the Nation i dag den 3/8-2011:

Govt says it won't use Crown Prince's assets
By THE NATION
Published on August 3, 2011


Thailand's government said yesterday that it would not utilise the Crown Prince's assets to secure the release of his Boeing 737 in Germany to settle the contractual dispute with Walter Bau.

The government said it would instead quickly seek other avenues to resolve the dispute and maintain good relations with Berlin while preserving the dignity of the Thai monarchy.

"So far, the Crown Prince has not yet given his personal assets to settle the case but he expressed his intention to do so and the government has informed him that we would do it our own way first," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told reporters yesterday.

HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn had offered his personal assets to help the government retrieve his personal plane impounded in Germany. He granted Abhisit a royal audience on Monday to get an update on the current situation.

The prime minister again met yesterday with Attorney-General Julasing Wasantasing to discuss the case and possible means to end the conflict.

The Office of the Attorney-General would send a team to Berlin today for a week to find a solution, he said.

Bangkok is at loggerheads with the German construction company over a demand to pay it ค30 million (Bt1.3 billion) in damages after an international arbitration tribunal in 2009 ruled in favour of the contractor of the Don Muang Tollway.

Walter Bau took its case to the US District Court in New York on March 26 last year, seeking enforcement of the award under the New York Convention. That court also backed Walter Bau, but the Thai government appealed last Thursday against the decision.

The company has also asked a court in Berlin to enforce the arbitration findings.

While the case in the Berlin court is under consideration, the German regional court of Landshut authorised court receivers to seize the Boeing 737, often flown by the Crown Prince, while it was parked at Munich Airport last month.

Walter Bau has been declared insolvent and lawyers have been trying to collect money owed to it.

The Thai government argued that the aircraft belongs to the Crown Prince, not the Thai government. The court agreed to release the plane if the Thai goverment deposited ค20-million (Bt855 million), but the government refused. The impounded jet is still in Germany.

Abhisit said there would be no deposit guarantee to retrieve the jet. The Office of the Attorney-General would concentrate on the main case in Berlin to end the investment conflict and the whole affair quickly without any consequences to the relations with Germany and other parties, he said.

Abhisit said he does not know yet how much this issue would cost to clear up. The government so far has to pay for lawyers' fees.

hn skrev:

Link:
http://www.nation...61824.html


Noget kunne tyde på, at den thailandske regering nu overvejer at betale erstatningen til Walter Bau AG.
Hvis der skal findes en hurtig løsning, som Abhisit har udtalt, så er der nok ikke andre muligheder, men vi må vente og se.

hn