Word: legalizes
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...legal noose tightened around former Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra this week when, on July 31, the nation's Criminal Court found his wife Pojaman Shinawatra guilty of tax evasion, sentencing her to three years in prison in a decision that will likely increase already sharp political tensions in the country...
...Party, which later won power in a December 2007 election. (The party is widely seen as a proxy for Thaksin; the current Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej initially described himself as Thaksin's "nominee.") While Thai courts deliver verdicts on Thaksin and his circle, Samak also faces a host of legal woes and social unrest. He is currently appealing a conviction for defamation, being investigated for a contract to purchase firefighting equipment while he was governor of Bangkok, and awaiting a ruling from a national court on whether he has violated the law by hosting a weekly cooking show while serving...
...verdict is the first of several to come in a series of legal cases facing the former PM and his inner circle. Thaksin himself, who was ousted in a September 2006 bloodless coup by a military clique that claimed the popular leader was corrupt, divisive and disrespectful of the nation's revered monarchy, also faces four separate trials on corruption-related charges. "This verdict makes it a lot more obvious that Thaksin might not survive his legal troubles," said Professor Jade Donavanik, a former dean of Siam University Law School in Bangkok...
Furthermore, since Samak announced four months ago he planned to amend the constitution drawn up by a military-appointed committee - and approved in a national referendum - he and his party have been facing prolonged street protests from opposition that claims the changes are designed to invalidate the legal cases against Thaksin and the current government...
...also not clear how much longer Samak and his cabinet will be in office to protest against. Donavanik says if Thaksin fails to survive the legal process, it's unlikely he will continue to support the ruling People Power Party for long, and, he says, "That means other powerful players will have to step forward and fight for control...