New efforts underway to rid Thaksin of passport

BANGKOK: — Senior members in the Council of National Security (CNS) have made another attempt to get the foreign ministry to revoke the “diplomatic passport” of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, possibly by the end of the year, according to an informed source.

Some senior military figures have been annoyed by Thaksin’s movements in neighbouring countries over the past months and believe that he is quietly masterminding anti-CNS activities from these places.

According to the source, a senior CNS officer has suggested that the government confiscate Thaksin’s passport altogether if he continues with his alleged political activities from abroad, even after his diplomatic passport has been revoked.

It was not clear as to how revoking Thaksin’s diplomatic passport could curb his alleged activities because many of the places he has been visiting grant free entry to ordinary Thai citizens, according to the source.

Members of the Thai Rak Thai Party reportedly met the ousted premier in Hong Kong last month to plot a series of disturbances in the country to discredit the CNS.

Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Kiattikhun Chartprasert said the ministry maintained the same stance that permits former premiers and former foreign ministers to travel under diplomatic passport.

However, Kiattikhun said, the matter could be reconsidered “if new developments pertaining to his issue surfaced”.

The rest of Thaksin’s cabinet members have already handed their diplomatic passports to the Foreign Ministry and now travel on ordinary ones. Their diplomatic passports expire on December 21.

Meanwhile Thaksin and former ministers Kantathi Suphamongkhon and Surakiart Sathirathai retain the privilege to hold diplomatic passports in line with past practice, Kiattikhun said.

For the past several weeks, Thaksin has made headlines in Hong Kong, Indonesia and China, where he has been shopping and visiting friends, by using his diplomatic passport. He is currently travelling in China.

According to various government sources, there have been clear links between Thaksin’s supporters and former Cabinet ministers and the underground political activities, commonly referred to as “undercurrent”, aimed at destabilising the government.

According to the source, the government will issue the order after assessing the planned anti-government rally scheduled for December 10.

The source said cancelling Thaksin’s diplomatic passport was an important gesture to show the world that he no longer represented Thailand in any capacity.

The Thai Embassy in London will be instructed to issue a new ordinary passport, pending the ministry’s approval, he said.

The Nation has learned that with the order, Thaksin’s current passport will expire at midnight on December 31.

Thaksin has a five-year multiply-entry visa to Britain. He can stay in Britain during each period for no more than 160 days.

–The Nation 2006-12-08

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