Uk Cancel Thaksin's Visa And Wife's

[Mosha]

Jonathan Head has just been on BBC. He said that Thaksin settled in the UK has a businessman, and that now he has sold City he no longer has any UK based business interests. The UK government has been under considerable pressure from anti government protesters to return Thaksin.

The fact that Thaksin no longer has business interest in the UK, so that may well be the excuse they needed to keep him out.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Mosha

[markg]

The BBC are reporting that the visa was revoked by the British Foreign Office.

The BBC seemed to be saying that his visa was issued on the basis of him being a business man, and now that he has sold his stake in manchester city football club (notice - lower case letters, me being a United fan) that he has no further business interests.

It would appear to me that he isnt using his diplomatic passport - as i dont think they need visas, do they?

The BBC also alluded to Thaksin having a number of 'honourary' citizenships - meaning that he may or may not be able to apply for a passport from a different country. Presumably he would of course have to comply with the Thai law of not being able to hold two different nationality's passports at the same time....................................

[jdinasia]

There's a copy of the actual (purported) e-mail here.

Their visa's have not been revoked.

Just more lies from the fazist PAD thugs.

Desperate moves by desperate people.

This is a weird story. Do you think it might be fabricated?

Most likely fabricated.

I did a search:

http://press.homeoffice.gov.uk/press-relea...s#searchResults

Very odd The Nation publish this without double checking the ''news''.

LaoPo

Here's the full story in the Nation. Sounds pretty authoritative to me. But Who knows for sure?

ASYLUM SETBACK

UK cancels visas of Thaksin, wife

By The Nation

Published on November 8, 2008

The British Embassy has revoked entry visas of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman.

Well to me it sounds as authoritative as Winnie the Pooh.It's a hoax unless I'm much mistaken.I especially relish the quote from diplomatic observers couched in the usual semi-literate Nation house style.England has in reality on this matter only been "under the world community's watchful eyes" in PAD fevered imagination.

Having said that I doubt whether the British authorities would be happy with Thaksin actively engaged in overseas politicking, ie summoning followers to Manila etc.But overall it's amusing to see how easily some people are taken in.

What a load off poppycock.

Does anyone remember a few months back when there was news reports and press conferences with a sidelined military general and some people wearing disguises purported to be insurgent group leaders declaring a truce in the deep south? Huge embarrassment for Thailand!

Can the Thai people be duped again like many people have been on this forum today?

PAD or no PAD this is a JOKE. Coincidentally, the PAD is losing support in Bangkok and does need to provide a sense of moving forward with whatever their agenda is. Coincidentally, a PAD affiliated new organization provided this breaking news to their supporters and to the world before anyone else. The NY Times is also quoting Thai news sources and nowhere yet has it appeared in the British tabloids.

It is hard to believe that someone would put out such a historic story and expect it to be believed for a couple of days but it did happen in the recent past. This is Thailand so we can expect the celebrating in the streets to diminish soon, some organization to declare a misunderstanding in "VISA GATE" and life will go on. People are so gullible.

You all were saying? Since BBC is now reporting it from a UK gov't source ......

[MKAsok]

I hear the Republic of Chad is nice this time of year...

[bangkokrick]

The BBC are reporting that the visa was revoked by the British Foreign Office.

The BBC seemed to be saying that his visa was issued on the basis of him being a business man, and now that he has sold his stake in manchester city football club (notice - lower case letters, me being a United fan) that he has no further business interests.

It would appear to me that he isnt using his diplomatic passport - as i dont think they need visas, do they?

The BBC also alluded to Thaksin having a number of 'honourary' citizenships - meaning that he may or may not be able to apply for a passport from a different country. Presumably he would of course have to comply with the Thai law of not being able to hold two different nationality's passports at the same time....................................

This just gets better and better. I just hope that his brother in law does not decide to revoke the Visa'a of all British nationals residing in Thailand.

Cheers, Rick

[jamesjdaly]

Som nam naa, you corrupt bastards! Edited November 8, 2008 by jamesjdaly

[Noodles]

Off down to brazil then thaksin

[bangkokrick]

Also reported on Yahoo news.

yahoo short article

Cheers, Rick

[marshbags]

What next for the crazy members of the red T shirt brigade???????

