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BANGKOK - Deposed Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra will be allowed to return to Thailand to fight any corruption charges, the nation's military-installed prime minister said Wednesday.
Although the military has not explicitly banned Thaksin from returning, it has in the past given clear signals that his presence in the kingdom would not be welcome until after elections promised by the end of this year.
However, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told reporters that if the court ordered Thaksin to return, the government would not interfere.
"I don't see any problem if everybody adheres to the rule of law, and if the court orders him to come back to face charges, then we must comply," he said.
The Assets Examination Committee, a top anti-graft body, had ruled Monday that Thaksin and his wife Pojaman should face charges over what it said was an illegal land deal in 2003.
The panel, created by the military which ousted Thaksin last September, will now refer the corruption case to the attorney general for consideration.
Under Thai law, the defendant must be present on the day the Criminal Court agrees to accept the case against them.
However, military leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin has repeatedly said that as army commander and the official responsible for security, he would have to be consulted over any plans for a return.
Thaksin was in New York when the tanks rolled into Bangkok and overthrew his twice-elected government.
He has since been living in exile, hopping between London, where he keeps a home, the United States and Asia.
His lawyer Noppadon Pattama said Tuesday that his client would voluntarily return to Thailand if the attorney general's office decided to press ahead with the case.
- AFP /ls
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