Suthep: Govt ready to arrest Thaksin

Published: 16/11/2009 at 11:34 AM
Online news: Breakingnews

The government is ready to arrest fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra if he enters Thailand, travels across the Thai border or flies over the country's airspace, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban warned on Monday.

Mr Suthep urged Thai people to call on Cambodian government advisor Thaksin to return to Thailand to fight his corruption charges so problems in the country would end.

On Thaksin's trip from India to Cambodia on Nov 19, Mr Suthep said the flight had already asked Thailand's permission to pass through the country. However, the government was not aware that Thaksin was on that flight.

"If the government knew that Thaksin was on the plane, we would notify the flight operator about a fugitive passenger on the plane and it would not be permitted to pass through," he said.

Thaksin did not fly across Thailand when he left Phnom Penh on his private jet on Saturday.

The deputy prime minister, who is in charge of security affairs, also thanked Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for his offer to be a mediator to resolve the Thai-Cambodian row.

"I would like to thank the Indonesian president for his generosity, but this is an issue between two countries and the government does not want to raise it to an Asean level," he said.

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Wilson Penn

Discussion 15 : 17/11/2009 at 05:59 AM15
Mr Suthep has became a laughing stock. He talk too much about "arresting Thaksin" since he joined Abhisit government. He took "arresting Thaksin" to be his political achievement milestone. But when Thaksin showed up just "on his nose," just less than 200 miles from his home, he told all the crap about "arresting Thaksin"and while Thaksin sits comfortably in Dubai after leaving Cambodia, Suthep is shouting louder about "arresting Thaksin".
Suthep is a very clever and manipulative politician, when he wanted to calm the nerves of the Thai electorate, like Abhisit, he stop lamenting and says "we have a lot of important things to do for Thai people." When will Thai people wake up?
ricefieldradio

Discussion 14 : 17/11/2009 at 12:43 AM14
This Gusted - You are correct about the ID card but he was convicted of Conflict of interest on a technicality (the card used) and not corruption.

fair and balanced - to be fair to the government they would have a hard time telling what or who was on any flight transiting Thailand. I just wrote a big reply on Bangkok Pundit about the situation which, hasn't been posted yet, so I won't elaborate it all here again.
fair and balanced

Discussion 13 : 16/11/2009 at 09:11 PM13
'the government was not aware that Thaksin was on that flight'.

The above statement by Suthep highlights how incompetent this current administration is.

They knew before hand that Taksin was arriving in Cambodia on the 19th. Is it that hard to put 2 and 2 together and monitor the movements of a small private jet flying over Thai airspace with a final destination of P.P.?

I guess we shouldn't be so surprised though. Suthep and Abhisit can't even elect a new police chief, so expecting them to arrest Taksin is clearly to much to expect of them.

The current government aren't serious about catching Taksin anyway. It's much easier to attack him continuously, hoping this will increase their support and we will forget their numerous failings............
moonoi

Discussion 12 : 16/11/2009 at 04:26 PM12
#11
the world is not laughing about thailand, what would be good. the world isn't even ignoring thailand, what is very bad.
the closed airport last year is history so are airport scams and jetsky-scams. i am a farang, and we are used to all sorts of scams at any time anywhere we walk, we are hardend by strikes and protests in our own countries, of terrorists who want to blow us up in office towers, planes, airports, trainstations, everywhere. that's not hindering us to travel. we put our political leaders behind bars, have corrupted bankers, politicians on the run, i mean thats live.
the true problem is we run out of money - something the average thai can't imagine. and this Thaksin can't even change . He will be no help. Arrested or not.
economical laws are are for everybody.
law no1: I can only spend the money I have earned.
ok, we are generous, we stretch it a little:
i can spend the money today what i will earn tomorrow.
but i can not spend the money today when tomorow never comes (high season).
the farangs are broke! thats all. thailand is fighting on the wrong front.
oh civilized!

Discussion 11 : 16/11/2009 at 04:03 PM11
thailand is playing a game that makes the whole world laughing.

thaksin's case for influence meddling (with limited financial damage to the country/govt) was handled in a very unprecedentedly expedient manner...while the PAD and its core leaders who caused hundreds and hundreds US dollars of lost to the thai economy and the country's image on international scene have been left out of public light and judicial/criminal prosecution. what a joke the the so called educated and elite urban people have not been able to spot it out! sad thing.
Khemera Sith

Discussion 10 : 16/11/2009 at 01:06 PM10
As a recent BKK Post article put it simply: the whole thing is idiotic with the Abhisit Government devoting resources and time since he came to power --through some parliamentary manipulation and not electoral vote--, to try nail down one single individual while that very government has yet to solve the country's economical and political problems that are aplenty.

Abhisit and Kasit (yet to answer the charges of terrorist lately) are just playing into Thaksin/Hun Sen's trap like a bunch of kids.
This Gusted

Discussion 9 : 16/11/2009 at 12:52 PM9
@ Jim in Auburn, discussion 6, you are misinformed. Thaksin was NOT informed for corruption in the Ratchada land purchase. Raed the verdict (available on line) and you will adnmit that you are mistaken. Thaksin was convicted for pulling the wrong ID card (he had two different cards, one as a civilian, one as a member of the government.) PERIOD.

@ AJW, discussion 5: Although I am not familiar with the details of Thai laws, I can tell you that it is unlikely that there is a single country on earth where suspects can not be tried in absentia. Recently, a former Thai minister was tried for corruption. Last week, he was sentence - in absentia - to 3 (?) years in jail.

Thaksin could have been and should have been and would have been prosecuted if the Public Prosecutor had a solid case.

Mind you: I am not defending the crook, I merely challenge the present regime for its failure to act, not only in this case, also in that of Sondhi, as well as in MANY other cases.
Jim in Auburn

Discussion 8 : 16/11/2009 at 12:40 PM8
If you think the redshirt riots were bad before, can you imagine what they would do if Thaksin was caught and put in prison?
Jim in Auburn

Discussion 7 : 16/11/2009 at 12:39 PM7
This Gusted,
Thaksin has been tried for corruption for the Ratchada land purchase. He was found guilty. He was sentanced to two years in prison. He jumped bail and fled the country.

There are many other corruption cases against him that are in various states of procecution.
Somboon

Discussion 6 : 16/11/2009 at 12:37 PM6
Dear Suthep/Curry,

Bite, just don't bark!

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Suthep: Govt ready to arrest Thaksin