Will they be marching on the British Embassy to cause chaos, because if they do, peaceful i reckon going on their history, wil not be part of the scenario.

Be interesting to see what his surrogate government have to say about it.

I look forward to some feedback after todays proposed meeting in the Phillipines or where ever.

Bolivia don,t forget, have already offered him a job sorting the country finances out, among other things

marshbags

P.S.

Perfect timing again, wait while he leaves the country, then WHAMMMMMMMM !!!!!!!!!

Edited November 8, 2008 by marshbags

[Siripon]

Yesterday it was Sonthi's 62 birthday too, so he wasn't sure if the message was a hoax!

What a nice present for him.

Sonthi said he realised he may well go to jail for the charges he faces but he said he'll do the time, no running away, and won't ask for a pardon either.

Seems like YH doesn't know the British establishment as well as he thought!

[JacknDanny]

Just debating whether it would be safe to put on my Union Jack tee-shirt and 'kiss me quick' hat

[Guest Reimar]

If you don't understand the meaning of my post, please feel free to pm me for a personal explanation.

Cheers.

Thanks but I have already seen those posts.I suppose it will emerge fairly soon whether the report is a hoax or not.I am afraid I still find your post rather bizarre but am not really that interested in finding out the reasons for this.

But I could be wrong since I note the AFP reports they have had sight of the relevant email.Ah well if so put it down to another "younghusband" or incorrect call, as Siripon once put it!

As usual from you if I take a look at your posting agenda!

Interesting for me is that you like to comment on something without to know what's the meaning and even telling not to be interesting in knowing it! I have to feel sorry for you!

Even very normal from you to tell something "true" and bring out rumors!

May someone will asking what kind of behavior is that.

Cheers.

[jamesjdaly]

Overheard at a Thaksin party in Kensington

All together now.............

Maybe its becoz Oim a Laaaaandaaaaaner, an Oi laaaaaaaave Laaaaandaaaaaan taaaaaan!!

[Mumbo Jumbo]

Ive just told my wife about this and she said that on Thai Tv they have just said that 5 countries have offered the Thaksin's

a home , as he will be an asset to them in sorting out the poor peoples problems ( rough translation )

[Kerryd]

Like getting those governments to offer 30 peso health care schemes, and instructing them on effective vote-buying methods, in exchange for those governments purchasing equipment from Thaksin's enterprises ?

[frodo]

The news just gets better and better each day. First Obama's election this past week, and now this. Congratulations to both countries for making some excellent decisions.

[sbk]

Britain revokes visa of ousted Thai PM Thaksin: airline official

2 hours ago

BANGKOK (AFP) — British authorities have revoked the visas of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, an airline official told AFP Saturday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the British embassy had informed all airlines in an email on Friday not to allow the couple to board flights to Britain.

"The British embassy sent an email message to all airlines.... It's general practice for all airlines, so no airline can take them on board to England from any port," he said.

Embassy officials refused to confirm or deny the report, but in the email seen by AFP, Bangkok-based immigration liaison manager Andy Gray, from the UK Border Agency wrote:

"The United Kingdom Border Agency has revoked the UK visas held by the following Thai nationals: Thaksin Shinawatra... Potjaman Shinawatra," listing the pair's passport numbers.

"The UK visas contained in the passports of the individuals listed above are no longer valid for travel. Airlines are advised not to carry these passengers to the UK," the email said.

Thaksin, ousted in a 2006 coup, fled to Britain in early August after his wife was convicted on tax evasion charges, saying he would not receive a fair trial in Thailand.

He has since been sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for conflict of interest after helping his wife buy state-owned land when he was prime minister. Four other corruption cases are outstanding against him.

His exact whereabouts on Saturday were unknown, but local media reported he was travelling from China to the Philippines.

Thaksin's Thailand-based spokesman said he could not confirm the report.

"What I can verify is that Thaksin has not received any document from the British authorities concerning this issue.... But if it's true Thaksin can clarify the matter," said Phonthep Thepkanjana.

