PAD|People's Alliance for Democracy
This is the unofficial/personal blog site from one PAD member.

The UK embassy in Thailand sent a letter to all airlines (under Airport Operations Committee membership ; AOC ) that the UK Border Agency has canceled Thaksin and Pojarmarn’s visas and any airlines should not let them enter UK

Several sources from airlines have confirmed this (this includes the British Airways)

Update on 11/Nov includes an opinion from Jacqui Smith

BBC finally confirmed the news

The British government has revoked the visas of the former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife.

An e-mail sent to airlines from the British embassy in Bangkok told them not to allow the couple to board flights to Britain.

Source: BBC – UK revokes former Thai PM’s visa

Confirmed by an official

BRITISH authorities have revoked the visas of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman, an airline official told AFP on Saturday.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the British embassy had informed all airlines in an email on Friday not to allow the couple to board flights to Britain.

‘The British embassy sent an email message to all airlines operating from Bangkok on Friday that the British authorities had revoked the visa for Thaksin and Pojaman,’ he said.

Source: The Straits Times – Thaksin’s UK visa revoked

AFP seems to be the source of this news, you can search Google using the keywords “thaksin visa revoke” for similar news

Another news from New York Times

British immigration officials have revoked the visas of Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, and his wife, several Thai newspapers reported Saturday.

Mr. Thaksin has made London his home since being ousted in a coup two years ago, but he was said to be traveling in Asia.

A Thai-language newspaper, Manager, posted what it said was an advisory to airlines not to fly Mr. Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, to Britain. “The U.K. visas contained in the passports of the individuals listed above are no longer valid for travel,” it said.

A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office in London said in a telephone interview that privacy laws precluded the government from commenting on individual immigration cases.

Antigovernment protesters celebrated the news on Saturday. In recent weeks, protesters have marched to the British Embassy in Bangkok to demand that Mr. Thaksin, who was sentenced in absentia last month to two years in prison for abuse of power, be deported from Britain.

Source: New York Times – Britain Revokes Visa of Thai Ex-Leader

UK cancels visas of Thaksin, wife (The Nation)

The cancellation, which was decided while the couple were outside England, has been notified to airlines yesterday.

The decision was made by the United Kingdom Border Agency, and the notification email was signed by Bangkok-based Immigration Liaison Manager Andy Gray.

Letter from UK embassy in Thailand to AOC members.

The email reads…

Dear All

The United Kingdom Border Agency has revoked the UK visas held by the following Thai nationals:

Thaksin Shinawatra – Thai Passport Number D215863
Pojamarn Shinawatra – Thai Passport Number D206635

The UK visas contained in the passports of the individuals listed above are no longer valid for travel

Airlines are advised not to carry these passengers to the UK.

….end….

The embassy would not comment on the report. Contacted embassy officials said they “cannot comment on policy matters.”

It was a big political blow for Thaksin, who was believed to be on his way from China to the Philippines yesterday. It was understood that the cancellation had to do with the recent court rulings that found Pojaman guilty of tax evasion and Thaksin guilty of breaking the conflict of interest law in the Ratchadapisek land purchase scandal.

Their children’s British visas are still valid.

A senior People Power Party politician who has been in China this week answered The Nation’s phone contact but replied to the inquiry about Thaksin’s visa situation with only “I don’t know. I don’t know.”

Thaksin has always described England as a “democratically mature” country as compared to Thailand. But he always denied having applied for asylum although he said England would be the country where he wanted to live in exile.

Last Saturday, in a controversial long-distance phone-in from Hong Kong, Thaksin accused his political opponents of breaking his family apart. In the same address, he also begged for royal pardon or a popular show of force to bring him back to Thailand.

“Nobody can bring me back to Thailand, except royal kindness of HM the King or the power of the people,” Thaksin said. He also claimed that many countries have offered him “honorary citizenship”, “which made me a bit sad because I could do many things for anybody else in the world, but nothing now for my country.”

