Thai opposition party to seek impeachment of FM

Thai opposition party to seek impeachment of FM
Legal team of the main opposition Democrat Party sets to seek impeachment of and file criminal suit against Foreign Minister Surapong Tovihcakchaikul on charges in connection with the attempt to re-issue a passport to ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra.

Wirat Kalayasiri, head of the Democrats' legal team, said on Sunday that the fugitive ex-premier is now under black-list of police and the move by the foreign minister to return the passport to Thaksin could be a violation of the law.

The Democrats would both seek impeachment of the foreign minister and file a criminal charge against the foreign minister for alleged neglect of duty as he failed to take steps to arrest the fugitive ex-premier.

The penalty for negligence of state official could sentense Surapong to five to 10 years in jail, Wirat added.

The foreign minister told reporters last Friday that the ministry is preparing to give passport back to former Prime Minister Thaksin as a New Year's gift.

Thaksin's diplomatic passport was revoked in April 2009 by foreign ministry under the then Democrat-led government. The government claimed that the passport needed to be revoked as Thaksin violated passport issuing regulations, which state that the ministry can cancel or recall a passport if it can prove that a person has caused damage to the country.

Thaksin's several phoning-in from abroad in 2009 to anti- government demonstrations by Red Shirt movement was considered as inciting violence.

Thaksin, ousted in the 2006 coup, was sentenced in absentia in 2008 to two-year jail term for abuse of power by helping his then wife to acquire a parcel of commercial land in inner Bangkok at a price far below the market value. Since then he has imposed self- exile abroad and mainly resided in Dubai.

Editor: Xiong Tong

English.news.cn   2011-12-04 16:35:42 FeedbackPrintRSS
BANGKOK, Dec. 4 (Xinhua)