Bangkok Crimes

The Bangkok Post

Thaworn: Thaksin nearly arrested

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra narrowly escaped arrest in Kuala Lumpur, slipping out of his hotel ahead of police and flying to the Pacific Island country of Fiji, Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Sennian said in Pattani province on Monday.

Mr Thaworn said the Malaysian government had cooperated with Thailand in planning to arrest the fugitive former prime minister on learning of he was staying at the Shangri-la Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

But Thaksin was vigilant enough to escape arrest and caught a plane to Fiji.

The minister did not reveal when this happened.

The Nation

Fugitive and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has reportedly visited Malaysia before leaving for Fiji, Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam said Monday.

Thaworn said he understood Thaksin went to Malaysia on Saturday and left on Sunday.

However, his reasons for going to Malaysia are not known, and, Thaworn said, the report was unconfirmed. Police are verifying it.

Thaksin left Malaysia before Thai police could take action, Thaworn said. It remained the responsibility of the police, attorney general and the Foreign Ministry to get Thaksin back to serve the convictions against him, he said.

The deputy interior minister said the government was not worried by reports Thaksin was in Thailand’s neighbourhood.

KC: I am certain that the only place we can be sure Thaksin exists is in the puerile minds of Thailand’s establishment and its obsequious mouthpieces The Nation and The Bangkok Post. The above reports read like the plot of a 007 novel, or perhaps the tattered pages of a vintage Marvel comic. The Post reports a “narrow escape” with a “vigilant” Thaksin “slipping out” of the Shangri-La hotel “ahead of police” who must have had trouble chasing him all the way to Kuala Lumpur’s international airport, or did he simply disappear in a puff of smoke before flying to the Pacific island of Fiji? I can’t wait for the comic version of the Bangkok Post to arrive, each edition could feature a segment of Thaksin’s illustrious life from San Kampaeng silk boy to fugitive jet-setter, a man whose multiple passports, sacks of cash and unwavering popularity are the stuff of real adventures. Will Thaksin thwart the authorities in Fiji too? Will the Thai police be able to take action in Fiji before Thaksin flees to his hidden underwater lair? Find out next week in the Bangkok Post.