Ousted Thai PM Thaksin divorces
By Ambika Ahuja
Associated Press
First Posted 09:22:00 11/16/2008
Filed Under: People, Graft & Corruption
BANGKOK--Thailand's fugitive ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has divorced his wife in Hong Kong, his spokesman said.
Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, who married in 1976, divorced at the Thai consul general's office in Hong Kong on Friday, spokesman Pongthep Thepkanjana said Saturday in Bangkok.
"It is true that he has signed the divorce papers, but the reasons behind the decision are private," he said.
Thaksin, a multimillionaire former telecoms tycoon who was ousted from power by a 2006 military coup, was sentenced in absentia by a Thai court in October to two years in prison for violating a conflict of interest law while he was prime minister. He has been living in London to escape an array of corruption charges, but his British visa was revoked last week while he was traveling.
Pongthep said he was not aware of Thaksin's current location.
A lawmaker from the ruling People Power's Party, which is allied with Thaksin, said the former leader had left Hong Kong for Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, which does not have an extradition treaty with Thailand. He spoke on condition of anonymity because his party had not authorized him to speak.
The Bangkok Post newspaper cited a political observer as saying the divorce could have been aimed at protecting the family's considerable assets, which are mostly held in Pojaman's name.
Last year the National Anti-Corruption Commission disclosed that Thaksin officially declared assets worth 614 million Thai baht ($17.7 million) when he took office, while Pojaman had 8.5 billion baht ($244.7 million), the newspaper reported.
Thaksin was prime minister from 2001 to 2006, when he was toppled by a military coup for alleged corruption and abuse of power. He still wields strong influence with the current government, and protesters have occupied the main government office in Bangkok for three months seeking to force his allies from power.
Thaksin's conviction stems from his wife's purchase of Bangkok real estate at a favorable price from a state agency while he was in office, violating a ban on officials and spouses making contracts with the government. They also face several more serious charges.
Thaksin, who remains hugely popular among Thailand's rural poor but is loathed by much of the urban elite, has said the charges are part of a political vendetta by his enemies.
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