The Criminal Court will determine today whether to allow former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to travel to Malaysia for a meeting.
Thaksin was freed on bail on June 17 last year, pending trial on a lèse majesté charge, on the condition that he does not leave the country without court approval.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who is this year’s ASEAN chairman, announced that he had appointed Thaksin as his personal adviser, but it is unclear whether Thaksin would be going to Malaysia to attend a meeting as Anwar’s adviser.
The court began considering the request on Wednesday, but Thaksin’s lawyer said his client could not attend the hearing because he was in Chiang Rai.
This is Thaksin’s second attempt to go abroad since being charged. 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.
