DE FACTO Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra flew to Dubai last night (Sep. 4) after immigration delay at Don Mueang Airport prevented him from landing in Singapore as planned with his bodyguard being among four other passengers flying with him on the private jet, Naewna newspaper and Isra News Agency said.
The passenger list of those travelling on Thaksin’s Bombardier Global 7500 private aircraft names four other people as follows:
– Simila Charatphaeo;
– Tawatchai Klebmek;
– Pratueang Monchaipum;
– Kaewjai Singthong.
Tawatchai Klebmek, or Lt. Thawatchai Klebmek, is a former military officer who has served as Thaksin’s bodyguard for over 20 years and is believed to be close to the Shinawatra family.
After his private jet arrived in Dubai at 2.40 a.m. Thaksin posted a message online that prolonged delay by Immigration officials at Don Mueang Airport prevented him from landing at Singapore’s Seletar Airport, which serves private jets, as it only operates till 10 p.m.( 9 p.m. in Thailand), Amarin TV said.
As he had intended to undergo a medical examination in Singapore but could not do so, he switched to flying to Dubai where he will undergo a checkup by orthopedic and lung doctors plus meet some friends he has not seen for over two years.
“While waiting for permission from Dubai airport, the pilot circled around for a while. Finally, he got permission before continuing the flight to Dubai,” Thaksin said.
He added that he intended to return to Thailand no later than Monday Sep. 8 to personally go to the Supreme Court to hear the verdict on a case involving charges that he had feigned as a “critically ill” convict without literally being so in order to be granted the privilege of staying for a six-month period in a premium ward of Police Hospital in lieu of Bangkok Remand prison’s hospital upon his homecoming from self-exile overseas in 2023.
Thaksin had been earlier convicted in absentia to eight years in jail on power abuse charges perpetrated during his previous premiership a couple of decades ago with the sentence having been commuted to only one year under royal pardon.
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A graphic image showing de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra flying to Dubai by Amarin TV
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