[Sunny]

Thaksin's wife returns to Thailand to face graft charges

Credit to CNN.com

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- The wife of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived in Thailand Tuesday morning to face corruption charges, promising to fight the accusations, her attorney said.



Pojamarn Shinawatra with her husband Thaksin Shinawatra.

According to Pichit Chuenban, Pojamarn Shinawatra was presented with an arrest warrant shortly after arriving at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport and was escorted by authorities to the Supreme Court.

"She intends to fight all charges through judicial system," Pichit said.

Greeted by about 50 well-wishers, Pojamarn arrived at court accompanied by her three children. She faces charges stemming from a Bangkok land deal and a stock concealment plan that could put her in jail for up to eight years, according to the Thai News Agency.

The court released her on 5 million baht (about $168,000) bail and ordered her not to leave the country.

On Monday, Thaksin's attorney Noppadon Pattama said the former prime minister would return from exile in mid-April to answer to the same charges his wife faces. He was deposed by a military junta in Sept. 2006 and fled to London. He plans to return after Thailand's new government is in place.

In December's parliamentary elections, supporters of Thaksin, the People Power Party, won nearly half the seats in the lower house and will lead the ruling coalition.

PPP leader Samak Sundaravej said a new parliament controlled by his party would pass an amnesty law to allow Thaksin's return and amend the constitution to let Thaksin get back into politics.

Thaksin said he would not re-enter politics when he returned to Thailand. He said that he and his family had "suffered enough" but that he wanted to face the charges against him and prove his innocence.

Thaksin is a 58-year-old telecommunications tycoon who owns the English Premier League Manchester City Football Club. Thaksin's party won two landslide victories before he was deposed.

[Mai]

Oak looks exactly like his mother lol

[natty]

LOL Nothing is going to really happen to them since their party won the election. That is like such a slap in the face to the coop. Ok sure it's not Thai Rak Thai but seriously it's like a company that changed it's name. I mean her brother is the second in command. durrr..

[whiterose]

Yeahhhh...it makes me so MAD that nothing is going to happen to this horrible, corrupt family. Wasn't it nice how they just sweetly come back to Thailand after Taksin's party "wins" the election. They've just finished buying all of the judges as well.

[lilxgxriah]

ey...money tlks..and if you have it...you're not going to be doing much time in the slammer, same way here in the states

[Grace]

I actually live in Thailand. I feel kind of sorry and mad at the same time. I mean, he's just too smart. The military bans him. He tells his "group" to create another one a long time before, so it would be okay to use for election. Then, all of the Thai Ruk Thai people just move to "Palung Pracha Chon". I've gotta give him the high 5 for being so smart and thinking ahead. He probably is the smartest person in the government, even though he is getting all the citizen's money. Oh well No one else can "boriharn" Thailand as well as him - he's smart, rich, but he wants too much. Being too greedy just got him down the drain.

He has money, talents, but no country that he is a citizen of. I don't think it's good at all to have everything except a place to call home.

[Sunny]

I'm a fan of Tanksin his done ALOT to the country as well and many good things for Thailand, just that there are just as many bad stuff too, however we just remember ALL the bad things instead of the good things he has done as well.

[natty]

Hey it's not his fault that the people are voting for him. And I'm pretty darn sure it's not only the country people who voted for him but I'm sure that there are city people doing just that too. The coop team are not happy that his party is making a fool out of them so now they are saying that somehow the election is rig. What ever! Sure we see in the news about how people don't like Thaksin but these loud people don't represent everyone. You put a few anti thaksin in front of the camera and let him yell but yet you shove his supporters behind the curtain and duct tape his mouth so of course it's going to seem like majority of the country anti him. Well election speaks for itself. They might not like how he is corrupted but they sure do like how he runs the country. That's like Bush, most don't like how he's all about war war war but the people who voted for him believe that he is the best one to keep the country safe at that moment.

personally I think that no matter whose number is more, the Coop will win this "election" one way or another.

[SunStar]

sometimes...i almost forget that there is corruption in every country....

[Solin]

Yes corruption is everywhere !
The difference is that in some countries it is better hided.