OAG to negotiate extradition treaty with Hong Kong soon
The Office of the Attorney General revealed that it was in the process of negotiating an extradition treaty with Hong Kong soon for the apprehension of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Director General of the Foreign Crimes Division of the OAG Sirisak Tiyapun revealed that the pursuit of deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who had been sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for his unlawful purchase of land in the Ratchada area has progressed to the formation of a joint committee between the OAG and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The committee has been established with the singular purpose of following the movements of Dr. Thaksin and is currently coordinating with authorities in Hong Kong in preparation for the negotiation of an extradition treaty.
Mr. Sirisak assured that the seemingly extra effort being put into extraditing Dr. Thaksin was not a vendetta between him and the government, stating that the extradition treaty between Thailand and Hong Kong has been long overdue since steps to negotiate the document began several years ago.
He remarked that the exact whereabouts of the ousted PM were not even known, with only unconfirmed information indicating that he was in the Hong Kong area.
National News Bureau of Thailand
9 March 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
OAG to negotiate extradition treaty with Hong Kong soon
Democrat Party spokesperson: extradition treaty not politically motivated
Democrat Party spokesperson: extradition treaty not politically motivated
Democrat Party Spokesperson Buranaj Samutharak asserts Thailand-Hong Kong’s extradition treaty is a collaboration to reach an agreement, not a political motive as alleged by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Buranaj said that the Democrat Party wanted the Government to affirm that charges against Mr Thaksin were not political, and Mr Thaksin was not a political prisoner but a criminal.
Mr Buranaj’s statement was in response to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s allegation that extradition treaty between Thailand and Hong Kong was discriminatory and politically motivated.
Mr Buranaj also said that the extradition treaty was for criminal cases, not political ones. He added that the treaty was a result from the collaboration to reach an agreement between Thailand and Hong Kong, which had been in progress from recent past.
Regarding the coming censure debate that Phua Thai Party said that the party would not bring up sexual scandals as debating agenda, Mr Buranaj said that Phua Thai Party might have realized that the current Thai society would not accept old politics as much as before so they decided to change the agenda.
National News Bureau of Thailand
9 March 2009
Thai-Hong Kong extradition treaty to completed soon
Thai-Hong Kong extradition treaty to completed soon
An extradition treaty between Thailand and Hong Kong is soon to be completed but may not come up in time for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s speech on 12 March.
The Sunday Morning Post, a local newspaper in Hong Kong reported that the extradition treaty between Thailand and Hong Kong was due to be completed soon.
Director-General of the Office of the Attorney-General's International Affairs Department Sirisak Tiyaphan said that the cooperation between Thai and Hong Kong was to bring criminals using loophole of the law to jump off their cases back to their home countries.
The treaty is known as one of the bids to bring the ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra back to Thailand. However, the treaty may not be in time with the speech that the ousted Prime Minister will deliver at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong on 12 March.
A legal source said that there have been constant negotiations on the extradition treaty between Thailand and Hong Kong, but the process has been speeded up since last year. It is certain that the treaty will include Mr Thaksin in the list although the treaty in general is not initially made for any specific purposes.
Mr Phongthep Thepkarnchana, the personal Spokesperson of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that Mr Thaksin will not go to give his speech on the stage at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong on 12 March but will deliver it via video-link instead.
Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister and acting Government Spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said that the government would negotiate with countries, where traces of Mr Thaksin were found, to narrow down movements of the ousted Prime Minister.
Mr Panitan said that Mr Thaksin would be forced to go to some small countries and become less powerful until he had to return to Thailand.
Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs Suthep Thaugsuban asserted on the treaty that he always welcomed Mr Thaksin's return. Mr Suthep also said that Mr Thaksin’s phone-in talk during the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) rallies was acceptable since Thailand is a democratic country.
National News Bureau of Thailand
9 March 2009