| |
TOKYO : Ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Thursday he will only return to Thailand to face corruption charges if he can be sure of a fair trial.
"If I go back (now), it means that I will not be getting a fair trial anyway," Thaksin said in an interview with Kyodo News during a visit to Japan.
"I will return to face the facts and trial if and when the justice system goes back to normal," he said.
Thaksin was ousted in a military-backed bloodless coup in September while he was out of Thailand and the military-appointed government has subsequently laid a raft of corruption charges against him.
He and his wife Pojaman are both outside the country, but have been ordered to appear before police by July 27 to hear fraud charges. The justice ministry has threatened to seek their extradition if they fail to comply.
Thaksin also delivered a speech on Thursday at a Tokyo university where he has been appointed visiting professor, calling for Asia to create an environment in which venture capital can thrive.
"We have to provide the mechanism that allows to create a more entrepreneurial class here in Asia," Thaksin told students at Takushoku University.
"If you have enough wisdom in this capitalist economy, you can turn paper into money. But if you're not clever enough, your money becomes paper."
A self-made entrepreneur, Thaksin built his political success on support from the nation's poor, highlighting his own rags-to-riches story.
After failed ventures into the silk and film distribution businesses, he founded telecoms giant Shin Corp before venturing into politics. He created his own political party "Thai Rak Thai" before winning elections and taking the helm of the country.
Last month, Thaksin launched a US$162.6 million bid to buy Manchester City football club.
The former Thai leader said Asia needed to do more to help entrepreneurs.
"Being an entrepreneur in the US is much easier than in Asia," he said.
"You can turn into a businessman overnight after going into a pub...and jot down ideas on a beer mat. Then you go to the venture capital, get money and build your own business. Easy," he added.
"If you are small and you cannot move fast, you are finished. Whether you like it or not, you live in a capitalist economy. You have to learn to survive," he told the students. - AFP/de
|
