Thai leader says he talked about iPad, not Thaksin, with Obama

Earth Time
7 Dec, 2010

Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday denied a WikiLeaks report that he discussed the extradition of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra with US President Barack Obama, saying the two leaders had only chatted about non-political subjects like Apple Inc's iPad.

"We only spoke in general terms," Abhisit said about his meeting with Obama November 14 at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Yokohama, Japan.

According to a WikiLeaks report, Abhisit and Obama discussed the possible extradition of fugitive former premier Thaksin in exchange for the extradition by Thailand of Russian accused arms dealer Viktor Bout to the United States.

"We only talked about [the] iPad," the Nation newspaper website quoted Abhisit as saying when he was asked to confirm the WikiLeaks report.

Bout, dubbed the "merchant of death" because of his alleged arms sales to rebel groups, was extradited last month after a long diplomatic battle with Russia, which tried to block the extradition.

Thaksin, who was overthrown by a military coup in 2006, has been invited to testify before a human rights commission in Washington next week.

Foreign Ministry officials said if Thaksin does travel to the US, the Thai government was likely to request his extradition from the US to face several criminal charges, including a conflict-of-interest conviction for which he was sentenced to two years in jail.

Thailand and the US have had an extradition treaty since 1983. Brushing aside speculation about a possible quid pro quo in the extraditions of Bout and Thaksin, Abhisit said the former prime minister was unlikely to travel to Washington.

"I don't think [Thaksin] will be allowed to enter the US," he said.