Thailand has cancelled the visa of famed Russian conductor and pianist Mikhail Pletnev, meaning he faces deportation even if child rape charges are dropped, an immigration official said yesterday.
"His Thai visa was automatically revoked after his name was blacklisted," he said. "He would eventually be deported whether it goes to trial or the charges are dropped."
Pletnev, artistic director of the Russian National Orchestra, was charged in early July with the rape of a 14yearold boy in Pattaya, where he has a house.
He denies the charge, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in jail, and was released on bail.
The awardwinning maestro was allowed by a Thai court to travel overseas but is required to report back every 12 days. He returned to Thailand over the weekend after attending a music festival in Macedonia.
Pletnev, 53, founded the Russian National Orchestra in 1990 just before the breakup of the Soviet Union and his arrest has sent shock waves through Russia's musical world.
He is a member of President Dmitry Medvedev's advisory council on culture and art, and in 2005 won a Grammy award for best chamber music performance.