Though a week has passed, the air is still ringing with a thousand questions as people ponder the implications of the Supreme Court's asset foreclosure verdict delivered last Friday.
Corporate lawyers are considering how the verdict will affect telecom companies, while Panthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra are scrambling for a clear strategy to fight the Bt12-billion tax demand on shares sold.
But to consumers who are eyeing up a BlackBerry, the bigger question is how the verdict will affect 3G service in Thailand. It remains unclear whether the BlackBerry's two major distributors, Advanced Info Service and Total Access Communication, will be forced in to concession revisions and retroactive fines. If they are, some of the investment required for 3G services may be shifted to the government's pocket and 3G services would be delayed.
And a delay could make investing Bt13,000 for a 3G-free BlackBerry a far wiser choice than forking out the Bt19,000-Bt23,000 for a compatible model.
But the question is: what if 3G comes sooner than that?
Last Friday was a historic day indeed. Every media outlet in the land covered the verdict with regular updates that were followed by countless numbers of citizens. Too bad it wasn't read out live on TV - then we would have known just how many millions tuned in.
What's certain though is that not all Thais were hooked up to the developments in court. Somprasong Boonyachai, executive chairman of Shin Corp and a focal point of the case, was missing and couldn't be reached for any comment on Friday. Along with him were top Shin executives as well as those of key subsidiaries like Advanced Info Service and Thaicom.
For reporters, the first thought was they must have escaped the scene to avoid making comments.
It was later learned that they had left their offices early to attend a farewell party for Nidchanun Santhaveesuk, the Shin president who stepped down on March 1 citing health reasons. All of them gave her a cheerful farewell at a karaoke do.
Their actions were understandable. Share prices may fall (and they did, after the verdict) but what could these execs have done to reverse the misery? Better, surely, to enjoy things while they can. At least they don't have to scratch their heads over what model of BlackBerry to buy.
