Saturday, 24 October 2009

Fury at Cambodia's refuge offer to Thaksin

http://www.smh.com.au/


BEN DOHERTY
October 24, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

HUA HIN, Thailand: The fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will face extradition and jail if he sets foot in neighbouring Cambodia, the Thai Government has warned.

Thailand was responding to an offer from the Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, to build a house for Thaksin in Phnom Penh.

Hun Sen made the offer a day before the Association of South-East Asian Nations leaders' meeting in Thailand, which began yesterday.

He said Thaksin was a ''political victim''. ''We have been great friends since Thaksin was [a] businessman, and the relationship has remained the same since he entered politics.

''Though I'm not Thai, I'm hurt by what has happened to him. My wife even cried on knowing about it and has an idea to build a home for Thaksin to come and stay honourably.''

Thaksin thanked Hun Sen in a Twitter message but stopped short of accepting the offer.

Thaksin was forced from power in a coup in 2006. In August last year he was convicted in his absence of corruption over a land deal and sentenced to two years' jail.

He has not returned since. Instead, he travels the world on a number of passports, including one from Nicaragua. A base in Cambodia would allow him to more easily co-ordinate a political comeback.

But the Thai Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, has warned that if Thaksin sets foot in Cambodia, Thailand would immediately seek his extradition.

At an ASEAN media conference the Thai Foreign Minister, Kasit Piromya, said: ''We have an extradition agreement, and procedures should be followed.''

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