Thaksin would already have his passport back
Did former Prime Minister Thaksin secretly get his passport revoked by the previous government?
According to an email sent by an anonymous Foreign Ministry official, Minister Surapong Towijakchaikul handed it to him in November when he visited Dubai, where Thaksin lives.
The opposition party Democrats wants to know from the minister whether that is correct. When that is the case, Surapong can expect legal action. Opposition leader Abhisit asks what kind of passport has been returned [civil or diplomatic] and on the basis of which criteria this was done.
According to the email sent to Democratic Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut, who disclosed the contents yesterday, a group of officials and politicians went to the Department of Consular Affairs, which was then closed due to the floods, on Oct. computer system took Thaksin's name off the blacklist and created a passport.
Minister Surapong has previously stated that he intended to return Thaksin's passport "as a New Year's gift". According to Surapong, a foreign minister has the right to issue or revoke a passport.
Update December 17: Thaksin has his passport back
Fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has had his passport revoked by the previous government since October 26. Minister Surapong Towijakchaikul (Foreign Affairs) confirmed this yesterday. Until now, the minister had always claimed that he would return Thaksin's passport as a New Year's gift. The opposition and anti-Thaksin groups are threatening legal action. They also do not like that the population has been misled.
The government in Thailand is doing well again. Especially at this time when foreign investors are already keeping their purse strings due to the flood, they are going to give this corrupt man his passport back. This will give foreign investors even more food for thought before investing in Thailand. Or should Thaksin return all the money he stole in exchange for his passport??? Turns out there are a bunch of puppets in the government and it shows again who really pulls the strings.
The current governing party Pheu Thai has promised during its election campaign to bring back Thaksin. Thaksin is still immensely popular with large parts of the electorate, as evidenced by Pheu Thai's landslide election victory in July. Vice Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung also makes no bones about it: we are bringing back Thaksin. Incidentally, Thaksin has already lost part of his assets, because that has been confiscated.
Why is Thaksin popular and Abhisit much less? I think because Thaksin is an ordinary guy who has worked his way up to become a multi-millionaire. People admire that. Abhisit was educated abroad and is considered a representative of the elite. People cannot identify with him.
The fact that Thaksin was corrupt will not bother people: all politicians are corrupt. A poll has shown that most Thais have no problem with corruption, as long as the country is doing well.
Politics, I think, is largely psychology.
I mostly agree with Dick. Politics is not about content at all. Thaksin has always presented himself as a man of the people, even if that is not true (read Thaksin, The Business of Politics in Thailand). He is far from an ordinary boy, but knows how to play the audience wonderfully. Thaksin is a clever marketer, Abhisit an intellectual. Still, I think that Abhisit would also have been popular if he had thrown the money around like Thaksin did. In the end, elections are always about 'what's in it for me'. I know that part of the population idolizes Thaksin. Yet there is also a considerable part that voted for Pheu Thai, who prefer not to see him return (also shown by research), but have cast their vote on the basis of the election promises (has the government already made preparations for even 1 promise actually solve?).
What I see as an important difference between Pheu Thai and the Democrats is the total disrespect for the legislation that Pheu Thai repeatedly displays. Completely shameless. They make little effort to disguise it. This was also the case in Thaksin's first reign. Media were silenced, alleged drug dealers could just be shot. Thaskin did what we wanted and became very irritated when journalists, academics or the judiciary got involved. He knows what is best for Thailand and the rest should keep quiet (sounds a bit like Johan Cruijff, doesn't it? 😉 ). This eventually led to a coup.
I still wonder what would have happened if Abhisit had had a freer hand within his party to implement reforms and if the red shirts had been willing to compromise last year. Perhaps the country would have set a course towards a more just society. But this is the self-destructive Thailand and so it shouldn't be. Given the unpretentious manner in which Thaksin is being brought back now, he appears to be back on the same collision course as 5 years ago. I hold my heart. Would things ever turn out here?
indeed since October 31, was all detailed in the bangkok Post yesterday, have little faith in the future here, here the government recently went to Singapore to discuss with Thaksin how to proceed, so all Thaksin puppets, as we already knew for a long time
Just read an article about the returned passport, which was now undeniable:
“This normal passport has nothing to do with extradition or whether he's innocent, but only his nationality,” foreign ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi told reporters. “No government agency, including the police — judiciary and interior ministry — opposed the re-issue of Thaksin's passport,” he said. Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul told reporters two weeks ago that Thailand would give Thaksin a passport “very soon”. Thani said Surapong had not been aware then that the document had already been issued.
Oh, so Surapomg didn't know it had long since been returned. Pretty believable. Does this mean that every Thai whose passport was taken away has now been given it back? Seems strong. Why don't they just put him on a plane to Bangkok right away? At least we've got rid of that underhanded stuff and the battle can really begin. Are you ready to rumble?
The question remains whether it is legally allowed to give a Thai his nationality back if he now has another nationality, the Montenegrin (for what that's worth)?
In Thailand, dual citizenship is possible. Abhisit also holds British nationality; there was still a fuss about it. I don't know if dual nationality is possible in Montenegro.
Dear Martin,
You write that Surapong did not know that the passport had already been returned. I don't read that in the Bangkok Post article you quote. Or are you quoting from another newspaper or website?
Dear Dick, I had this info from the site can Thaivisa. Here is the link: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/519541-thailand-gives-ex-pm-thaksin-passport-back-govt/
I have read the post you refer to. It comes from the French news agency AFP. Strange that Bangkok Post does not mention this. From the article in Bangkok Post I don't get the impression that Surapong was not aware. He says in it that he has canceled the revocation of the passport. He has that authority as a minister.
Whether you get bitten by the dog or scratched by the cat, both hurt. And you can also get a tetanus shot.
In other words; whoever rules in Thailand, or what passes for it, will always be associated with, among other things, the image of self-enrichment, not to mention the rest.
Real democracy is still a long way off, if the Thais ever succeed. To achieve this, there must be clear ideologies underlying it. Seems like a long, long road to me that needs to be walked.
I agree with Maarten's last sentence, “could it ever……………….”