Thaksin, Potjaman apply for political asylum in UK
Written by changthai11 on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
OUSTED PRIME MINISTER
Thaksin, Potjaman apply for political asylum in UK
BANGKOK POST AND AFP
Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has applied for political asylum in Britain where he has spent most of his time since he was forced out of office two years ago, officials in London said yesterday. The Home Office said Mr Thaksin applied for asylum when he flew into Britain in early August, breaking his bail conditions in a graft case in Thailand.
”He applied for asylum pretty much when he landed … and so did his wife,” a spokesman said.
But the Home Office said it could give no further information on the progress of the applications because it does not comment on individual cases.
The Supreme Court issued a fourth arrest warrant for Mr Thaksin on Sept 26 when he failed to appear.
His wife, Khunying Potjaman, has been convicted on tax evasion charges, adding to the legal cases piling up against the couple since Mr Thaksin was toppled.
Sirisak Tiyapan, chief prosecutor for foreign affairs of the Office of the Attorney-General (OAG), said even if the couple were granted asylum by the British government, the Thai government would continue to ask the British government to extradite them to Thailand if they were convicted by a Thai criminal court.
Nevertheless, Mr Sirisak admitted the extradition process could be more complicated if the British government allowed the couple to live in exile because when seeking their extradition, the OAG would then have to prove to the British government that the conviction against the couple was not politically motivated.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has confirmed efforts to bring Mr Thaksin and his wife back are ongoing.
The prime minister’s wife, Yaowapa, is Mr Thaksin’s younger sister.
Mr Somchai said he had instructed his secretary-general to look into the possibilities of revoking Mr Thaksin’s diplomatic passport.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry previously referred the proposed revocation of the passport to Mr Somchai for a decision