The statement triggered a major controversy in Thailand, with Thaksin being accused of trying to drag HM the King into politics. The UK visa move, however, gave Thaksin’s statement a whole new perspective, making him sound more like someone desperate to find refuge rather than trying to provoke a political reaction.

It is not immediately known, however, whether Thaksin was aware of the impending visa cancellation before he left England the last time.

A source familiar with the UK legal and diplomatic thinking said the cancellation could have been based on “the different statuses” of Thaksin between the time he was issued the visa and now.

The Supreme Court only found Thaksin guilty in the Ratchadapisek land case late last month, weeks after he fled Thailand during the Beijing Olympics. He fled with his wife, who only days earlier had been found guilty of tax evasion.

England has been under the world community’s watchful eyes when Thaksin is concerned. Diplomatic observers have said a decision whether or not to give Thaksin asylum would generate strong ramifications on England’s relations with Thailand, as well as London’s reputations when democracy, foreign relations and legal principles are concerned.

Source: The Nation

Stranded in China

The British government has revoked the tourist visas for convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, Khunying Potjaman, airline employees report. The former premier is believed to be in China.

The revocation of the visas effectively bans the couple from entering Britain on their Thai passports, a reliable airline source told the Bangkok Post on Friday night.

The source said the notification letter on the visas being revoked was circulated by e-mail to airlines which are members of the Airport Operations Committee yesterday.

The source said the letter was sent by Andy Gray, an official at the UK Border Agency who is in charge of immigration at the British embassy in Thailand.

The letter made clear that the visas issued for Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman were now invalid and the couple should be prevented from boarding planes to Britain, the source said.

Read more from BangkokPost – UK said to have banned Thaksin , Stranded in China

Jacqui Smith – MP – Home Secretary

Jacqueline Jill “Jacqui” Smith (born 3 November 1962) is a British politician for the Labour Party. She is currently the Home Secretary and has been Member of Parliament for Redditch since 1997. She was made a Member of the Privy Council in 2003.

Smith is the first female Home Secretary of the United Kingdom. She is also only the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher (Prime Minister) and Margaret Beckett (Foreign Secretary). She has been tipped by one political pundit as a potential successor to Gordon Brown following his recent slide in the opinion polls.

As the UK Home Secretary, she has been noted for advocating strongly authoritarian policies. Examples are a law to detain crime suspects for several months without charging them for any crime, a central database that logs all mobile phone and email/internet traffic in the UK, and restrictions to the freedom of photography. She justified these policies as necessary “anti-terror” laws.
-Wikipedia

The British Embassy in Thailand have anything to say?

British Ambassador to Thailand Quinton Quayle said that Mr. Sompong had enquired about the British government’s decision to revoke visas for convicted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The British envoy said that Britain respected Thailand’s democracy with impartiality throughout the political crisis.

Impartiality is applied in consideration of granting visas to all persons who wish to come and go from the UK, he said. Such persons will be treated strictly according to British law,” he said.

“I have no right to express opinions over the entry in and departure from the UK of anyone,” Mr. Quayle said.

Asked whether Mr. Thaksin would be able to seek a new visa for re-entering to the UK, Mr. Quayle declined to give his comment on the matter.

Source: Thai News Agency – British envoy affirms UK impartiality in considering entry visas

A two-year jail term is why

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband yesterday said the United Kingdom took the decision to revoke the entry visa for ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra because a Thai court had sentenced him to a two-year jail term.

He added that there was no question of Thaksin’s visa being reissued as long as he was subject to the court’s ruling.

Speaking to TV reporters during a visit to Bosnia, Miliband’s comments were the first clear indication of the reasoning behind the UK’s surprise decision to revoke the visas of both Thaksin and his wife Pojaman.

Source: The Nation – Britain explains decision on visa

Jacqui Smith – Do you know?, We are grateful for this

I think your name are now equally if not more famous than Gordon Brown and Tony Blair for Thai people (at least for PAD and anyone who dislikes Thaksin). I believe that your official visit to Thailand in the future will be your joyful memory (of course, after the absolute ending of Thaksin)

If anyone knows her in person, please bring our words to her. We thank you for this.

