Thaksin blacklisted in Germany
The former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra who has been a fugitive since 2006 has been blacklisted in Germany. The German government has said that the residence permit in Germany has been issued illegally and Thaksin would be arrested on his arrival in Germany.
Thai foreign ministry was notified of the ban in an official letter from the German Embassy. This ban strikes off another country off the map for Thaksin, who continues to travel across the world with a variety of passports.
The government of Britain revoked Thaksin’s Visa in November 2008, a month after a Thai court convicted him of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison. This resulted in blocking Thaksin from returning to London where he has been living in a self imposed exile in a posh house in Thailand.
Thailand has extradition agreement with United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong where Thaksin has spent his time fleeing the country while on bail. Currently, Thaksin’s whereabouts are unknown; however he is expected to be in Middle East.
Several warrants have been issued for his arrest and his passport was invoked in April accusing him of anti government protests which turned violent and triggered a state of Emergency.
Nearly three years after the bloodless coup that ousted Thaksin, the country remains deeply divided by a political crisis that has badly damaged the confidence in the export and tourism driven economy.