Billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra kept his job as Thailand's
prime minister, but only by the skin of his teeth and as a result
of a split court judgement last month. An immediate political and
constitutional crisis was thereby avoided - but only at the risk of
buffeting the country's fragile political system and storing up
trouble for later.
The fact that Thaksin is the first elected Thai political leader
to enjoy an outright popular mandate added to a dramatic situation
that kept the Thai press and public enthralled for months. That
Thaksin stood before the constitutional court accused of making
false declarations of assets meant the case challenged soap operas
as a subject for popular discussion.
Much rested on the outcome. If Thaksin were found guilty, he would
be...
