Who is the real 'Revenue Department'? : Anand

Anand Panyarachun, chairman of the board of Siam Commercial Bank
(SCB), said the bank was ready to transfer Bt12 billion of the
Shinawatra children's money to the authorities if ordered to do so, but
meanwhile he is wondering who the actual Revenue Department is.



"We're ready to follow instructions from the authorities, but two
orders currently contradict each other. We need the authorities to tell
us exactly what to do," he said.

The Assets Examination
Committee (AEC) has ordered a freeze on Bt76 billion belonging to the
Shinawatra family, pending charges against ousted prime minister
Thaksin Shinawatra for alleged unusual wealth and abuse of power. In a
letter dated last Friday and signed by Revenue Department deputy
directorgeneral Asadang Srisupraphand, the department said it would
like the bank to transfer Bt12 billion to it in case it wins the tax
case against Panthongtae and Pinthongta.

Directorgeneral
Sanit Rangnoi was not in Thailand on the day the letter was sent to
SCB. He is believed to oppose asking for SCB to unlock the Shinawatras'
money.

Some local newspapers have speculated that if
Panthongtae and Pinthongta receive a favourable ruling from the Tax
Appeal Committee, they can get their money back from the Revenue
Department if SCB releases it.

"If you have any problem,
you can ask [directorgeneral Sanit], because right now I also don't
know who the real Revenue Department is. You must ask the
directorgeneral of the Revenue Department, not me," Anand told
reporters.

Meanwhile, to play it safe SCB will continue to
freeze Panthongtae and Pinthongta's deposits. The board met yesterday
to consider the legalities of the case and will meet again on Thursday.
It has also asked for legal opinions from the National Counter
Corruption Commission, the Administrative Court and the Office of the
AttorneyGeneral.

Revenue Department spokesman Satit
Rangkasiri was assigned by Sanit to come out and speak. Satit said by
asking SCB to release Panthongtae and Pinthongta's frozen assets, it
was following tax law.

"If we don't proceed as tax law requires us to, we could be held responsible for failing to do our duty," said Satit.

The
department wants to treat each taxpayer equally, as per its usual
practice. If the department did not seek release of the frozen assets,
a tax penalty of 1.5 per cent a month would accrue to the two
taxpayers, he said.

He said the department would wait for an answer from SCB before deciding on its next move.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/26/politics/politics_30081429.php

Protesters try to seize NBT station on Vipavadi road

Protesters block entrance of National Broadcasting Telelvision station on Vipavadi Rangsit Road on Tuesday.

Police detained on Tuesday a group of protesters who tried to seize an NBT television station on on Vipavadi Rangsit Road.

The attempt took place at about 5.30am when there are a few staffs of the NBT at that moment.

The group, comprising about 20 men, covered their faces with black pieces of cloths and dressed in black t-shirt and jeans.

Two NBT television hosts said in a news television programme at
about 6.10am that police found a handgun and long knives from the group.

The group also broke a glass door in their way to go to the
station's building. They separated into several groups and went into
the station. NBT staffs were told to leave the office.

Police are interrogating the group. One of them was Nitirat
Sapsomboon. Police brought the protesters who had weapons to a police
station while searching for protesters who might hide in the office.

Main protest will go to the Government House where Samak Cabinet will meet in its weekly meeting.

http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/26/politics/politics_30081473.php

Is Pojaman seeking asylum overseas?

Education Minister Somchai
Wongsawat, brother-in-law of the former premier Thaksin Shinawatra,
said yesterday he didn't believe Thaksin and Pojaman would flee
overseas, but he said he never talked to them about their plans.

"They are Thai people so they must live in Thailand. Why do they have
to seek asylum? I am confident they will not seek asylum," said
Somchai, who is also a deputy prime minister.

Khunying
Pojaman, wife of the former PM, flew to China with her adopted brother
and secretary on Tuesday amid rumours they would seek "political
asylum" abroad.

Pojaman, Bhanapot Damapong and Kanchanapa
Honghern quietly left Thailand at 10.40am from Suvarnabhumi Airport in
Bangkok to Beijing on Tuesday.

They were seen to carry several bags with them. Some of her three children broke down in tears as they saw her off.

Reports
have been rife that they would flee abroad after the Criminal Court
sentenced the Pojaman, her brother and secretary to three years jail
after finding them guilty of seeking to avoid paying tax of Bt546
million on a share deal in the late 1990s.

The Supreme
Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders has summonsed
both Thaksin and Pojaman, who are defendants in a trial over the
purchase of a prized block of land on Ratchadaphisek, to give final
testimony Monday.

