Recently gathered in the Thai capital, several tens of thousand "red shirts" (UDD/DAAD), partisans of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, collected 300 litres of blood, which they spilled at the front gate of current Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’ residence.
Thakson Shinawatra became a very rich telecommunications tycoon, building a business empire as leading South East Asian manager in the cell phone, satellite television and low-cost air travel sectors. During his five-year tenure, this businessman quadrupled his personal fortune while evading taxes. He cracked down on the muslim minority, having at least 2000 people killed. He declared a ruthless war on drugs, lasting three months, that claimed more than 2500 lives and facilitated the consolidation of the networks.
Suspected of planning to instate a republic, he was toppled in 2006 by the army during his trip to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly.
He was sentenced in absentia to a 2-year prison term for embezzlement of public funds. Last week, the Supreme Court confirmed the decision to confiscate 1,4 billion dollars out of the frozen 2,2 billion belonging to the Shinawatra family estate.
After living in Cambodia (where he was economic adviser to the Government) and in the United Kingdom (where he bought the Manchester City Football Club), Thaksin Shinawatra settled down in the United Arab Emirates. Lately, he was haranguing his supporters to demand the annulment of the Court decision, the resignation of the government and the holding of general elections.
However, having used Dubai to destabilize Thailand, he was expelled from the Emirates for contravening his status of political refugee. He has recently arrived in Montenegro, where he was granted citizenship by Prime Minister Milo Đukanović. While he was at it, Shinawatra invested in the hotel industry in Podgorica.
Montenegro is a sort European Union protectorate. Though not a member, it has adopted the euro as its currency. Milo Đukanović has been accused by the Italian judicial authorities of being one of the Camorra chiefs and of controlling illegal cigarette traffic in Europe. He could not be arrested in view of his diplomatic immunity.
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