Thaksin to fight public disclosure

A lawyer to deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday handed a letter objecting to the move by the Assets Examination Commit-tee (AEC) to make public the investigation file in the Ratchadaphsek land case.

Lawyer Pichit Chuenban said that if the AEC rejected his request, he would take other measures to protect the rights of Thaksin and his wife Pojaman.

"The idea to make public the file violates the rights of the accused. What the AEC is planning to do is beyond the tradition of law. There has never been such a revelation in any criminal cases. The AEC should respect the rights of the accused,'' he said. Pichit said he would today lodge a complaint with the Attorney-General over the public disclosure.

AEC chairman Nam Yimyaem said the AEC would reveal only the legal aspects of the case and not the testimonies of witnesses. "The revelations will not adversely affect anyone,'' he said.

Bancherd Singkhaneti, chairman of the AEC subcommittee probing excise tax, said it had already been empowered to seize the assets of Thaksin - without using the Anti-Money Laundering Commission - by the 30th announcement of the Council for Democratic Reform .

"Before the subcommittee can ask the court to seize his assets, we have to probe if he committed malfeasance or policy corruption,'' he said.