Freed Thai engineer to meet ex-premier Thaksin before release in Cambodia

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(Posted by CAAI News Media)

BANGKOK, Dec 13 (TNA) -- Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is considering whether to again request the Cambodian government to extradite fugitive, ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra if he visits Phnom Penh on Monday, Panithan Watanayakorn, deputy secretary-general to Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday.

Fugitive, ousted prime minister Thaksin on Sunday flew in his private jet to the Khmer capital of Phnom Penh, passing through Malaysian airspace, according to Buranat Samutrak, spokesman for Thailand’s ruling Democrat Party.

Mr. Thaksin, appointed economic adviser to the Cambodian government in early November, left Colombo earlier Sunday, asking permission to fly through Malaysian airspace with Phnom Penh as his destination, Mr. Buranat said, citing information from international cooperation.

The Democrat party spokesman said the Thai government would check the information again to confirm if he was abroad that plane and would request the extradition of Mr. Thaksin from the Khmer government, but it is not known whether Phnom Penh will cooperate.

Dr Panithan said the ministry had already received information that Mr Thaksin plans to visit Cambodia again and if the information is correct, it may ask the Khmer government to detain and extradite him to Thailand.

However, the planned request would not affect Cambodia’s decision to release Siwarak Chutipong, the Thai employee who was tried and convicted of passing Mr Thaksin’s travel information to a Thai consular official and who will be freed on Monday, Dr Panitan said.

Mr Siwarak was taken into custody on November 12 and was later sentenced to seven years jail term and fined Bt100,000 (US$3,000) for releasing the flight details of Mr Thaksin when the ex-Thai premier visited Phnom Penh last month on his first trip there after being appointed economic adviser to the Cambodian government.

Mr Siwarak's release came after Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni granted a royal pardon to him last Friday.

Prior to Mr Thaksin’s visit to Cambodia last month, the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry had also requested Cambodia to help arrest and extradite him, but the request was rejected by the Cambodian government which said that charges against the ousted premier was a political offence and not a crime in that country.

Meanwhile, Cambodian government spokesman Khieu Kanharith confirmed that Mr Thaksin would arrive in Phnom Penh on Sunday and meet Mr Siwarak before the detainee leaves for Bangkok on Monday.

Mr Thaksin will stay in Cambodia for a time and will speak on the economy during his stay in Cambodia, said Mr Kanharith. (TNA)