Thailand mulls Thaksin's extradition
Thursday, August 14, 2008
THE Thai attorney general's office has begun considering a possible bid to extradite former premier Thaksin Shinawatra from Britain, where he has retreated into exile, an official said yesterday.
Thaksin skipped a required court appearance in a corruption case Monday in Bangkok and flew to London, saying he believed political interference in Thailand would rob him of a fair trial on corruption charges.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and the head of the attorney general's international affairs department said that his office had begun looking into the legalities of seeking his extradition.
"We held an internal meeting Monday to study the legal details and aspects of the case," Sirisak Tiyapan said.
But he added that so far no government agency has actually filed a motion requesting the attorney general to seek Thaksin's return to Thailand.
"Whether we can successfully extradite him depends on the country we put the request to. So far there is no formal request yet," Sirisak said.
Some experts say extraditing Thaksin from Britain would prove difficult because the charges against him are not explicitly covered by existing treaties between the two countries.AFP
Thaksin skipped a required court appearance in a corruption case Monday in Bangkok and flew to London, saying he believed political interference in Thailand would rob him of a fair trial on corruption charges.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and the head of the attorney general's international affairs department said that his office had begun looking into the legalities of seeking his extradition.
"We held an internal meeting Monday to study the legal details and aspects of the case," Sirisak Tiyapan said.
But he added that so far no government agency has actually filed a motion requesting the attorney general to seek Thaksin's return to Thailand.
"Whether we can successfully extradite him depends on the country we put the request to. So far there is no formal request yet," Sirisak said.
Some experts say extraditing Thaksin from Britain would prove difficult because the charges against him are not explicitly covered by existing treaties between the two countries.AFP
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