UK Revokes Thaksin Shinawatra’s Visa
The BBC and local Thai press state that the United Kingdom has revoked the visas of Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, Potjaman, who are currently believed to be travelling in East Asia. According to reports, an email was sent from the UK Border Agency to airlines stating that Thaksin and his wife no longer had valid visas to enter the United Kingdom. The ruling does not extend to the Shinawatra children who still retain valid UK visas. Meanwhile, Thaksin’s spokesman says his client has not been notified about this decision.
Thaksin and his wife have both been sentenced to jail in Thailand during their absence and would face immediate arrest if they set foot on Thai soil. Some correspondents suggest that Thaksin was in the process of applying for political asylum in Britain although the former Thai leader has previously denied this. Thaksin Shinawatra has spent much of his time living in London since being deposed as Thailand’s prime minister in the 2006 coup. Speculation is mounting about where Thaksin will now decide to live with China and the Bahamas being mentioned as possibilities.
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