Invite to Singapore foreign minister cancelled over Thaksin visit

Bangkok, Jan 16 (UNI) Upset over ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to the neighbouring island nation this week, Thailand's military regime has cancelled an invite to the Singapore foreign minister.

Thai interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont who was appointed by the leaders of the September 19 2006 military coup today said the Singapore government should have exercised more care in allowing the visit by Mr Thaksin since his diplomatic passport had been revoked.

The Thai government has also suspended a civil service exchange programme with Singapore and scrapped a meeting on the programme scheduled for later this month.

Earlier today, Singapore's Ambassador to Thailand was summoned to the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

''We expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation made by Singaporean authorities. Therefore we decide to cancel visit of Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo to Bangkok later this month,'' said Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasinondh.

The ousted Thai leader during a private visit to Singapore met the island nation's Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar over the weekend.

The Singapore government insisted that the two were ''old friends'' and Mr Thaksin was in the country in his private capacity.

Thailand's military regime, however, has publicly expressed its dissatisfaction with Mr Thaksin's meeting with the Singpore deputy premier.

UNI