Wife proves to be pillar of strength

Pojamarn behind premier's success

In times of crisis, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra knows that he can rely on the moral support of his wife.

Over the past week, Khunying Pojamarn has been a regular visitor to Government House as speculation grew about an incipient Constitutional Court ruling on his hidden assets case.

She spent hours there each day. The couple lunched together and returned home in the same limousine.

Yesterday, she arrived at 10am and joined staff monitoring news reports.

A verdict was expected in the afternoon, but reports about the likely outcome differed, said a source.

"At one time, it was rumoured that the prime minister would win the case by 9:6. Another time, it was 14:1 in his favour," one said. Staff were worried because a Burmese astrologer said before the election that Mr Thaksin would win the polls and become prime minister, only to lose office after five or six months.

Some staff members went to another astrologer who said Mr Thaksin's fate could be reversed if someone was made a scapegoat, said the sources, adding the scapegoat was believed to be Uthai Pimchaichon, the parliament president. A few days ago the Supreme Court upheld a verdict finding him guilty of malfeasance in office.

The khunying lunched with Mr Thaksin at noon yesterday and they watched television together as the court released its verdict.

She said she was delighted that her husband was off the hook. She always had faith in him.

When asked about his family life, Mr Thaksin routinely says he owes everything to his wife.

"She is the only one who dares to stop me or argue with me," he once said.

He compared himself to a train without brakes, which would slam into everything were it not for his wife. He was very quick to think and take action.

He said his wife helped him get through the hard days before he became a billionaire.