Lawyer says Thaksin, wife will appear in court Monday

BANGKOK, Aug 10 (TNA) -- A lawyer to ousted prime minister Thaksin
Shinawatra said Sunday that the ex-premier and his wife will definitely
appear before a Bangkok court Monday to fight against legal proceedings in
connection with the Ratchadapisek land case.

Lawyer Kamnuan Chalopatham said Mr. Thaksin and Mrs. Pojaman Shinawatra
would appear at the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of
Political Positions to fight charges on the Bangkok land scandal.

The couple were charged with purchasing the property at the questionably
low price of Bt772 million (US$26 million) from the Bank of Thailand's
Financial Institutions Development Fund in 2003 while he was in office,
which was against the constitution.

Ousted by a September 2006 military bloodless coup for alleged corruption
and abuse of power, Mr. Thaksin and his wife have denied any wrongdoing.

Rumours have spread that Mr. Thaksin and his wife -- who went to Beijing
to attend the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics on Friday -- may go
into exile overseas to escape several legal proceedings, including the
land purchase case, which await them in Bangkok.

Also, Pipop Thongchai, a core leader of anti-government People's Alliance
for Democracy (PAD), said he believed that the couple would return home
and fight the court charges.

There is still plenty of time before final judgement is forthcoming, Mr.
Pipop said.

"If Mr. Thaksin does not accept the ruling on the land scandal case," he
asked, "then what justice standard he would accept."

The judges are those who occupied the positions while Mr. Thaksin was in
power.