William L Monson

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William L Monson after a court dismissed perjury charges he filed against Thaksin Shinawatra, 11 September 2006

William "Bill" L Monson is an American cable television businessman and the current President of Seattle-based Clearview International and Clearview Wireless and manager of Hawaii-based CTVC. In the 1980's, Monson was involved in the establishment of Video Link, a Thai cable television joint-venture between Clearview and Thaksin Shinawatra's Shinawatra Computer and Communications (today known as Shin Corporation) and International Broadcasting Company (IBC, today known as United Broadcasting Corporation). He engaged in a series of controversial court cases against Thaksin, who by that time had become Prime Minister of Thailand, during the height of the 2005-2006 Thailand political crisis.

In 1989, he was accused of embezzling broadcasting equipment from the joint-venture. A court later acquitted him of the charges.

In 1995, he and four other plaintiffs filed breach of contract charges against Thaksin and 16 other defendants, the plaintiffs demanding 4.13 billion baht in compensation. In 2002, a court threw out the breach of contract charges after finding that the contract between Monson and Thaksin had never taken effect. The court ruled that the contract between Monson and CTVC of Hawaii (USA), on one side, and Thaksin, his wife, and Shinawatra Computer, on the other side, to set up Video Link Co Ltd was void from the beginning Monson's resignation from Video Link's board of directors voided the contract. The court ordered Monson and the plaintiffs to pay nearly 2 million baht in lawyers' fees for the defendants.^[1]

Monson also filed a lawsuit claiming that Thaksin lied to a civil court during a trial on 22 July 1996 and demanded 6 billion baht in compensation. In September 2006, the court ruled that Monson had failed to bring Thaksin to court within the statute of limitations after filing the lawsuit. Monson defended his case by noting that "We never got to argue or look at the facts of the case. We lost this round based on a legal technicality."^[2] A second charge of perjury against Thaksin was also dismissed.^[3] Both cases are on appeal. Monson has won a Civil case over ownership of equipment in two lower courts and are awaiting a Supreme Court decision following resolution of the Criminal charges against Thaksin et. al.

In addition Monson has filed a complaint with the Special Investigator looking into contracts involving MCOT and IBC.

In February 2007, Thaksin's wife requested that the Bank of Thailand allow her to transfer 400 billion baht to the United Kingdom so that she could purchase a house. Thaksin had been living in exile, part of the time in London, since a military coup overthrew him in 19 September 2006. The central bank originally had no objection to the transfer, until Monson sent a latter to the central bank Governor. He claimed that the money transfer would jeopardise his legal cases against Thaksin, and threatened to hold the bank responsible for any damages he might incur. The Bank of Thailand then agreed to not permit the transfer.^[4]^[5]

Monson was married to a Thai woman and has two children.^[6]