Thaksin's critics in Thailand, supported by a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), have occupied the grounds of the prime minister's offices since August, accusing the current government of running the country on his behalf.

The group, whose protests preceded the 2006 coup, descended on the British embassy on October 30 to demand Britain extradites the former premier, a week after a senior Thai prosecutor admitted the chances of doing so were "slim".

But the director of the attorney general's international affairs department told AFP he hoped to begin the legal process by the start of next year.

Thaksin addressed his supporters in Thailand on November 1, denouncing his opponents in a telephone address to 90,000 loyal supporters packed into a Bangkok sports stadium.

The populist politician maintains a loyal support base among the kingdom's majority rural poor.

Speaking from an undisclosed location Thaksin thanked the crowd but told them he could not return to the kingdom from exile without a royal pardon.

Source: AFP

[ThaiPauly]

If his visa has been revoked then I reckon its because he is now a convicted criminal.

On a visa application you have to state if you have any convictions..well now he has, and it's a legit reason for revoking his visa and refusing him entry

If he had appealed for asylum it would have been a very costly excercise for the British taxpayer, not to mention annoying Thailand for granting him assylum, the UK very rarely turn asylum seekers away.

Nice one UK

[JacknDanny]

Ive just told my wife about this and she said that on Thai Tv they have just said that 5 countries have offered the Thaksin's

a home , as he will be an asset to them in sorting out the poor peoples problems ( rough translation ) :D

Bolivia, Bahamas, Benin, Brazil, Bastardville.......

Take your pick and go and do a 'Boys From Brazil'-like assembly with the rest of your crooked cronies.

Its only a matter of time before Thaksin is wearing concrete boots, having awoken from his nightmare next to a horses head.

[Slogger]

I hope he likes Reggae

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_299891.html

'The British embassy sent an email message to all airlines operating from Bangkok on Friday that the British authorities had revoked the visa for Thaksin and Pojaman,' he said.

Why only those operating from BKK? He's not been here for months. I think this item just shows you how contagious shit news really is - I'm surprised and dismayed how the international media are copying each other without verifying, or even quoting, reliable sources. All I can see form all these reports is that it emanates from an unnamed airline official. Load of crap if you ask me.

[MKAsok]

If his visa has been revoked then I reckon its because he is now a convicted criminal.

Almost certainly the case. Surprised he (or more specifically his lawyers) didn't predict this somewhat obvious outcome and advise him not to leave the UK, since if he stayed put, the only option for the UK authorities would have been to wait out the inevitable and interminable asylum application. What a tool. Yet more evidence of the guy's unbridled arrogance.

Edit: Changed 'him' to 'he'

Edited November 8, 2008 by MKAsok

[MKAsok]

I'm surprised and dismayed how the international media are copying each other without verifying, or even quoting, reliable sources. All I can see form all these reports is that it emanates from an unnamed airline official. Load of crap if you ask me.

The UK Foreign Office isn't a reliable source?

[JuniorExPat]

Deleted.

Edited November 8, 2008 by JuniorExPat

[brucegoniners]

ASYLUM SETBACK

UK cancels visas of Thaksin, wife

The British Embassy has revoked entry visas of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman.

The cancellation, which was decided while the couple were outside England, has been notified to airlines yesterday.

The decision was made by the United Kingdom Border Agency, and the notification email was signed by Bangkok-based Immigration Liaison Manager Andy Gray.

The email read:

"Dear All,

The United Kingdom Border Agency has revoked the UK visas held by the following Thai nations:

Thaksin Shinawatra. Thai Passport Number D215863

Potjaman Shinawatra. Thai Passport Number D206635

The UK visas contained in the passports of the individuals listed above are no longer valid for travel.

Airlines are advised not to carry these passengers to the UK"

*** end *****

The embassy would not comment on the report. Contacted embassy officials said they "cannot comment on policy matters."

It was a big political blow for Thaksin, who was believed to be on his way from China to the Philippines yesterday. It was understood that the cancellation had to do with the recent court rulings that found Pojaman guilty of tax evasion and Thaksin guilty of breaking the conflict of interest law in the Ratchadapisek land purchase scandal.

