High on the agenda, at his meeting with former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday afternoon, were the situation in Myanmar and the development of cryptocurrencies, according to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who also chairs ASEAN this year, described the discussion with Thaksin, chairman of his informal advisory group, as meaningful.
Writing on Facebook, Anwar said, “In the evening, we continued this discussion with former Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo.”
He did not disclose details of the discussions or the location of the meeting.
Thaksin had reportedly attempted to secretly arrange a meeting between Myanmar’s rival factions.
Photo: Former Singaporean Foreign Minister George Yeo (far right)
In December last year, during an official visit to Kuala Lumpur by Thaksin’s daughter, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Anwar unexpectedly announced Thaksin’s appointment as his personal ASEAN advisor.
Thaksin travelled to Malaysia only after the Thai Criminal Court granted him permission to do so until today, requiring a bond of 5 million baht.
The court approval was required because Thaksin has been on bail since June 17th last year, pending his trial on a lèse-majesté charge.
This was Thaksin’s second request to travel abroad and the first to be successful, after Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa attended the court hearing as a supporting witness.
In August last year, the Criminal Court rejected his request to travel to Dubai for medical treatment, stating that he could receive adequate care from doctors in Thailand.
Maris has been known to be close to Thaksin for many years, dating back to Thaksin’s tenure as foreign minister.
The court ruled that the trip would not affect the trial date on the lèse-majesté charge, scheduled for the middle of this year, and agreed with Thaksin’s claim that his trip could benefit Thailand and bilateral relations.
Thaksin must report to the court within three days of his return to Thailand.
