Ousted Thai PM Thaksin visits Japan

The Straits Times, January 19, 2007


TOKYO - Thailand's ousted prime minister, Mr Thaksin Shinawatra, was in Tokyo on Friday, but Japanese officials said they had no plans to meet him out of concerns over relations with the current Bangkok government.

Mr Thaksin arrived in Tokyo late on Thursday on his first visit to Japan since being toppled from office in a Sept 19 bloodless military coup.

'Now is time for me to relax, get together with my family, see my old friends,' Mr Thaksin said on Thursday after arriving at Narita international airport outside Tokyo.

Japanese officials said they were aware of Mr Thaksin’s visit but had no plans to meet the former leader.

'There are no meetings scheduled between Mr Thaksin and Japanese government officials,' said Foreign Ministry official Masahiro Yoshida.

'We have our relations with the current Thai government to consider...We are aware that the government is very sensitive about this issue,' he said.

Ms Chika Takada, an official at the Thai embassy in Tokyo, said Bangkok was aware of Mr Thaksin’s visit but had no plans to interfere. 'His visit is purely private and does not concern us,' she said.

Thai media reported on Friday that the former leader was scheduled to give a speech at the prestigious Tokyo University and receive an honorary degree there.

University spokesman Kayoko Hayashi, however, said none of the school’s main departments had plans to receive Mr Thaksin. She said the university was checking with its professors about the reported visit.

Mr Thaksin planned to stay in Japan for about a week, according to public broadcaster NHK. -- AP