Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS OctOber 3, 2011 • Law times New Thai PM has little power, Amsterdam says Continued from page 1 In May 2010, Amsterdam unveiled his latest big-name client: former Thai prime min- ster Thaksin Shinawatra and his Red Shirt supporters. At the time, they were occupying parts of Bangkok in protests against the government led by Abhisit Vejjajiva. The military eventually stepped in to stop the occupa- tion, and by the time the two- month protest ended, more than 90 people had died. Amsterdam is also an adviser to Thai coun- sel representing people charged criminally over the protests. In May 2011, just ahead of Thailand's elections in July, Amsterdam made his com- plaint to the UN special rap- porteurs about the actions of the country's deputy prime minister, Suthep Thaugsuban. Citing reports in local newspa- pers, he alleged the politician had threatened him with pros- ecution for harming Thailand's internal security. "This bastard is paid only to damage Thailand and a person who hires him is even worse than this guy as he is Thai. I am seeking for the way to take legal action against him because he regularly interferes the matter that affect the country's internal security," Suthep was quoted as saying of Amsterdam. Amsterdam claims the threats were intended to intimidate him and dissuade him from entering Thailand. As a result, he says, his clients have been forced to leave the country in order to give him instructions. In addition, he says the threat of legal action was ret- ribution for Amsterdam's at- tempts to provoke an investi- gation of the Thai government by the International Criminal Court. In October 2010, he delivered a preliminary report to the court that alleged abuses by the government during the Bangkok occupation. He fol- lowed that up in January with a formal application for the court to investigate crimes against humanity allegedly perpetrated by the country's leaders. "Normally, I've generally never complained about a situ- ation relating to myself because it only draws more attention," says Amsterdam. "But in this case, my concern was with demonstrating to western ob- servers the absolute lawlessness and anti-democratic nature of the government in Thailand. "I felt it was important to cast a light on not really my case, but my case as emblem- atic of what they've been do- ing in terms of jailing, killing, and disappearing political op- ponents in a country that has this terrific PR campaign about millions of smiling Thais. I rep- resent the Red Shirts and they are 12 million people who are definitely not smiling." Voters turfed Abhisit out of office in July and replaced him with Thaksin's sister, Yingluck Shinawatra. But Amsterdam says many of his Red Shirt cli- ents are still being held. "The nature of Thailand is such that being prime minister is not all powerful," he notes. "There are many constraints on her ability to function. There's still a very powerful hidden gov- ernance mechanism controlled by the elite that is very much to some extent still in power." On Aug. 15, Pawlitza wrote to Pracha Promnok, Thailand's minister of justice, on the rec- ommendation of the law soci- ety's human rights monitoring group after being notified of Amsterdam's complaint. "The Law Society of Upper Canada is always concerned when lawyers, such as Mr. Am- sterdam, face reprisals for exer- cising their duties as advocates and are targeted for exercising their freedoms and rights under the law," she wrote. "As Thailand continues to strengthen its democracy, ad- herence to the rule of law, and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens, lawyers such as Mr. Amsterdam must continue to play a paramount role in that process." Amsterdam says he plans to return to Thailand in the near future after a ban on his entry came to an end but notes he still faces "the possibility that anything could happen." Besides meeting with the government and his clients, he plans to speak out against the military, which he says has "en- gaged in a ruthless and relent- less campaign against civil and human rights in Thailand." "Fundamental legal change in Thailand is very important, and that's going to be top of my agenda because we are still pursuing those involved in the former government for their conduct," he says. LT Windsor centre a 'great program' Continued from page 1 UNDERSTAND THE LEGAL, ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL OBLIGATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS NEW PUBLICATION LAW, STANDARDS, AND ETHICS IN THE PRACTICE OF PSYCHOLOGY, THIRD EDITION DAVID R. EVANS, Ph.D. Whether you're representing psychology practitioners, governing bodies or mental health organizations, the new third edition of Law, Standards, and Ethics in the Practice of Psychology offers the expert insight that will help you advise these clients effectively. 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"So instead, they lost their investment, and it was a significant investment." Schlosser admits there have been challenges in meshing the business and law school cultures. "Even the way they study and they take courses, everything is managed differently," she says. Particularly striking, Schlosser points out, is the difference in philosophy between business and the law. "The entrepre- neur will say, 'Let's go for it.' The business student will say, 'Let's go for it.' But the law student will say, 'Wait a minute. Let's just think about this.'" Through the program, business and law students might meet with clients together or separately depending on the advice needed. Local corporate commercial lawyer and ses- sional instructor Wissam Aoun supervises the law students. His background is in patent drafting, trademark application and prosecution, and preparing all forms of licensing with a special interest in public-private ventures and technology startups. Students work under his supervision "so at the end of the day, any legal work done is my work, any legal opinions that are provided are my opinions," he says. Aoun notes students typically draw up draft opinions based on a client's needs. "They prepare a legal menu or opin- ion, and I review it and provided I'm OK with it, I sign it and provide it to the client." The university also hopes the program will enhance its combined MBA and law degree offering. According to re- search assistant Khalfan Khalfan, alumni feedback called for a more "practical component." The hope, he says, is that the centre "will be the differentiator" compared to other universi- ties. Tawfik says that while the centre doesn't rule out helping any business in particular, it focuses on people with few resources, such as students, first-time entrepreneurs, and new immigrants. In its first two years, the centre has helped create 23 startup companies and worked with 60 existing firms. 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