Podgorica: Montenegro has asked fugitive
former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra to avoid making any
public comments during his stay in the Balkans country, a
source said Wednesday.
The request comes a day after a court in Thailand
approved an arrest warrant for Thaksin on terrorism charges
over recent political violence in Bangkok which left more than
80 people dead.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the former
prime minister to refrain from making any comments," a
Montenegrin source close to Thaskin said.
According to the Montengrin source, who spoke on
condition of anonymity, Thaksin was due back in the Adriatic
state Wednesday after a quick trip to Cyprus.
"He will stay the next two days in Montenegro and
probably go to France afterwards," the source said.
The French foreign ministry said Tuesday that they had
persuaded Thaksin to abandon plans to give a speech on the
Thai political crisis for a little known think tank in Paris
on May 31.
But the head of the group organising the speech insisted
it would go ahead.
The charges filed against Thaksin in his native country
include that he has been bankrolling the protests and inciting
unrest from overseas.
The telecoms tycoon-turned-politician was ousted in a
bloodless military coup in 2006 and has been living in
self-imposed exile, mainly in Dubai, to avoid a two-year jail
term for corruption.
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 19:31