Big Deal, Rough Edges

On Jan. 23 the Singapore government and other investors bought a controlling stake in Thailand's Shin Corp. from the family of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The $1.87 billion deal has sparked big protests.

What is Shin Corp.?
It's a conglomerate that owns Thailand's biggest mobile-phone operator and Internet provider. Thaksin ran it until he became Prime Minister in 2001, when he transferred his stake to family members and household employees to comply with a ban on cabinet ministers owning shares in firms deemed to be in the "national interest," like...