Bangkok, Thailand – Thailand’s military rulers may freeze the assets of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and members of his Cabinet if evidence is found that they tried to transfer their wealth abroad, the head of a newly appointed anti- corruption panel said Monday.
The military council that ousted Thaksin last week also announced it would have a say in the creation of a new permanent constitution, reserving a political role for itself despite its vow to hand over power to an interim civilian government.
The military has cited corruption in the former Thaksin government as one of the reasons for its Sept. 19 coup, staged while Thaksin was in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly meetings.
Suspicion has mounted that the beleaguered prime minister managed to fly out some of his vast assets before the coup. Airline officials said over the weekend that an aircraft chartered by Thaksin carried an unusually large amount of luggage.
The national carrier, Thai Airways, said Monday that the premier’s office had chartered an aircraft for government business while Thaksin was traveling. The flight carried 28 passengers and about 40 pieces of luggage.
The former prime minister’s family was one of the wealthiest in Southeast Asia, even before he came into office in 2001.
“If we find evidence that (Thaksin and his former Cabinet members) tried to transfer their assets overseas, we will freeze the assets,” said Sawat Chotiphanit, the newly appointed head of a special investigatory committee.
Sawat’s nine-member committee was formed Sunday night.
“Good men don’t have to worry, but wrongdoers will be punished,” he said Monday.
