Thailand Consul Denies Ex-PM Thaksin in Dubai
Written by Writer on Friday, November 21st, 2008
Thailand Consul Denies Ex-PM Thaksin in Dubai
DUBAI - Thailand’s Consul General Pasan Therapak has denied any knowledge of the presence of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the UAE and categorically declared there was nothing here to link the country to him.
He told Khaleej Times that the billionaire businessman-turned politician, is known to have shown interest in east Asia but not in the UAE or Dubai in particular. “For this, I cannot confirm that he is in Dubai or that he has plans to live in the UAE for good,” he said.
Before Thaksin was elected to the highest government position in Thailand, he was already a billionaire with so many business interests, the biggest bulk of which was on telecommunications, Consul General Therapak said.
“His family is still very rich and is in the business. But, what is known to all is that he is travelling around the world after UK’s cancellation of his visa this month.”
Earlier, AFP reported that the former Thai Prime Minister, who was toppled in a coup in 2006, is in Dubai.
“He is in Dubai, I don’t know how long he will be there,” Jatuporn Prompan, a key leader for a Thaksin supporters group told AFP in Bangkok.
AFP also cited links to the UAE to the selling of Premier League Club Manchester City to Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment in September.
He was allegedly forced to give up his stake after having $2.2 billion of his assets frozen as a result of corruption and fraud charges in Thailand.
He has been living in exile since August in the UK to avoid jail sentences at home. Since UK cancelled Thaksin’s visa on November 7, he has been travelling to several cities around the world, including Beijing and Hong Kong.
In Hong Kong, he was reported to have divorced his wife last week. Pojaman was married to him for 32 years. But, family and intelligence sources claimed on Sunday that the decision was for financial and legal reasons.
The couple fled to the UK in August after Pojaman and her brother were sentenced to three years in jail for tax evasion.
Thaksin, however, insisted that the charges against him and his family are politically motivated.
Khaleej Times (Dubai, UAE) / 2008-11-18
