Potjaman Na Pombejra

Potjaman was the youngest child and only daughter of Potjanee Na Pombejra and her husband Samoe Damapong, a police general who excelled in his work on crime suppression and investigation and became a Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police. Samoe Damapong came from a family of Lao origin; his paternal grandfather was an Isan Lao from Nong Khai while his maternal grandmother was a princess of the Na Champassak family.

Potjaman and Thaksin married in July 1976, and they went on to have one son, Panthongtae, a businessman, and two daughters, Pinthongta and Paethongtarn.[3] In the late 1970s and 1980s Potjaman worked with Thaksin to develop his various commercial ventures.[4]

On 23 January 2006, the Shinawatra family sold their entire stake in Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings. The Shinawatra and Damapong families netted about 73 billion baht tax-free from the sale, using a regulation that made individuals who sell shares on the stock exchange exempt from capital gains tax.[5]

The Thailand Securities and Exchange Commission investigated the transaction and cleared the entire family from wrongdoing, except for Potjaman's son, Panthongtae.[6]

The SEC did find that Panthongtae committed minor infractions with regard to information disclosure and public tender offers in transactions between 2000 and 2002. He was fined 6 million THB (about US$150,000).[7]

Allegations of insider trading by Potjaman, other Shinawatra family members, Shin Corporation Corp executives, and major shareholders were also investigated. No irregularities were found. On 21 September 2006, the Revenue Department sent a letter to the Shinawatras advising the Shinawatra family not to pay taxes on the transaction. Also in 2006, Revenue Department Director-General Sirot Sawadpanish testified to the military junta's Assets Examination Committee that the transaction was not taxable.[8] The junta investigated Sirot and 6 other senior Ministry of Finance officials for their role in dispensing legal advice regarding the transaction.[9] The AEC demanded that Potjaman testify to the committee, and threatened to jail her if she did not.[10][11]

After Thaksin was deposed by a military coup, the junta-appointed Assets Examination Committee accused her of irregularities in the purchase of government-owned land. However, the Bank of Thailand, which supervised the sale of the land, claimed that the sale was conducted properly.[12]

In January 2007, the Financial Institutions Development Fund complied with the Assets Examination Committee request to file a charge against Thaksin and his wife over their purchase of four 772 million baht plots of land from the FIDF in 2003.

The charge was based on alleged violation of Section 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specifies that government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. However, Section 4 of the Act indicates that persons committing malfeasance must be direct supervisors of the damaged party - in this case, the FIDF.

At the time, Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakula directly supervised the FIDF, not Thaksin.[13] Section 29 of the Bank of Thailand Act of 1942 stated that the Prime Minister did not have jurisdiction to oversee the FIDF, because those managing the fund had sole authority for policies, control, oversight and regulations governing the agency.[14]

Pridiyathorn's testimony to the court occurred in secret - Thaksin's legal team was not allowed in the room. The FIDF later noted that the land was sold to the Shinawatras at a price greater than its appraised value.[15] The case went to the Supreme Court on 10 July 2007.[16]

Potjaman was found guilty on 31 July 2008, and sentenced to 3 years imprisonment. She was released on 5 million baht bail. Bangkok Criminal Court Judge Pramote Pipatpramote also convicted Potjaman's adopted brother, Bhanapot Damapong, and her secretary: "The three defendants have high economic and social status. But, they were working together to avoid taxes, even though the taxes amounted to little compared to their assets."[19]

On 10 November 2008, the Department of Foreign Affairs (Philippines) Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin stated "the government would 'politely' turn down any request for political refuge from the fugitive Thai leader, due to Manila's 'friendly' relations with Bangkok. If an applicant for political asylum insists, the first thing the friendly country customarily does is to send him back to his home country. The Department of Foreign Affairs had not received 'feelers' that Thaksin wanted haven in the Philippines. Of course, he wouldn't want to be embarrassed, that's why I don't think he would make such a request. He's no ordinary figure. He's a former prime minister of Thailand."[28] Amid Thai newspaper reports that Thaksin may land in Manila, his brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, was set to arrive for a scheduled state visit on November 10 with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (bilateral meeting on regional global financial crisis).[29][30]

The British Government Home Office revoked Potjaman Shinawatra and Thaksin's visas, while the Bangkok British Embassy e-mailed airlines advisory directing them to disallow Thaksin or his wife from boarding flights to the United Kingdom.[31] But Thaksin's spokesman, Phongthep Thepkanjana, said: "I spoke with Thaksin's secretary and he said that Thaksin still had not been notified by the British government." Thaksin was reported to be travelling in East Asia, having been forced to look for a home. Thaksin still remains honorary president of the Manchester City Football Club, which he sold in August.[32] Thaksin had considered sanctuaries such as China, the Philippines and the Bahamas. The Times reported the Thaksins were granted Bahamas honorary citizenship and the couple are building a £5.5 million home in China. The visa revocation rendered moot the UK extradition issue, but Thai prosecutors complained "it would now be harder to keep track of him, and he could end up in a country with which Thailand does not have an extradition treaty." Somchai Wongsawat said: "The revoking of the visas is the decision by the Government of Great Britain. We cannot criticise."[33]

Meanwhile, Thaksin's attorney, Udom Prongfa filed a counter-charge against Veera Somkwamkid with the Crime Suppression Division (CSD): "Mr Veera went ahead and filed the charge even after the Royal Thai Police Office had concluded Mr Thaksin had done nothing wrong." Also, thousands of Thaksin supporters at the stadium gathered and claimed that only "royal kindness or the power of the people" could bring him home.[34]

Khunying Potjaman has received the following royal decorations in the Honours System of Thailand:

• Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
• Dame Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
• Dame Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn
• Member (Fourth Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao

• Thaksin Shinawatra

• Baker, Chris; Pasuk, Phongpaichit (2009). Thaksin: The Business of Politics in Thailand (second expanded ed.). Silkworm Books. ISBN 978-974-9575-55-0.
• Potjamarn Shinawatra: Commander behind the Curtain or Looser at the End of the Cliff? (in Thai). Bangkok: Ruam Duai Chaui Kan. 2005. ISBN 974-9785-94-0.