Thai military sets up probe into Thaksin, friends

Bangkok, Sept 25: Thai coup leaders have set up a panel to investigate allegations of corruption in government projects under ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and seize personal assets if it finds them true.

The assets of wives and children could also be seized if corruption were proven in a probe into whether Thaksin and his cabinet had abused their power ''for the benefits of themselves and others'', the announcement said.

The eight-member panel, chaired by a former Supreme Court judge, would start work immediately, would last for one year, and was aimed specifically at Thaksin and his cabinet, the announcement on their Web site said.

It joins an anti-corruption commission the coup leaders installed soon after taking power last week to take over the long suspended work of investigating corruption in general.

That commission had remained without leadership for the last year of Thaksin's government after the top members were fired for giving themselves an illegal pay rise and not replaced.

Members of the new panel include top officials of the central bank, securities regulators, government auditors and prosecutors.

Sawat Chotepanich, chairman of the new panel, told a Bangkok radio station he would work closely with the Auditor-General's Office already investigating projects under Thaksin government.

REUTERS