Thailand PM vows to pursue fugitive Thaksin

Thailand’s prime minister said authorities will attempt to extradite the country’s fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra if they can locate the globe-trotting tycoon.

Speaking today at a business forum, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s said the extradition was important because all Thais must follow the country’s laws.

A two-year prison term was imposed on Mr Thaksin after he was convicted in October of violating a conflict of interest law. Critics accused him of massive corruption during his six years in office.

Since he fled, Mr Thaksin has been spotted repeatedly in Dubai, China and Hong Kong and was living on-and-off in London until Britain revoked his visa following the Thai court’s conviction.