UK ‘revokes’ ousted Thai PM’s visa

Effective ban

The revocation of the visas effectively bans the couple from entering Britain on their Thai passports, the newspaper said on Saturday quoting “a reliable airline source”.

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

The whereabouts of Thaksin’s wife are unclear [AFP]

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.

UK embassy officials refused to confirm or deny the report, but in the email seen by AFP, Gray wrote: “The United Kingdom Border Agency has revoked the UK visas held by the following Thai nationals: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thai Passport Number D215863; Potjaman 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“The UK visas contained in the passports of the individuals listed above are no longer valid for travel.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.”

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

Late on Saturday, the Thai foreign ministry confirmed the report that the UK government had revoked Thaksin’s UK visa.

A source said Thaksin had travelled to China after calling his supporters in the United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) at the Rajamangala stadium on November 1 from Hong Kong.

The whereabouts of his wife are unclear. It is not known whether she accompanied her husband from London to Hong Kong and then China.

Yet another source close to Thaksin said he and his wife have been granted honorary citizenship of the Bahamas and they can travel on Bahamian passports.