Their children's British visas are still valid.

A senior People Power Party politician who has been in China this week answered The Nation's phone contact but replied to the inquiry about Thaksin's visa situation with only "I don't know. I don't know."

Thaksin has always described England as a "democratically mature" country as compared to Thailand. But he always denied having applied for asylum although he said England would be the country where he wanted to live in exile.

Last Saturday, in a controversial long-distance phone-in from Hong Kong, Thaksin accused his political opponents of breaking his family apart. In the same address, he also begged for royal pardon or a popular show of force to bring him back to Thailand.

"Nobody can bring me back to Thailand, except royal kindness of HM the King or the power of the people," Thaksin said. He also claimed that many countries have offered him "honorary citizenship", "which made me a bit sad because I could do many things for anybody else in the world, but nothing now for my country."

The statement triggered a major controversy in Thailand, with Thaksin being accused of trying to drag HM the King into politics. The UK visa move, however, gave Thaksin's statement a whole new perspective, making him sound more like someone desperate to find refuge rather than trying to provoke a political reaction.

It is not immediately known, however, whether Thaksin was aware of the impending visa cancellation before he left England the last time.

A source familiar with the UK legal and diplomatic thinking said the cancellation could have been based on "the different statuses" of Thaksin between the time he was issued the visa and now.

The Supreme Court only found Thaksin guilty in the Ratchadapisek land case late last month, weeks after he fled Thailand during the Beijing Olympics. He fled with his wife, who only days earlier had been found guilty of tax evasion.

England has been under the world community's watchful eyes when Thaksin is concerned. Diplomatic observers have said a decision whether or not to give Thaksin asylum would generate strong ramifications on England's relations with Thailand, as well as London's reputations when democracy, foreign relations and legal principles are concerned.

-- The Nation 2008-11-08

That is sweet. Hopefully he gets what he deserves. Now he's a man without a country. Lot's of money, but nowhere to live. I love it. Hopefully he'll come back someday soon and face the music.

[JuniorExPat]

A quick Google does not reveal any UK media sources which corroborate this story. I guess we'll know tomorrow.

The story was on BBC Radio 2 news at 07:00 GMT.

JxP

[Wigwoman]

He is alright. Went to the Thai temple in London and he was there. Didn't mind us all posing with him. Sound bloke in my opinion.

[markg]

Surprised he (or more specifically his lawyers) didn't predict this somewhat obvious outcome and advise him not to leave the UK, since if he stayed put, the only option for the UK authorities would have been to wait out the inevitable and interminable asylum application. What a tool. Yet more evidence of the guy's unbridled arrogance.

Who's to say he didnt know? It's pretty certain he knew about the coup and left the country well prepared. Who's to say he didnt know that this decision was coming and left in advance of it to avoid the embarrassment of having to be escorted to the airport.

Anyway, NICE ONE U.K. is what i say. Boot him out and keep him out. He is now some one elses problem.!

[markg]

He is alright. Went to the Thai temple in London and he was there. Didn't mind us all posing with him. Sound bloke in my opinion.

Are you actually making a comment upon meeting him once and posing for a photo?

No? Seriously? here, on Thai Visa?

Pa-leese!

I'd get your flame-proof clothes on if i were you wigwoman.................

I once saw a photograph of Saddam Hussein, he seemed like a pretty sane and benign man to me.................

[jfchandler]

If this is as it appears at present on the surface to be, gotta say, a pretty crafty move on the Brits part....

Would have been nasty/bad PR business trying to do anything while the couple were actually staying in Britain to get them out. But to punch their ticket, figuratively, while they're already out of the country, that would appear to make it nice and neat.

I read in the prior posts that T might be headed to the Phils for a meeting with some of his PPP chums... Who knows, maybe he will set up permanent residence there, how about Angeles City??? After all, when it comes to poor people, the Phils has more than its fair share... Certainly enough to keep Mr. T busy for a lifetime....

[plasticpig]

this is good news for the uk.

one less rich bad boy in the uk.

hope he ends up back in thailand at some point