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UAE expresses worries over Thaksin's political movementBANGKOK, Aug 18, 2009 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed the country's worries after ousted former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra reportedly made a phone-in address to the red- shirted people on Monday from Dubai, Panit Wikitset, Assistant to Thailand's Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said here Tuesday. Thaksin made the phone-in address for thanking his red-shirted supporters, who rallied at Sanam Luang in the center of capital Bangkok and submitted a royal pardon for him to a representative of Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary. Thaksin claimed to his supporters he is a political victim, and has not been fairly treated since involved authorities adopted double standards in the country's justice system against him. Hence, he has to turn to His Majesty the King, he said. Thaksin had not stopped his phone-in address from Dubai though the UAE government has already asked Thaksin to stop his political movement from the UAE, Thai language news agency Krungthep Turakij Online quoted Panit as saying. The UAE government also sent the document concerning the request for Thaksin to stop using the UAE for his political movement, Panit said. "The phone-in address has mirrored Thaksin does not follow his promise to the UAE government. Significantly, the UAE has to manage this matter in a bid to avoid any negative impact on the Thai-UAE relations," said Panit. The Thai government on Monday contacted the UAE government through a diplomatic channel and was told that the phone-in address from the UAE won't re-occur, he said. Moreover, there are many more countries, which were visited by Thaksin, have expressed their concerns over Thaksin's political movement in their countries, Panit added. These countries informed the Thai government that they had already asked Thaksin not to use their countries for the political movement, Panit said. Thaksin was ousted by the military coup in September, 2006, in accusation of corruption, and kept in exile since then. Thaksin returned to Thailand in February, 2008 to face corruption charges, but he later fled into exile again and was convicted in absentia. |