Taksin’s Back!

Taksin’s finally back in BKK this AM. See here or here“So what do foreigners think of Taksin?” is the question I being asked by a number of Thai’s everyday this week. Well, I have to admit that if you’re not really interested in Thailand (or Man U) than you probably don’t even know who he is (Former deposed PM of Thailand). My opinion is that he’s well educated, well connected, successful in business, and very rich.I turned the tables and asked the same question to the Thai’s. The answer—every time was, “There is going to be corruption no matter who is in office. At least the economy was good when Taksin was in office.” Interesting and slightly depressing take on both business in Thailand and the darker side of the easy-going let-it-be attitude Thailand is famous for.There is really an odd reality in Thailand today: The country is divided about Taksin but still, even people who hate him loved the strong economy that prevailed when Taksin was in power.So what happens next? I’ll bank on the following: some extended court cases mostly focusing on Taksin’s wife’s assets; some more Man U games in Thailand and Asia; a lot of bluster by both the new People’s party and the military junta; he won’t go to jail but he’ll lose, on paper millions of dollars; and finally, Thailand will look petty, shallow and the economy will continue to languish.Bummer.