Connecting the Dots

If Thaksin Shinawatra is successful in his run from justice, he faces a new set of problems. Where people in Asia may think to take a chance to dance with the devil, people in the west generally know better.

One of the first things that would happen if Thaksin is convicted is Thaksin would be branded, and companies that may have considered doing business with him would have some serious second thoughts. The reason for this is Thaksin tends to use people for his own advantage. Business dealings with Thaksin would immediately be scrutinized by various government bodies, and that itself would tend to generate negative press and very possibly cause the value of that company to go down. If you were a stock investor and you saw this, your first reaction would be to sell knowing Thaksin’s history.

There is little doubt Thaksin would fail the fit and proper test, and cause him to sell his interest in Manchester City. The league has a moral and ethical responsibility to steer clear of Thaksin so as not to tarnish the league or the game.

Thailand may elect to take control of Thaksin owned companies in Thailand. This is a way down the road, but never the less some reasons may be found to do this.

Thaksin may be forced to stay in the United Kingdom as international travel becomes hazardous and will exposes him to arrest. Also travel may be difficult as no doubt the Thai courts would order Thaksin’s passport and other travel documents to be canceled.

Because Thaksin chose to take the high profile road after the 2006 coup that ousted him, his face is well known by tens of thousands of average people. Having people stare at you knowing that you are a fugitive can be unnerving at the very least. With enough people staring at you knowing you are a criminal sooner or later you may develop Paranoid Schizophrenia or other such psychiatric disorders. Taking the high road was a double edge sword from the word go and it was Thaksin’s own ego that made him take it.

Because of Thaksin’s ego being a driving factor in how and what he does, and his lack of experience in doing things by the law, sooner or later he will find new legal and very possibly criminal problems. It will be very difficult for him to make the same claims about the courts in the United Kingdom. His ego will be the cause of his final downfall.

This does leave Thaksin much diminished from where he was power wise. One could say he was at the top of his game September 18, 2006, and from there it all was down hill. He will find it increasingly difficult to manage things from a distance where real time interaction becomes difficult. Thaksin’s world has changed, and it will be a while before all the changes are realized.