So there is renewed interest over
whether the pair, particularly Pojaman, will return for the case. The
court is due to give its verdict on the Ratchada case on Sept 16.

Thaksin
has been expected to return from China on Sunday. He flew to Japan on
August 1 to give a special lecture, and was reportedly due to attend
the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, today.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/topstory/read.php?newsid=30080063

Pojaman released on bail

Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra and two other defendants in a tax evasion
case were released on bail after the Criminal Court found them guilty.

Pojaman,
her brother Bhanapot Damapong and Kanchanapa Honghern were released
after each post assets worth Bt5 million as guarantee.

Source: http://nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30079448

Court sentences Pojaman to three years in jail

Court said Pojaman should have served as society's good example

The Criminal Court on Thursday found wife of ousted prime
minister Thaksin Shinawatra, guilty of intentionally avoiding tax
payment of Bt546 million for the transfer of 4.5 million shares of the
Shinawatra Computer and Communications' shares worth Bt738 million.

Found guilty in the same charges were her adopted brother; Bannaphot Damapong and her secretary Pennapa Honghern.

The Court sentenced Khunying Pojaman, Bannaphot to a total of three
years in jail; two years for the charges relating to the conspiracy to
evade tax and one year for giving falsified statements. Pennapa faces
two years in jail.

The Court said the three defendants had committed serious crimes and
filed false statements with the government agencies in order to avoid
paying taxes. They intended paying taxes despite that they were rich
people.

The court ruled that the prosecution's evidence was solid and
indisputable. The three suspects were found guilty of fraud or
collaboration to evade taxes.

In addition, Pojaman and Bannapot were also found guilty of filing
false claims and presenting false evidence to the authorities with
intention to avoid paying taxes.

The court also reprimanded Pojaman in particular, saying that with
her high economic, social and political status - especially her status
as wife of the then county leader - she should have acted as good
example to society.

The Criminal Court rules out every defence
argument on the tax evasion case as insubstantial in rebutting the
prosecution evidence.

The court says the prosecution has proven beyond reasonable doubt
that the defendants committed a conspiracy to evade tax. The ruling
says Pojaman and Bhanapot made the shares transfer in the stock market
in order to avoid tax liabilities even though there was no real
transaction.

Bhanapot admits Pojaman gave shares to him and the court finds this is not a family gift.

The ruling is addressing a key legal issue whether the three
defendants intentionally gave falsified statements to the authorities
in order to avoid tax liabilities.

The charges were from from transaction, which took place in November
1997, come under the criminal codes of Article 37 (1) (2) of the
Revenue Code. Violation of this law is punishable with a fine of
between Bt2,000 and Bt200,000 and a jail sentence of between three
months and seven years. A multiple violation of this law will result in
a jail sentence of not more than 20 years.

The Office of the Attorney General filed the suit on March 26 last
year, summoning more than 30 prosecution witnesses to testify including
Sak Korsaengruang, spokesman of the nowdefunct Assets Examination
Committee who chaired the AEC panel that probed the accusation of tax
evasion, and former Finance Ministry permanent secretary and former
directorgeneral of the Revenue Department Suparat Kawutkul.

The three defendants denied the charges and almost 20 defence witnesses testified in the case.

Source: http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/31/headlines/headlines_30079445.php

Court found Pojaman guilty of tax evasion

10.45am : Pojaman and her family
leave the court house. Former premier Thaksin and his children looked
serious while his wife smiles.

10.47am :
The Criminal Court on Thursday found Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra guilty
of intentionally avoiding a tax payment of Bt546 million for the
transfer of 4.5 million shares of the Shinawatra Computer and
Communications' shares worth Bt738 million.

Also found guilty in the historic trial are Pojaman's adopted
brother Bannaphot Damapong and her personal secretary Kanchana Honghern.

The court sentenced Pojaman and Bannaphot each to 3 years in jai.

10.20am : The court judges are still reading the verdict. All Shnawatra family appear to look tense.

9.10am : Criminal Court judges start reading the verdict.

8.40am : Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra arrives at the
Criminal Court. She is accompanied by her husband; former prime
minister Thaksin, and her children.

They are greeted by cheering crowds.

8.30am : Separate groups of people arrive at the Criminal Court as the Court is scheduled to start delivering verdict on 9.30am.

Some 200 police are on duty to provide security. Those who wanted to enter the court house have to pass metal detectors.

10 am: The court is still reading the historic verdict. Thaksin and his children look extremely tense and worried.

Source: http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/07/31/headlines/headlines_30079437.php