Thaksin to sue anti-Thaksin group's leaders

BANGKOK, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has decided to sue media tycoon SonthiLimthongkul and 11 others on Monday, demanding 1 billion Baht (about 250 million U.S. dollars) compensation for allegedly damaging reputation of Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party over the so-called "Finland Polt" allegations.

Thana Benjathikul, a lawyer of Thaksin, said on Sunday that he would represent Thaksin to file the libel suit with the Civil Court at 10:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Monday.

He said the suit would name a total of 12 defendants, both individuals and legal entities, including the caretaker Bangkok senator Chirmsak Pinthong and Pramote Nakhonthap, an academic.

Sonthi, Chirmsak and Pramote had allegedly said during a seminar at Thammasat University that Thaksin and core members of the Thai Rak Thai had drafted the "Finland Plot" during a vacation in Finland.

As part of the plot, the three alleged, the Thaksin-founded Thai Rak Thai party would try to seize absolute power in the country.

Editor: Wang Yam

Xinhua

Thaksin sues his critics for another billion

By ThaiDay

24 July 2006

Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will file another libel lawsuit today demanding a billion baht in damages against his staunch critic Sondhi Limthongkul and associates of his over the ‘Finland Declaration’ controversy.

The lawsuit, which will be filed by Thaksin’s legal counsel Thana Benjathikul at the Civil Court this morning, will name Sondhi and 11 other individuals and companies he is associated with as defendants. Among those named in the lawsuit are outgoing Bangkok senator Chermsak Pinthong and academic Pramote Nakhonthab, a regular columnist in Sondhi’s Thai-language Phoojadkarn Daily.

The libel action was prompted by the divulging of the so-called ‘Finland Declaration,’ an alleged plot exposed two months ago which, Thaksin’s critics claimed, was aimed at dismantling Thailand’s parliamentary democracy with the King as head of state so that the Thai Rak Thai party could assume full control of the country.

The allegation, made during a seminar at Thammasat University and broadcast on the ASTV satellite TV network, part of Sondhi’s Manager Media Group, was subsequently dismissed by senior government officials and TRT party stalwarts as groundless. Thana stated that the accusation damaged the reputation of the PM and TRT. He also added that the lawsuit has nothing to do with Thaksin’s recent call for national reconciliation since it has been in the works for quite some time.

Thai Day