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| Southeast Asia |
| Thailand's Ex-Premier Divorces Wife; Both Facing Jail Time |
| 2008-11-18 |
| Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's controversial former prime minister, has divorced his wife Potjaman after 32 years of marriage. The divorce comes at a time when Thaksin, who became a billionaire in the telecommunications industry, and his wife are effectively stateless. They both face jail sentences if they return to Thailand -- he on charges of breaching conflict-of-interest laws and she for tax evasion. Thaksin has said the charges and convictions are politically motivated. Britain, where the two have spent most of their time since he lost his office in a military coup in 2006, recently revoked their visas, citing their criminal convictions. Thaksin's current whereabouts are unclear, although the divorce was finalized in the Thai consulate in Hong Kong last week. There has been speculation in the Thai media that the divorce was a charade motivated by financial considerations -- that because many of their seized assets are in Potjaman's name, they would have greater access now that they are divorced. A spokesman denied this was the case. |
| Posted by:Fred |