Thaksin's passport issued in October

The Foreign Ministry yesterday confirmed it had issued a regular passport to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in late October, a day after the ousted premier made a request.

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said yesterday he had granted permission to issue a regular passport to Thaksin in accordance with the 2005 Foreign Ministry regulation.

Thaksin submitted his application through the Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi on October 25, requesting a passport as an ordinary citizen.

His passport was cancelled on April 12, 2009 after protests by the red-shirt group against the Abhisit Vejjajiva government.

The then foreign minister Kasit Piromya revoked Thaksin's regular passport under article 23 (7) of the ministry regulation on the ground that his stay abroad might hurt the country's interests. Thaksin was accused of manipulating the red-shirt protests.

Surapong said he revoked Kasit's order and granted permission to issue a passport to Thaksin because the government did not consider his stay abroad as a threat to the country.

The Consular Affairs Department issued a regular passport to Thaksin on October 26 and delivered it to him through the ministry-embassy normal channel, according to ministry spokesman Thani Thongpakdi.

Surapong rejected an allegation by the opposition Democrat Party that he had personally handed over the passport to the former premier. The minister was in Abu Dhabi from November 22-25 but did not meet Thaksin who was then in South Korea.

The Democrats threatened to impeach Surapong for abuse of power by issuing a passport to Thaksin who was escaping a jail sentence. Thaksin was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for abuse of power over the purchase of a plot of land from a state agency while he was holding a political position.

Surapong challenged the opposition party to open a debate in Parliament or take legal action against him.

"The termination [of the passport] was motivated by politics, the issuance is also in the same manner," he said. "This is a political issue so it should be solved by political means."

Surapong said he had not removed Thaksin's name from any blacklist as the name was never in the list.

Thaksin used to also hold a diplomatic passport but it was terminated by the military-backed government under Surayud Chulanont in 2007.

Thani said the former premier applied for a regular passport, not a diplomatic one.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she has just learned that her elder brother Thaksin had been issued a passport and understood that the Foreign Ministry had pursued the matter in accordance with the law and regulations.

Opposition leader Abhisit said Foreign Minister Surapong will have to take responsibility if he is found to have abused his authority and violated the law on the issue.

Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut accused Surapong of lying to the public that he has not yet issued a passport to Thaksin when in fact he done so a long time ago.

The minister made a mistake and violated the law. "Shame on Surapong for lying and having no accountability. This person should not be the foreign minister. Prime Minister Yingluck should dump him," Chavanond said.

Chavanond, a former secretary to the foreign minister in the previous government, distributed a letter signed by Sansith Narinthalangul na Ayuthaya, assistant to the Secretary of Criminal Court for persons who hold a political position, to the Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary on August 15, 2008 prohibiting Thaksin from travelling abroad.

Article 21 (2) of the 2005 Foreign Ministry regulation says the ministry can cancel any passport on a request from the police, court or interior officials.

The Court, however, granted permission to Thaksin on July 28, 2008 to travel out of the country.