| |
BANGKOK - Britain has revoked the visas of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, Thailand's foreign ministry told AFP Saturday, after they fled to the UK to escape corruption allegations.
The ministry confirmed the entry ban after an airline official said the British Embassy in Bangkok had emailed all airlines informing them not to allow the couple to board flights to Britain.
"We have received confirmation from the British authorities that they have revoked former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife's visas, but they did not give any explanation," deputy foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdee told AFP.
Thaksin, ousted in a 2006 coup, fled to Britain in early August after his wife was convicted on tax evasion charges, saying he would not receive a fair trial in Thailand.
He has since been sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for conflict of interest after helping his wife buy state-owned land when he was prime minister. Four other corruption cases are outstanding against him.
His exact whereabouts on Saturday were unknown, but local media reported he was travelling from China to the Philippines.
Embassy officials have refused to comment, but in the email to airlines, seen by AFP, Bangkok-based immigration liaison manager Andy Gray, from the UK Border Agency wrote: "The United Kingdom Border Agency has revoked the UK visas held by the following Thai nationals: Thaksin Shinawatra... Potjaman Shinawatra," listing the pair's passport numbers.
"The UK visas contained in the passports of the individuals listed above are no longer valid for travel. Airlines are advised not to carry these passengers to the UK," the email said.
Thaksin's Thailand-based spokesman said he could not confirm the ban. "What I can verify is that Thaksin has not received any document from the British authorities concerning this issue.... But if it's true Thaksin can clarify the matter," said Phonthep Thepkanjana.
In October a British Home Office spokesman said Thaksin and his wife had applied for political asylum, but people close to Thaksin were later quoted in Thai media as saying that report was incorrect.
Thaksin's critics in Thailand, supported by a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), have occupied the grounds of the prime minister's offices since August, accusing the current government of running the country on his behalf.
The group, whose protests preceded the 2006 coup, descended on the British embassy on October 30 to demand Britain extradites the former premier, a week after a senior Thai prosecutor admitted the chances of doing so were "slim".
But the director of the attorney general's international affairs department told AFP he hoped to begin the legal process by the start of next year.
Thaksin addressed his supporters in Thailand on November 1, denouncing his opponents in a telephone address to 90,000 loyal supporters packed into a Bangkok sports stadium.
The populist politician maintains a loyal support base among the kingdom's majority rural poor.
Speaking from an undisclosed location, Thaksin thanked the crowd but told them he could not return to the kingdom from exile without a royal pardon.
Despite his considerable wealth, Thaksin was forced to sell British Premier League club Manchester City in September after his assets in Thailand were frozen as a result of the corruption and fraud charges.
The 59-year-old sold the club to United Arab Emirates-based investment group Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG) but keeps an honorary role on the club's board.
Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Thaksin's brother-in-law, refused to comment on the case while touring the northern province of Chiang Rai on Saturday.
"It's Britain's right whether or not to cancel a visa, I will not make any comment. The most important thing for the government is to expedite the work of improving people's well-being," Somchai told reporters.
- AFP/yb/ir
|
