Yingluck: No plan to get Thaksin a new passport

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday that giving a diplomatic passport back to her brother, fugitive ex-premier Thaksin, was not one of her government's plans.

Yingluck said that she would not get involved in the process and the matter would depend on Foreign Ministry regulations and procedures.

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul yesterday dismissed media reports that the government planned to reissue a diplomatic passport to Thaksin, because he was a former prime minister.

The new foreign minister said he had not investigated the feasibility of reinstating a "red passport" or diplomatic passport to the former premier, as he had not officially startedwork at the ministry.

"I'm not prepared to return the red passport to Thaksin but I will consider the case based on principles and fairness," Surapong said.

The foreign minister denied he had initiated a process to re-issue a passport, saying he would start work on Wednesday. He said if the Foreign Ministry wanted to bring the issue up, he would look at it and adhere to righteousness.

"What the previous government did by politicising the issue, we should not follow suit. The Foreign Ministry always acts in line with good protocol," he said.

Democrat Party spokesman Chavanont Intarakomalsut said, however, the Foreign Ministry did not have authority to re-issue a passport to Thaksin, who was sentenced to two years jail in late 2008 over a scandal involving a deal to buy a prime plot of land on Ratchadapisek. The ministry could not issue a new passport. Only the court, police or prosecutors could make a new decision on the matter.

"I want the new Foreign Minister or the PM to think of her acceptance statement - that she would not work for any particular person or group," Chavanont said.

Asked if a move by Japan to allow Thaksin to enter their country would be a slap on the face of the government or not, Chavanont said the Democrat government never banned Japan from allowing Thaksin to enter the country.

Senator Somchai Sawaengkarn said any Foreign Ministry move to return a Thai passport to Thaksin would cut the Yingluck administration short, because the new government was being closely watched on whether it worked for a particular group or person.

He also believed that the Pheu Thai led-government would be able to amend the Constitution - and remove appointed Senators - because it had a majority of votes in Parliament.

Pheu Thai Nonthaburi MP Chalong Riewraeng said Thaksin could get his Thai passport back because the Court has already nullified the purchase of the Ratchadapisek land and refunded Thaksin and ex-wife Pojaman Damapong the money with interest.

"The Ratchadapisek case was not corruption but political case. Thaksin delivered great achievements during his administration, he deserved to get it back," he said.

Yesterday, Surapong said he had met with the Japanese ambassador to Thailand, Seiji Kojima. He said Japan wanted to know about the Pheu Thai policy on travel restrictions that Thaksin faced. Surapong said he told the ambassador the country had no restriction and that Thaksin had travelled to many countries. He said it depend entirely on Japan whether to grant Thaksin a visa.

Thaksin is said to be planning a visit to Japan from August 22 to 28 to look at areas in Miyagi prefecture in the north, which were devastated by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Japan's immigration law forbids any foreigner convicted of breaking a law and sentenced to a jail term of one year or more from entering the country. But, the law also makes an exception for people who may have been convicted for political reasons. The justice minister has the final say in each individual case.

Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama said yesterday that the ex-premier had received an invitation from a Japanese academic institution to give a lecture and visit an area affected by the tsunami.

Meanwhile, Surapong said he expected relations with Cambodia to improve because Phnom Penh was the first to send a congratulatory note when the Yingluck Cabinet was sworn in. He said he would look into details if there was a chance to co-register historical sites near Preah Vihear Temple as World Heritage sites. He insisted that there was no conflict of interest in this move, despite the fact there has been grave concerns about demarcation of the border, both on land and sea.

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