Thaksin not expelled from UAE : Noppadon

Noppadon said he already telephoned Thaksin to check accuracy of a report that the UAE banished Thaksin because the country did not want him to use the country as a base to attack Thailand.

"Khun Thaksin dismissed the report as groundless. The UAE government did not ask him to leave the country. He left the country recently for Montenegro to do some business, returned to the UAE and stayed there for two nights."

"Khun Thaksin is now visiting three African countries as guest of those governments. He plans to give consultation on poverty alleviation and introduce the economy sufficiency farms."

Earlier Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong said Thaksin Shinawatra has been expelled from Dubai and is presently living in exile in Montenegro since Tuesday.

Theptai quoted a report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to back up his claim.

He said UAE authorities asked Thaksin to leave after he continued to use Dubai as base for his anti-government activities.

Thaksin made a phone-in on August 13 at the red-shirt rally to submit the pardon petition. His latest phone-in to the red shirts took place on Monday when he hosted a luncheon at a beef noodle shop on Rama VII Road.

He said he made his telephone call enroute to Montenegro.