Thaksin aide denies UK talks

News > Local News

Published: 8 Sep 2012 at 20.34
Online news: Local News

An aide to Thaksin Shinawatra has denied knowledge of reports that Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat and high-ranking officers from the ministry were flying to meet Thaksin in the United Kingdom.

Noppadon Pattama, Thaksin's legal adviser, declined to comment on the report, saying only that he had spoken with the deposed former premier on Saturday and was not informed about any such meeting.

He said Thaksin would stay in the UK until the end of this month. He was also due to deliver a speech on the economy and the Asian region in Italy by Sept 15, he said.

Reports said ACM Sukumpol and his entourage left Bangkok at noon on Friday.

ACM Sukumpol has faced criticism over the transfers of senior Defence Ministry officials who disagreed with his choice for a new permanent secretary.

Media reports said the minister and Thaksin were expected to discuss concerns that the Administrative Court may block ACM Sukumpol's order to transfer defence permanent secretary Sathian Phoemthongin and his deputy Chatree Thatti to inactive posts.

ACM Sukumpol wanted to promote assistant army chief Thanongsak Apirakyothin, reportedly a Thaksin favourite, to replace Gen Sathian who is to retire next month. Gen Sathian favoured his deputy Gen Chatree as his successor.

This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.

Forum

Your comments

aussie
Post : 613
Send message

Discussion 20 : 10 Sep 2012 at 07.1320
Post this to my Facebook
domdumm Dis#17 , Politically motivated alright , he was in the position of Thai PM and he ripped off the Thai People !
Why doesn`t taxsin just return and address the Thai people and face his pending cases , so easy ?
Guess not ?
Like dislike 4 people liked / 0 people disliked this comment
domdunnn
Post : 1,132
Send message

Discussion 19 : 09 Sep 2012 at 18.2719
Post this to my Facebook
pete D18

Go to Bangkok Pundit, like me he didn't believe the story of the UK freezing Thaksin's assets, so on 22 Dec 2008 he contacted Anil Bhoyrul the Editorial Director of Arabian Business magazine who admitted that the story was a mistake. Didn't happen.
Like dislike 4 people liked / 4 people disliked this comment
pete
Post : 434
Send message

Discussion 18 : 09 Sep 2012 at 14.4618
Post this to my Facebook
domdunn D16:

It was US$4.2m
Details: http://www.arabianbusiness.com/catch-me-if-you-can-82095.html
Like dislike 5 people liked / 2 people disliked this comment
domdunnn
Post : 1,132
Send message

Discussion 17 : 09 Sep 2012 at 14.4417
Post this to my Facebook
pete D5.

In the UK it is generally thought that the reason the British government revoked Thaksin's visa was to avoid putting the Thai government in the embarrassing position of once again making an extradition request that was likely to be turned down by the British courts,( see their failure to extradite Pin Chakkaphak). That is why they revoked the visa whilst Thaksin was outside the country, if he had been in the UK he would have had the right of appeal.

It is thought that Thaksin would have argued, first, that the extradition treaty did not cover the crime for which he was convicted, second, that the alleged crime (being required to give his wife permission to conduct a business deal) was at odds with UK and European human rights law and third that the conviction was politically motivated.

Now that there is no chance of an extradition request they are happy to let him have a visa again.
Like dislike 5 people liked / 5 people disliked this comment
domdunnn
Post : 1,132
Send message

Discussion 16 : 09 Sep 2012 at 14.1916
Post this to my Facebook
pete D5

This news that the UK 'froze' 4.5 billion (£ Baht?) of Thaksin's assets is new to me, more details, please.
Like dislike 6 people liked / 4 people disliked this comment
android
Post : 2,242
Send message

Discussion 15 : 09 Sep 2012 at 13.3015
Post this to my Facebook
Another Thaksin's trip that is meant to deface his political opponents.
Like dislike 2 people liked / 10 people disliked this comment
dickemery
Post : 833
Send message

Discussion 14 : 09 Sep 2012 at 11.3614
Post this to my Facebook
if the US government let in the fugitive was it under his thai citizen passport or dipolomatic passport or one of his mickey mouse passport,the public will not know ,but for sure the US will in future be very reluctant ,as he violated his visit by holding a political gathering,where the cops had to quell the unrest.uk is also the same stance banned, but again what if he were allowed in uk using which passport ,but he most probaly have a bigger audience as most of the thai women married to a brit come from the north,as we know they have also been brain washed
Like dislike 7 people liked / 2 people disliked this comment
bkk1
Post : 422
Send message

Discussion 13 : 09 Sep 2012 at 11.0013
Post this to my Facebook
Let Thaskin and his paid Goverment MP go and do what they like as long as Thaksin does not come back to Thailand unless it's to jail who really cares what he does
We Thais know the real truth about and for he stands for
Like dislike 14 people liked / 2 people disliked this comment
whatajoke
Post : 1,763
Send message

Discussion 12 : 09 Sep 2012 at 10.4812
Post this to my Facebook
Noppadom is always using news like this to tell us all 'see the whole world now recognises Thaksin as a statesman and see his charges as politically motivated'.

What will materialise is that those individuals will be seen in England but will say they were there on 'shopping trips' and miraculously bumped into Thaksin.
Like dislike 9 people liked / 1 people disliked this comment
nosurprise
Post : 338
Send message

Discussion 11 : 09 Sep 2012 at 08.5511
Post this to my Facebook
When will we hear confirmation from the embassies of the US and the UK that T has been to their countries this year?
Like dislike 8 people liked / 2 people disliked this comment