Padmanathan not detained in Thailand: Mukherjee

BANGKOK: LTTE leader K Padmanathan, an accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has not been detained in Thailand, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said here on Friday.

"We have been informed that the person (Padmanathan) is not yet detained," the Minister said when asked about reports of the LTTE leader's detention here this week.

This information was conveyed by the Thai government to the Indian mission in Bangkok and "we are depending on that", he said.

Mukherjee, who arrived here yesterday on a three-day visit, was speaking during an interaction after delivering a lecture on "India's Look-East Policy: Implications for Thailand and South East Asia".

Kumaran Padmanathan, who allegedly financed former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, was reported to have been detained in Thailand earlier this week. The CBI had also asked the Thai Interpol to confirm the report.

Chief of Thai Interpol, Col Apichart Suribynya, had said that on Wednesday "according to immigration records for the past two years, there is no record of him (Padmanathan) entering the country."

During Mukherjee's visit, the two sides will focus on ways to enhance trade and investment and increase cooperation in energy, defence and security fields.