Thaksin proves elusive

Extraditing convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from his self-imposed exile will not be easy, says Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

In fact, bringing the fugitive former premier home to serve his jail sentence would be extremely difficult, Mr Abhisit said yesterday.

Thaksin's whereabouts are unknown.

The Office of the Attorney-General has been assigned to coordinate with other countries to capture Thaksin and return him to Thailand to serve his jail sentence.

Although the government was monitoring moves by the former prime minister, Mr Abhisit said extradition would be difficult, citing the case of Somchai Khunpluem and Vatana Asavahame.

Somchai and Vatana also fled the country to escape jail terms, also over their involvement in questionable land deals.

In 2006 Somchai, alias Kamnan Poh, a former influential local administrator in Chon Buri and other eastern coastal provinces, was sentenced by the Supreme Court to five years and four months in connection with the corrupt sale of a 140-rai plot in Pattaya city to develop a dump site. Vatana was sentenced to 10 years' jail last year by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions for bribing officials in a land grab connected to the Klong Dan water treatment plant in Samut Prakan.

As in the case of Thaksin, officials say they do not know the whereabouts of Somchai and Vattana.

"Our records show requests for extradition are never easy," the prime minister told reporters.

Thaksin has been living in exile since he was sentenced in absentia in October last year to two years in prison for abusing his power in a land deal involving his wife. Like Vatana, he was sentenced by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions.

The former prime minister has stayed in several different countries from which he has regularly returned to Hong Kong to meet his former political cronies.

Government attempts to return Thaksin took on an increased urgency last week when it was announced he planned to deliver a speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong Kong (FCCHK), originally set for yesterday.

An official at the Thai consulate in Hong Kong said Hong Kong had no history of extraditing political prisoners to other countries.

It also has no extradition treaty with Thailand even though China does.

When China regained control of Hong Kong from Britain in 1997, an accord was put into place under which Beijing agreed not to interfere in the administration of the special administrative region unless it involved military or foreign affairs, the official said.

A request for Thaksin's extradition from Hong Kong would be considered a justice matter over which Hong Kong has sole control.

"Hong Kong has a legitimate right to handle its own legal and jurisdiction matters without seeking a nod from the Chinese government," the official said.

The official, who asked not to be named, said the government had to deal directly with Hong Kong in any extradition attempt.

He said officers would coordinate Thaksin's extradition from Hong Kong if so required. But he would not say whether such an instruction had been issued by Bangkok.

Thaksin's planned speech at the FCCHK on the financial and political situation in Thailand was cancelled after the government announced it would make an effort to extradite him should his presence in Hong Kong be confirmed. Thaksin said he did not want to hurt bilateral relations between Thailand and China.

The programme has been rescheduled for coming days using a video link, according to FCCHK general manager Gilbert Cheng.

The FCCHK said yesterday Thaksin had decided not to travel to Hong Kong but his luncheon address at the club would go ahead pending technical arrangements.

Mr Cheng said the new date could not be confirmed.

The South China Morning Post newspaper reported yesterday it was understood Thaksin was living somewhere in China.

Analysts said the government was probably trying to extradite him because it did not want interference from the still popular former premier during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, when Thailand was in the international spotlight.Some questioned the timing of the public announcement of the extradition attempt just a few days before Thaksin's scheduled appearance.

The announcement looked more a warning to Thaksin not to go to Hong Kong than an attempt to have him arrested, they said.