
I think he could (but not, maybe, in Manchester) but he didn’t commit his crimes here. They should be tried, as his wife has already been, in Thailand
Imagine it was the other way round. Would we be happy if our former PM could escape trial by going to Thailand?
Richard
I think I was trying to suggest they are alleged crimes – we seemed happy enough to let him into the country, and allow him to buy sub prime assets!
I don’t know whether he has a case to answer or not – would prefer to leave that to a judge in a court of law, assuming an extradition request is formulated.