More time sought to explain Thaksin passport
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Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana is asking the Ombudsman for more time to explain why fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was granted a new passport, the Office of the Ombudsman said yesterday.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is Thaksin’s younger sister, handed the job over to Phongthep after the Ombudsman demanded that she take action against the Foreign Ministry for granting Thaksin a new passport.
Questioned on several fronts
The Ombudsman demanded to know why the Foreign Ministry had wrongly issued a passport for Thaksin, who is a fugitive and is trying to escape criminal charges, but the ministry refused to respond, prompting the Office of the Ombudsman to file a complaint with the prime minister.
Rakkecha Chaechai, spokesman for the Ombudsman’s Office, said Phongthep had written to the office asking for more time. He said the letter arrived after the deadline the government was given.
In the letter, Phongthep reasoned that the Ombudsman had suggested that regulations on passport issuance should be amended, hence he needed time to set up a committee to do the job.
Rakkecha said it was up to the Ombudsman to decide whether Phongthep should be granted more time.
