Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul admitted yesterday the ministry has returned an ordinary passport to ousted ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
He has held the passport since Oct 26, though the government has referred since then of its intention to return the passport to Thaksin as a "New Year's gift".
The opposition and anti-Thaksin groups are now threatening to sue the government for returning the passport to Thaksin. They have also criticised the government for misleading the public.
Mr Surapong said the ministry lifted an order issued by the Abhisit Vejjajiva government which revoked Thaksin's passport.
"The government and I agree that Thaksin's presence overseas has not caused any damage to Thailand or foreign countries, so I revoked the order of the previous government," said Mr Surapong.
Thaksin's ordinary passport was cancelled on April 12, 2009 by the Democrat-led government under ministry regulation 23 (7), which says officials can revoke a person's passport if they view that a holder who is resident abroad is damaging the country.
"The issuance of an ordinary passport to Thaksin is a matter for the Consular Department, which will proceed according to the ministry's regulations," said the minister, who insisted his decision was legal.
"I would like to end this issue. If the opposition party would like to examine it, they should do it via a parliamentary session.
If they want to file a case against me, they should do correctly as I have adhered to the ministry's regulations," he said.
"If the opposition party thought that it was right [to revoke Thaksin's passport], it should wait to come back as the government [to do it]," said Mr Surapong.
"Politics must be resolved by politics," he said.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said she had been informed of the Foreign Ministry's decision. She believed the ministry, which is in charge of issuing passports, would deal with the matter legally.
However, she assured the ministry's priority was not to provide assistance to her brother.
Mr Surapong's confirmation came after Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut claimed on Thursday he had received an email message supposedly from a Foreign Ministry official that the ministry's computer system was "secretly abused" on Oct 31 to withdraw Thaksin from the ministry's "blacklist" and later Thaksin had his Thai passport returned.
But Mr Surapong denied this, saying Thaksin was not on a blacklist.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said yesterday Thaksin's request for a passport was lodged with the ministry's Consular Department through the Thai embassy in Abu Dhabi.
The department issued the passport to Thaksin on Oct 26, one day after his request, and the passport was sent through the Thai embassy in the United Arab Emirates.
He said the entire process followed normal channels.
Asked if Thaksin's name was on a blacklist, Mr Thani said neither the courts or the police had ever asked the ministry to revoke Thaksin's passport. "Returning the passport is a political decision based on the ministry's regulations," said Mr Thani.
The spokesman also rejected Mr Chavanond's claim the ministry's computer system was abused on Oct 31 by a politician to allow ministry staff to process the passport reissuance while the office was shut during the flooding. "The ministry's consular service never closed during the flood crisis as claimed," he said.
Mr Chavanond, however, stood firm that Thaksin was on a blacklist.
The list was sent to the Foreign Ministry and other agencies by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions after he jumped bail and failed to report to the court on Aug 22, 2008, he added.
Mr Chavanond also showed a letter which was sent to the Foreign Ministry's permanent secretary and the Royal Thai Police on Aug 15, 2008, that Thaksin had left the country and had yet to return.
Thaksin and his then-wife Potjaman na Pombejra were being tried for abuse of authority in connection with the purchase of a 33-rai plot of land in Ratchadaphisek from the Financial Institutions Development Fund at an unusually low price.
He was allowed to attend the Beijing Olympics and then fled to London instead of returning to report to the court.
"The point is how the Foreign Ministry issued Thaksin a passport when he is still blacklisted," Mr Chavanond said.
He said the Democrat Party's legal team is preparing to sue Mr Surapong and officials involved in the process - from the department director-general to the passport division director.
Mr Chavanond also criticised Mr Surapong for a recent remark when he said he wanted to return the passport to Thaksin as a New Year's gift.
"That's not what a gentleman would do. It's a shame that he has lied to the public when the passport has already been returned," he said.
Tul Sitthisomwong, leader of the anti-Thaksin multi-coloured shirts movement, said his group would take action against Mr Surapong over the passport's return.
He said he is considering lodging a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission or suing the foreign minister himself.
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