The co-author of an exposé on Malaysia’s multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal has been tweeting about the government of Thailand’s involvement in the scandal as well, in the wake of recent accusations from one of Thailand’s political parties of a 2014 “dark alliance” between the Malaysian and Thai governments.
Tom Wright, co-author of Billion Dollar Whale, tweeted that Low Taek Jho, the financier at the heart of the 1MDB scandal, “despite being an international fugitive, lived a life of luxury in Bangkok, protected by police, partying in five-star hotels, and even buying his own shopping mall.”
5) So you can see that Low, despite being an international fugitive, lived a life of luxury in Bangkok, protected by police, partying in five-star hotels, and even buying his own shopping mall. #1mdb #billiondollarwhale
— Tom Wright (@TomWrightAsia) February 24, 2020
On Sunday, a spokesperson from the recently-dissolved Future Forward Party, Pannika Wanich, said that Thailand’s former military junta had been complicit in the cover-up of the 1MDB scandal. She also urged the public to demand the truth from the government.
Future Forward, the third-largest party in the Thai parliament, was disbanded on February 21 (Friday) by the country’s Constitutional Court because of a loan it had taken from its founder, a move widely seen as an attempt to weaken the opposition.
Ms Wanich also said that the junta had collaborated with Malaysia to get a whistle blower in the 1MDB scandal, Xavier Justo, a citizen of Switzerland, arrested in Thailand in 2015. She said, “The junta government yearned for international acceptance after the coup … and formed a dark alliance with Malaysia. The only person who can issue these orders is Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.”
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) added that the Thai government also extended protection to Mr Low, and allowed him to come in and out of Thailand between October 2016 and May 2018 at least five times, even after Singapore had issued an Interpol red notice for Mr Low.
On Sunday (Feb 23) Mr Wright tweeted, “Of course Thailand’s government protected Jho Low and had Xavier Justo arrested. #1MDB See Billion Dollar Whale:” accompanied by a photo of a page from the epilogue of the book, which had a highlighted portion that read:
“Thailand, ruled by a military junta, was a safe harbor for Low. China, meanwhile, saw him as a strategic asset—a pawn who gave Beijing influence over Najib. He still had access to copious amounts of cash. It was a comfortable existence, if isolated.”
Read related: Billion Dollar Whale author’s tweet saying Thai govt protected Jho Low goes viral
His original tweet went on to be retweeted almost 16,000 times and liked over 3,800 times, with netizens, many of whom seem to be from Thailand, expressing their appreciation for the exposure of the Thai government’s abuse and corruption.
On Monday (Feb 24), he tweeted “It’s not in doubt that Thai authorities failed to arrest Jho Low between 2016, when Singapore issued an Interpol Red Notice, and at least 2018. He lived openly in the St Regis or on his boat in Phuket. And he arranged for Thai police to arrest Xavier Justo, a whistleblower. #1mdb“
It’s not in doubt that Thai authorities failed to arrest Jho Low between 2016, when Singapore issued an Interpol Red Notice, and at least 2018. He lived openly in the St Regis or on his boat in Phuket. And he arranged for Thai police to arrest Xavier Justo, a whistleblower. #1mdb https://t.co/af0WCtVTrl
— Tom Wright (@TomWrightAsia) February 24, 2020
This has been retweeted almost 20,000 times and liked 4,000 times.
He followed the tweet with the following:
Couple more Thai connections with #1MDB: 1) Thailand’s Country Group bought bonds arranged by Low in 2009. Malaysian government says those bonds were sold cheaply, ie the buyers could make big money. In 2015, when scheme collapsed, Low was worried these details would come out.
2) Devonshire, a financial firm based in Bangkok, and run by forei nets, helped funnel some of the stolen 1MDB money to former Malaysian PM Najib’s account. #1MBD
3) Jho Low loves to party with Thais. At Low’s famous “double dateline” NYE party in 2012, Chavayos Rattakul wrote: “A good way to waste a million dollar,” on Insta, with pictures of gambling chips. Look up Chavayos on Google. Read in Billion Dollar Whale:
4) When @NicoleScherzy sang for Jho Low in Feb 2017, when he was on the run, she got a Thai police escort from the airport to the AVANI Riverside hotel in Bangkok, where a birthday party for Low’s brother was taking place. #1mdb #billiondollarwhale
5) So you can see that Low, despite being an international fugitive, lived a life of luxury in Bangkok, protected by police, partying in five-star hotels, and even buying his own shopping mall. #1mdb #billiondollarwhale“ —/TISG
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