Info sought on Thaksin's Montenegro passport

The Foreign Ministry yesterday sought information about a Montenegro passport held by fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after a

news report that he is bidding to buy a mortgaged island, which is also known as Hawaii, in Montenegro.

The ministry instructed the Thai embassy in Budapest to check the news report, Vice Foreign Minister Panich Vikitsreth said. No further information

beyond media reports have been sent back to Bangkok so far.

Thailand established diplomatic relations with Montenegro in 2007 but does not have an embassy there. The embassy in Budapest takes care of affairs

in Montenegro while Montenegro transacts business in Thailand through its Beijing embassy.

The media in Montenegro reported that Thaksin is interested in purchasing a part of Sveti Nikola Island near the coastal town of Budva at the initial

price of ¤21 million (Bt992 million).

Sveti Nikola, also known as Hawaii, is located less than a kilometre away from Budva and it has three sandy beaches spreading over 840 metres,

according to Visit-Montenegro online.

Among potential buyers were some Englishmen, Russians, Belgians and Arabs, with Thaksin Shinawatra - who has a Montenegrin passport - also in the

race, the media reported.

"It is still not known where [Thaksin] Shinawatra got a Montenegrin passport from," the online report said.

 At the first auction launched a couple of months ago, the Hawaii was offered at price of ¤28 million.

 The land, covering an area of more than 37,000 square metres has been offered for sale together with the existing facilities.

The public auction is scheduled for May 23 at the premises of the bank in Budva. The owner of the island is Serbian businessman Stanko Subotic, who

is indebted to the bank.

Subotic purchased the most beautiful part of the island in 2007 from Nenad Djordjevic for over ¤20 million.

After the purchase, Subotic announced big investment plans, which included connecting the island with the mainland, building hotels, villas, marina and

additional facilities. But he was prevented from carrying out his plans after Serbia declared him a wanted person on suspicion of being involved in

cigarette smuggling and thus causing damage to the country.