Military officers and businessmen who backed the 2006 coup that unseated Thaksin Shinawatra have offered a bounty of one million baht (about $28,348) for his arrest and return to Thailand.
Target: Thaksin
Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, meanwhile, launched an unusual appeal to three Mideast envoys to prevent Thaksin from using their countries to launch attacks on the government.
In a meeting held at Democrat Party headquarters rather than at the foreign ministry, Mr Kasit told envoys from Dubai, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that he felt "uncomfortable" that Thaksin was using their countries while "attacking Thailand".
He invited Thai Muslims to the meeting, according to the official Thai News Agency, but there were no further details.
Mr Kasit, who was an active participant in anti-Thaksin action since 2006, including seizing the Bangkok airports last year, told the foreign envoys that some countries had already complied with the Thai government's request to deny shelter to the fugitive ex-premier.
The anti-Thaksin group, headed by former military junta member Gen Somjate Boonthanom, charges that Thaksin has led anti-government protesters in slandering the royal institution several times, and wants him back to serve his jail sentence.
Thaksin has tried to keep his whereabouts secret, leading to rampant rumours in Bangkok. Current guesses claim he is in Dubai or Cambodia.
Gen Somjate, who was the head of the Council for National Security's (CNS) secretary-general's office during the junta's rule, urged the country to join hands in solving political unrest, but charged that Mr. Thaksin is the root cause of the problem.
Gen Somjate said the bounty has been put up by the group of unidentified business leaders. It will be paid to anyone who can bring Thaksin to Thailand to face his two-year prison sentence on corruption charges.
Political turmoil could end if Thaksin is brought back to face justice and further prosecution, he claimed.
He also distributed what he called the "first statement" charging that Thaksin and his red-shirted supporters from the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) had “slandered the royal institution both openly and secretly” since he was forced from power two and a half years ago.
Meanwhile, a lawyer acting on behalf of Thaksin filed a defamation complaint with police against Privy Councillor Gen Pichitr Kullavanijaya over Gen Pichit's media interview last week, when he claimed that Thaksin did not respect the royal institution, wanted to disband the institution and that he had also deposited a large sum of money in the Cayman Islands, known as a haven for money launderers.
After his meeting with the foreign envoys, Mr Kasit said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had met with Council of State officials five months ago regarding revoking Thaksin's passport, and the ministry is still awaiting its reply.
He said he would discuss the matter with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva so that the issue could be considered at a cabinet meeting and a joint agreement could be made.
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