Singapore regrets Thai diplomatic retaliation for Thaksin visit

SINGAPORE, Jan. 17 Kyodo

Singapore has expressed regret over Thailand's diplomatic retaliation for a recent visit to the city-state by ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and urged Bangkok to respect its sovereignty.

''It was purely a social and private meeting,'' Singapore's Foreign Ministry said late Tuesday in a statement, alluding to Thaksin's unofficial meeting last week in Singapore with Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar.

''No official calls or meetings were arranged,'' the statement said. ''We are therefore saddened that the Thai government has chosen to take this course of action. We hope Thailand will respect Singapore's position as that of a sovereign country.''

Infuriated by Thaksin's meeting with a top Singapore government official, Thailand on Tuesday suspended a bilateral civil service exchange program and retracted an invitation to Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo to visit Bangkok in the coming weeks.

Singapore pointed out that Thailand had not notified it ahead of Thaksin's visit of any restrictions placed on where he could travel to, nor had he been charged with any offence.

It said Thaksin chose to visit Singapore on his own and he had asked to meet Jayakumar, ''who is an old friend.''

His visit to Singapore and his meeting with Jayakumar came shortly after the interim Thai government revoked his diplomatic passport.

''Thai nationals do not require visas to visit Singapore. There is no reason for Singapore to turn Dr. Thaksin away,'' the ministry said, noting that Thaksin had visited other countries prior to coming to Singapore ''without any protest by the Thai government.''

Thaksin was abroad on Sept. 19 when military leaders toppled his elected government, accusing him of treason, cronyism and corruption. He has since traveled to Britain, Hong Kong, mainland China, Indonesia and Singapore.

Thailand was also angered by media interviews that Thaksin gave while he was in Singapore, including one in which he told the Wall Street Journal that new policies announced by the military-installed government that replaced him are undermining confidence in the Thai economy.

The Nation, a Thai newspaper, on Wednesday quoted an informed Thai government source as saying the diplomatic retaliation could also affect the planned summit later this year in Singapore between the leaders of the two countries if the situation does not improve.

''We value the longstanding friendly relations with Thailand,'' Singapore's statement said.

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