Miliband said Home Secretary Jacqui Smith was the minister who had made the revocation decision following Thaksin’s conviction in absentia to two years in jail for abuse of power in connection with Pojaman’s purchase of land on Ratchadaphisek.

“The home secretary, who is the decision-maker in the question of visas in the UK, has made clear |that the conditions were changed |by the conviction in the case of Thaksin,” Miliband said upon arrival in Bosnia.

“It is as a follow-up to that [court] decision that you have now seen a change in the visa approach [concerning the Shinawatras],” he added.

Source: The Nation – Britain explains decision on visa

Other influences behind this?

While the real reason behind the revocation of Thaksin and his wife Pojaman’s visas by UK’s Home Office last week has not been revealed but 10 days before that, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said a “presumption in favour of exclusion” policy is being introduced to make it easier to prevent extremists from entering the UK, the BBC website reported.

Smith said it would now be up to the individual concerned to prove they would not “stir up tension” in the UK.

“Through these tough new measures I will stop those who want to spread extremism, hatred and violent messages in our communities from coming to our country,” she said.

“Coming to the UK is a privilege and I refuse to extend that privilege to individuals who abuse our standards and values to undermine our way of life,” she said.

Source: The Nation – Shinawatras join UK’s dubious list

Who did announce this first?

PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul announces on PAD stage that the U.K. embassy has revoked the visas of both Thaksin and Khunying Pojaman Shinawatra.The PAD leader cited a Manager newspaper’s report that the embassy has revoked both fugitives’ visas. The order reportedly takes effect today

Source: TOC News: ASTV: British Embassy Revoles Thaksin’s Visa

Who are discussing about it?

• UK Cancel Thaksin’s Visa And Wife’s, Thaksin in limbo? Very big news it seems (ThaiVisa.com)
  
• Thaksin’s visa revoked? This document is being circulated on the internet.
  Where is Thaksin going next? (Thai Talk)
  
• Thema: Thaksins UK Visum annulliert (TIP Zeitung für Thailand)
• UK cancels visas of Thaksin, wife (TeakDoor.com)
• Brits Bitch-slap Toxic and Tow (TeakDoor.com)
• Toxic & his Slapper get UK Visas cancelled (AjarnForum.net)

Thaksin may end up in one of these places…

If he doesn’t make it home in the near future, former Premier Thaksin Shinnawatr may accept the invitations from leaders of one of these five countries to become honorary citizens or economic advisers. Do you want to guess which one of these is his real favourite:

Thaksin may end up in one of these places - Credit:antithaksin.wordpress.com

Source: http://antithaksin.wordpress.com

What is UK Border Agency?

“The UK Border Agency is responsible for securing the United Kingdom borders and controlling migration in the United Kingdom. We manage border control for the United Kingdom, enforcing immigration and customs regulations. We also consider applications for permission to enter or stay in the United Kingdom, citizenship and asylum.”

UK Border Agency Homepage

Where are you now Thaksin?

Some possible answers can be found here.

Reference Sources:

Thailand’s English Media

• UK cancels visa of Thaksin, wife (The Nation) (English)
• UK said to have banned Thaksin (Bangkok Post) (English)
• Stranded in China (Bangkok Post) (English)
• ASTV: British Embassy Revoles Thaksin’s Visa (TOC News) (English)

International Media

• UK revokes former Thai PM’s visa (BBC News)
• AFP News (AFP: source)
• Thaksin’s UK visa revoked (The Straits Time)
• Britain Revokes Visa of Thai Ex-Leader (New York Time)
• British revoked entry visas of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojamarn (Asian Tribune) (English)
• Britain revokes visa for former Thai premier (The Earth Time) (English)

Local Thai Media (Thai languagE)

• http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9510000132381
• http://breakingnews.nationchannel.com/read.php?lang=T&newsid=347821
• http://www.komchadluek.net/2008/11/07/x_main_a001_230306.php?news_id=230306

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