Ministry denies Thaksin still has diplomatic passport

Ministry denies Thaksin still has diplomatic passport

A poster in Kanthalarak district of Si Sa Ket in November 2013 bears the message:
A poster in Kanthalarak district of Si Sa Ket in November 2013 bears the message: "Si Sa Ket people want Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to return home and will unite to fight for democracy to the end." (Bangkok Post file photo)

The Foreign Ministry on Monday denied claims by former foreign minister Prasong Soonsiri’s that Thaksin Shinawatra’s diplomatic passport had not been revoked, confirming that the fugitive ex-premier now holds no Thai travel documents.

In a statement released by the ministry, it explained Thaksin had only "two ordinary passports" before they were revoked on May 26. His "red passport", or diplomatic book, has been cancelled since Dec 15, 2008.

The ministry said it wanted to correct false information disseminated by some local media reports.

Thaksin's passport re-emerged as a hot issue last week after the Foreign Ministry decided to revoke his two Thai passports, apparently in retaliation for a press interview in Seoul on May 20 in which he claimed the privy councillors supported the 2014 coup that ousted his sister Yingluck's government.

But the saga continued after Mr Prasong told the Naewna newspaper over the weekend that Kasit Piromya, foreign minister under the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration, revoked all Thaksin's passports on the grounds that he was a fugitive and on the ministry's blacklist.

But Surapong Towichukchaikul, under the Yingluck Shinawatra government, rescinded Mr Kasit's order and reissued passports to Thaksin in 2011. He said the reissuance then may have included the red passport and urged the ministry to clear up any doubt about the ex-premier's travel documents.   

The National Anti-Corruption Commission will decide this month whether to indict Ms Yingluck and Mr Surapong for abuse of authority for their roles over giving Thaksin back his passports four years ago.

Deputy government spokesman Weerachon Sukhonthapatiphak said Thaksin now holds passports from Montenegro and Nicaragua. He the determination of whether Thaksin's May 20 comments violated the les majeste is ongoing.

Mr Surapong on Monday said he was not worried about the NACC's move because he had not taken part in the reissuance of the passports. He claimed he only asked foreign ministry officials if Thaksin's passports could be reinstated because he believed the former premier was not a threat to national security as alleged by the Democrat-led government, and that the return of the documents was carried out by officials, not him.

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