Thaksin may have left UAE, diplomatic sources say

Dubai: Ousted former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may have left the UAE for an undisclosed location, according to diplomatic sources.

A military coup toppled Thaksin as prime minister in September 2006 and the billionaire entrepreneur-turned-politician has lived in exile overseas since a military court convicted him in absentia for corruption.

Pasan Teparak, Thai Consul-General, told Gulf News he had heard that Thaksin had entered the UAE but was not planning to stay on.

"We heard [from sources in Thailand] he came in and is travelling on. We don't know if he has left the country. I cannot confirm it officially," he said.

"We will not deny him help if he contacts us, but we cannot compel him to come to us either. He is a private citizen, so he has a right to go anywhere," he said.

An aide meanwhile said Thaksin had arrived in Dubai on Monday. "He is in Dubai, I don't know how long he will be there," said Jatuporn Prompan.

Thaksin has links to the United Arab Emirates, having sold Premier League Club Manchester City to Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Abu Dhabi United Group in September.

- With inputs from agencies