Thailand today revoked two passports of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra as it launched a probe whether charges could be slapped against him for royal defamation over a recent interview that "affects national security and reputation".
An investigation is underway and criminal charges could be pressed against the self-exiled Thaksin, the Foreign Ministry said.
"The content of what Thaksin Shinawatra said in an interview affects national security and the reputation and honour of Thailand," the ministry said in its statement.
It was not immediately clear which interview was being referred to.
The revocation of passports became effective yesterday and was announced on the Foreign Ministry's website today.
Thaksin made rare comments to overseas media last week as the Thai military marked a year in power.
He also spoke to South Korean media about who he thought was behind last year's military coup last year that ousted his younger sister and former premier Yingluck Shinawatra shortly after she was removed as premier by a controversial court ruling.
"That case (interview) is also under investigation for criminal prosecution on 112," the ministry said in a statement, referring to Thailand's controversial royal defamation law, which is one of the world's harshest.
Under Section 112, anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison.
The decision follows an alert from security authorities regarding Thaksin's interview, part of which, they believed, would have an impact on Thailand's security, reputation and integrity, referring to three sections of the criminal code.
The ministry said two passports held by Thaksin were revoked as it felt that the interview violated its regulations regarding holding a passport.
In 2009, he was stripped of his passport but Yingluck's government returned it in 2011.
The billionaire telecoms tycoon-turned-prime minister, who was toppled by a coup in 2006, is at the centre of Thailand's political divide and now lives in self-imposed exile in Dubai to avoid jail on a corruption charge.
In a CNN interview broadcast last week as Thailand marked a year since the military takeover, Thaksin said he would wait for the right moment to re-enter Thai politics, local media said.
