'I'm in Russia,' taunts Thaksin

[CrazyExpat]

Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra has told his supporters he is in Russia on business and has not been expelled from Sweden as rumoured.

Thaksin last night mocked the Foreign Ministry, which is trying to track down the fugitive former prime minister, by telling his red shirt supporters at Phan Fa Bridge of his whereabouts.

"I tell you [the ministry], I'm in Russia now," he said, speaking via video link. "I came from Sweden. But I wasn't kicked out of Sweden, contrary to what the Foreign Ministry said.

"Don't waste your time searching for me. You'd be better off using it to work for the country."

He said he was in Russia to meet a billionaire who wanted to invest in Asia.

Thaksin said he wanted to stay in contact with the billionaire to encourage him to invest in Thailand once he returned to the kingdom.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya yesterday ordered all Thai envoys in Europe to check on Thaksin's whereabouts.

The order came after the minister received confirmation that Thaksin had left Sweden on Monday for another European country, Mr Kasit's secretary, Panich Vikitsreth said.

Mr Panich said Thaksin entered Sweden from Dubai with two other people on the weekend using a passport from a third country. He left for another country in Europe on Monday night after making a video call to his supporters in Thailand.

"We don't know where he went to after that," Mr Panich said. The Swedish government has told the Thai embassy in Stockholm it will not allow anyone to use its country as a base for political activities which could damage bilateral ties with another country, he added.

"The Swedish government told us that it could not bar Thaksin from entering the country because he is not on a blacklist," he said, adding that it was unclear whether Thaksin had been expelled from Sweden.

Pongpanu Svetarundra, director-general of the Comptroller General's Department, said within two days the agency will notify six commercial banks by letter to transfer 46.37 billion baht held by Thaksin and his family in about 30 accounts to the state's revenue account, following the Supreme Court's ruling to seize the assets.

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has authorised the department to act on the Supreme Court's order and seize the assets immediately despite the Shinawatra family's appeal against the ruling, he said.

A total of 56 of the family's bank accounts were frozen prior to the court's verdict.

'I'm in Russia,' taunts Thaksin