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BANGKOK, Nov 9 (TNA) – Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has prepared documents requesting the extradition of convicted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra from Cambodia as a contingency if he visits the neighbouring country’s capital Phnom Penh this week as reported, according to Vice Foreign Minister Panich Vikitsreth.

International media reported that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters that Mr Thaksin will visit Phnom Penh after being appointed an economic adviser, to lecture over 300 Cambodian economists at Cambodia’s finance ministry on Thursday.

Mr Panich said if Mr Thaksin is really in Cambodia, the Office of the Attorney General will request extradition from Cambodia as the two countries have already signed an extradition treaty.

He said all documents related to the case have already been prepared and translated to English as this was not the first case for an extradition request for Mr Thaksin.

The Thai foreign ministry official said that Thailand earlier requested Fiji and other countries which had treaties with the kingdom, and where Mr Thaksin was reportedly visiting.

After the request is sent to Cambodia, Thailand must wait for Cambodia’s legal procedures to be carried out and if Cambodia denies the Thai request then Thailand must review the status of its bilateral relations for another step under diplomatic protocol, he said.

Now Thailand is reviewing all existing bilateral agreements and cooperation projects made with Cambodia, as well as ongoing cooperation which the Thai government has extended to Cambodia following the withdrawal of the Thai envoy to protest the Cambodian government appointment of Mr Thaksin as economic advisor to the government and personal advisor to Mr Hun Sen.

However, he said, any measures will be adopted using diplomatic protocol and would not lead to military measures as that would be the last option.

Thailand’s Supreme Court Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions sentenced Mr Thaksin to a two-year prison term in absentia after finding him guilty of a conflict of interest in Bangkok’s Ratchadaphisek land purchase case in 2003. He jumped bail and fled the sentence.

Meanwhile, Thailand would proceed to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Thailand and Cambodia regarding the area of their overlapping maritime claims to the continental shelf.

The MoU, dated 18 June 2001, was signed by then-foreign minister Surakiart Sathirathai and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An during the Thaksin administration.

The issue will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration on Tuesday, said Mr Chavanont Intarakomalsut, Secretary to the Thai foreign minister.

He also defended the decision to scrap the MoU, saying that if the government let the MoU continue in force, it could damage Thailand's interest.

He added that the ministry would ask the Constitution Court to rule whether the MoU revocation must be considered by Parliament as required under Section 190 of the Constitution to prevent any future backlash.