http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/26590/back-at-last

ublic prosecutors are not going after any members of the so-called Group of 16 in the embezzlement case against fugitive banker Rakesh Saxena who arrived in Bangkok last night after losing a bid to avoid extradition, a highly-placed source says.

Reporters swarm the Crime Suppression Division headquarters where Rakesh Saxena was detained last night. NATTHITI AMPRIWAN

There has been no evidence to implicate politicians in the fraudulent loan case involving City Trading Corp for which Mr Saxena has been extradited to stand trial, said the source.

It is alleged the Indian-born financier fabricated loans to siphon millions of baht from the now-defunct Bangkok Bank of Commerce and many of the loans were reportedly extended to politicians in the Group of 16, their families and friends.

The members of the Group of 16 include Newin Chidchob, now the Bhumjaithai Party de facto leader.

Also see: Ex-banker could name politicians in BBC drama

And also: Officials fret how to charge Saxena

And also: Suthep refuses comment in Saxena case

Mr Saxena has been indicted on charges of conspiring to embezzle 1.65 billion baht from the collapsed bank and of violating the securities and exchange law.

But the source said there are 20 other similar lawsuits on fraudulent loans pending against the suspect and they may or may not implicate politicians.

"We will have to consider them on a case by case basis," the source said.

It has been speculated that Mr Saxena's return to fight the charges will drop a bombshell on the coalition government whose core members he has close connections with.

The source said that as a suspect, Mr Saxena's statements implicating others are not sufficient without concrete evidence.

"But they [politicians] do not have the authority to approve the loans, so it is hard to go after them. Even though their collateral is not enough to secure the loans, it is not their fault - unless there is evidence of conspiracy and benefit-sharing," said the source.

Veerapol Muttamara was among the politicians who did not have enough collateral to secure loans. He was slapped with civil lawsuits and declared bankrupt.

Early in the day, Attorney-General Chulasingh Vasantasingh said Mr Saxena would be taken into police custody when he arrived in Thailand.

Mr Saxena arrived last night from Vancouver via Beijing after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear his appeal seeking to overturn a lower court decision upholding the extradition.Mr Chulasingh expressed confidence that formal charges would be filed with the court before the statute of limitations expires on July 20 next year.

Mr Chulasingh played a key role in seeking Mr Saxena's extradition from the beginning.

As a deputy chief prosecutor for foreign affairs, Mr Chulasingh headed a working team on the extradition process.

He said Mr Saxena also faces 20 other similar lawsuits with combined damage of 10 billion baht. Several alleged accomplices have been indicted or are now being tried.

He said he would inform the Canadian authorities of the pending charges against Mr Saxena to assure them the extradition proceeds in line with the agreement.

He added that Thai authorities will also seek to seize Mr Saxena's overseas assets worth more than US$20 million but noted the process will take time.

Meanwhile, Puea Thai MPs yesterday voiced concerns for Mr Saxena's safety and urged the government to step up security for him.

MP for Chiang Rai Surasit Chianwichak said Mr Saxena's statements will likely drop a bombshell on the political scene.

"There are a lot of people who stand to lose in this case and do not want him to talk. These people are enjoying a good life and do not want to end up as suspects," he said.

Puea Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said Mr Saxena's statements are likely to give the Democrat Party political leverage over its partners.

"Core members of the Group of 16 are instrumental in the government. If Mr Saxena talks and implicates them, the coalition will be shaken," he said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday promised a fair trial, saying the government would not meddle with it.

"The government will do its best to help but will not interfere or lead the case," he said.

"We will take this case seriously. No one in the government will be protected."

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the return of Mr Saxena would not affect relations between his party and other coalition partners.

We need more people to screw up Thailand since they love to be screwed.

Look who is talking $hit to other country while her own was screwed so numerous times and times.

http://www.cpamedia.com/culture/that_luang/
Unfortunately, the glory of Lan Xang was soon to pass. When King Surinyavongsa died in about 1694, he left no clear heir to his throne. The Kingdom of a Million Elephants split into three competing factions, and a long period of Siamese-Vietnamese rivalry for control over the Lao State was ushered in.

According to Lao traditions (but not, apparently, to those of the Thai), That Luang was sacked by Siamese armies under Chaophraya Chakri, later Rama I, in 1779. Certainly many hundreds of Lao families were brought back to Siam and settled in the region of Saraburi during this campaign. Moreover, and of deep significance, the two Buddha-image palladia of Lan Xang, the Emerald Buddha and the Phabang, were brought back to be enshrined in Thonburi.

Further and more serious damage was done to That Luang following the rebellion of Chao Anu of Vientiane in 1827. Siam's King Rama III, outraged by what he perceived as Anu's treachery, sent forces which tore down the walls of Vientiane and carried off virtually the entire population for resettlement on the west bank of the Mekong. That Luang was abandoned to the surrounding jungle, being briefly rediscovered in 1867 by a Frenchman, Delaporte, who made detailed sketches of the crumbling monument.

In time Delaporte's drawings would serve as a guide in the reconstruction of the great that, but for the moment its worst trial was still to come. From the late 1860s, following the collapse of the Taiping and Yunnan rebellions in southern China, bands of Chinese marauders distinguished by the colour of their banners-"Black Flags", "White Flags" and "Red Flags"-began to trouble upper and central Laos. In 1872 these bandits, known to the Lao and the Thai alike as "Haw", captured Vientiane-or what remained of the city. This was the final disaster for the old Lao capital. The Haw were bandits, pure and simple, and they were looking for loot. In the words of James McCarthy, an Irish surveyor in the service of the Royal Siamese Government who accompanied Thai troops pitted against the Haw some twenty years later:

The pillaging march of the Haw was rapid and without interruption... Their progress could be traced by the ashes of villages, and by temples and pagodas of which the ground had been dug up... It is the custom of Buddhists when building wats and pagodas to make offerings of jewelry and money to propitiate the deity. These offerings were placed usually under the sitting figure of the Buddha, in its breast, and in the floors of the wat, exactly where the line of sight of the figure strikes the floor. The places were dug up by the unfortunate inhabitants, the Haw meanwhile standing by, sword in hand, directing the proceedings.

It was at this time that the great stupa was torn from the top of That Luang; a faded, sepia photograph of the destruction wrought by the Haw has come down to us from McCarthy, the once-noble spire lying smashed on its side, the that torn open like a giant wedding cake.

The Haw invaders were not finally expelled from Laos until 1893, when the French first assumed control of the country. This event signalled the eventual revival of That Luang, for in 1899 France moved the Laotian capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane and began the construction of a new colonial city that would be the administrative headquarters for the whole country. As a part of this scheme, ancient monuments were systematically restored, beginning with That Luang in 1900. The Lao people were not happy with this restoration, however-a recent Laotian publication accuses the French architects of rebuilding the that 'in a Western style, thus losing its Lao characteristics'. Accordingly, in 1930, again with French help, the temple was restored. On this occasion, however, the drawings made by Delaporte in 1867 were used as a guide, in an attempt at re-establishing the structure's authenticity. The present aspect of That Luang dates from this time.

come on its only 1.65 billion. thai generals have wayyyyy more money than that and noone is prosecuting them.

Thai loves to get screwed by many countries. lmao

That's good, at least you recognize while many thai members act like it never existed.