Surapong's Passport Move 'Just A Bid To Save His Job'

[Lite Beer]

Surapong's passport move 'just a bid to save his job'

The Nation on Sunday

Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said yesterday that he believed Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul is pushing hard to issue a passport to former PM Thaksin Shinawatra because he is worried about being kicked out of the Cabinet.

Chavanand said the Democrat-led government cancelled Thaksin's Thai passport because he had an arrest warrant in connection with the Ratchadaphisek land case and because he was actively providing wrong information to the public through his phone-ins.

"We believe Thaksin poses a security threat to the country, so we do not want him to travel freely to foreign countries,'' he said.

The spokesman said Thaksin's passport had expired and the Foreign Ministry would have to issue him a new passport. This would require that Thaksin's photograph be taken.

"The government has a duty to arrest Thaksin since he is a fugitive and not issue him a passport. Police and security agencies must stop the government or the Foreign Ministry because Thaksin has an arrest warrant against him, otherwise the officials involved would be accused of distorting the facts and the law,'' he said.

Chavanond said he had heard that Surapong is one of the ministers facing the axe in the Cabinet, hence he had to show some achievement benefiting Thaksin, which might help catapult him to a better post.

"We want to warn Surapong that he is exploiting legal loopholes and he would come under scrutiny for dereliction of duty,'' he said.

The Democrat Party, he said, would take action against every official involved in the procedure to issue a passport to Thaksin.

Chavanond said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra could not absolve herself of this responsibility if she allowed Surapong to issue a Thai passport to Thaksin.

Surapong dropped a bomb-shell last week when he said that he wanted to return Thaksin's passport to him as a New Year gift.

Chavanond said instead of giving Thais a New Year's gift, Surapong was thinking of only one person.

-- The Nation 2011-12-04

[Buchholz]

The spokesman said Thaksin's passport had expired and the Foreign Ministry would have to issue him a new passport. This would require that Thaksin's photograph be taken.

Indeed, an update from his earlier Thailand passport photo

to a current photo

is obviously needed to reflect the reality of how a fugitive's life on the run has altered his appearance.

.

Edited December 4, 2011 by Buchholz

[OzMick]

Left ear lobe has a definite crease - I live in hope.

[hellodolly]

All that money and he can't buy a new face.

[phiphidon]

Left ear lobe has a definite crease - I live in hope.

So you live in hope that the crease in his ear lobe is indicative of being more likely to have a heart attack. Nice. Or are you just concerned for his health, I might have got it wrong?

[chainarong]

Oh dear , and I thought the world and Thailand was at piece with itself, just how wrong can you be.

[MEL1]

Left ear lobe has a definite crease - I live in hope.

So you live in hope that the crease in his ear lobe is indicative of being more likely to have a heart attack. Nice. Or are you just concerned for his health, I might have got it wrong?

Is one permitted to fly a corpse from Dubai into another country without a passport of entry to that country?

-mel.

[OzMick]

Left ear lobe has a definite crease - I live in hope.

So you live in hope that the crease in his ear lobe is indicative of being more likely to have a heart attack. Nice. Or are you just concerned for his health, I might have got it wrong?

That is characteristic of you.

[OzMick]

Left ear lobe has a definite crease - I live in hope.

So you live in hope that the crease in his ear lobe is indicative of being more likely to have a heart attack. Nice. Or are you just concerned for his health, I might have got it wrong?

Is one permitted to fly a corpse from Dubai into another country without a passport of entry to that country?

-mel.

As long as the wooden stake is firmly in place through the heart.

[Mosha]

Personal opinion aside. Has he had a stroke? he certainly does not look fit in that photo. An excuse to pardon him, no way.

[MEL1]

Personal opinion aside. Has he had a stroke? he certainly does not look fit in that photo. An excuse to pardon him, no way.

Personal opinion aside, I'm sure he's had a few strokes. A few strokes across paper writing illegal cheques, a few strokes across the forehead from illegal colleagues' actions, a few strokes of sweat over companies, but a big stroke of ...hum.....just "pure bad luck" when he was found out!

-mel.

[ratcatcher]

They say "losing face" is an Asian thing. Mr Thaksin seems to have succeeded.

Beauty and the .......................

"She's my clone."

Edited December 4, 2011 by ratcatcher

[yoshiwara]

The ministers put their foot in it again. 'It is not about Thaksin' followed by 'yes it is'.

[juleschiangrai]

Why waste all this time?? This Thaksin thing is just to much now. All these issues in the country and they are still all concerned about Thaksin. He isnt in the country, he has no passport so eventually he will be f@#ked. Why keep bothering with this usless news. Im not a government official and may I add far from one, but how can a country not get a grip on an issue that is apperantly so important to them. Regardless of his sister being PM and cousin being foreign misister you would think someone would have just gotten him already. It just goes to show how much people actually take things seriously around here. I personally think that no one wants him caught because it would have been done already.. Then again, this is amazing Thailand.

[animatic]

Why waste all this time?? This Thaksin thing is just to much now. All these issues in the country and they are still all concerned about Thaksin. He isnt in the country, he has no passport so eventually he will be f@#ked. Why keep bothering with this usless news. Im not a government official and may I add far from one, but how can a country not get a grip on an issue that is apperantly so important to them. Regardless of his sister being PM and cousin being foreign misister you would think someone would have just gotten him already. It just goes to show how much people actually take things seriously around here. I personally think that no one wants him caught because it would have been done already.. Then again, this is amazing Thailand.

Likely, many do not want him alive on Thai soil, smuggling out incendiary message from his plush jail cell. The man is apparently dangerous off-shore, and would likely be more so in Thailand, but incarcerated. Many more just don't bother with the issue because history has shown that they have no power to deal with his like, and so pretend the problem doesn't exist, and sleep better for that active ignorance.

[animatic]

Personal opinion aside. Has he had a stroke? he certainly does not look fit in that photo. An excuse to pardon him, no way.

Possibly, but self -induced stress can cause greater aging in a short time.

It appears he has given himself large portions of stress the last few years.

He could have lived a super pleasant dotage golfing, entertaining and juggling business, but he seemingly could not allow himself to relax.

Surapong seems to be hanging by a thread. His only reason to be in the FM chair was for this passport, making it look all forgiven, and smoothing travel issues for his cousin.

He has no substantive qualifications for the job to speak of. Even before he was officially installed and in his office he lobbied Japan to let Thaksin 'lecture them on 'disaster management'.

I bet after the last 3 months they are replaying his speech over and over again, to learn the fine points of 'Thai Disaster Management'...

Edited December 5, 2011 by animatic

[phiphidon]

Left ear lobe has a definite crease - I live in hope.

So you live in hope that the crease in his ear lobe is indicative of being more likely to have a heart attack. Nice. Or are you just concerned for his health, I might have got it wrong?

That is characteristic of you.

Likewise, if I may say so.

[maeab]

When he is dead his which wont be to long from the looks of him, His corpse can have a passport. He already looks worse then kieth richards!

[ballpoint]

The spokesman said Thaksin's passport had expired and the Foreign Ministry would have to issue him a new passport. This would require that Thaksin's photograph be taken.

Indeed, an update from his earlier Thailand passport photo

to a current photo

is obviously needed to reflect the reality of how a fugitive's life on the run has altered his appearance.

.

Saving face doesn't seem to have helped him. He should have saved it in a cool store instead of under the bed as he appears to have.

The words of Mark (no, not that one) spring to mind: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own face?"