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BANGKOK: Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra said Monday he would not return to Thailand to face graft charges but will instead remain in exile in Britain, blaming political interference in the justice system.
Thaksin, a billionaire telecoms tycoon turned politician, and his wife Pojaman both face a raft of corruption charges that were instigated by a military junta which overthrew him in September 2006.
After 18 months in self-imposed exile, Thaksin vowed to fight the charges against him in a high-profile homecoming in February, but said Monday he could not do that from within Thailand.
"My wife and I will stay in England where democracy is more important," the 59-year-old former premier said in a hand-written statement released to the media.
"What happened to me and my family and my close relations resulted from efforts to get rid of me from politics."
Thaksin, who was first elected in 2001, accused unnamed foes of "interfering in the justice process... by the group of people who see me as their political enemy."
The former premier and his wife were in China over the weekend for the opening of the Beijing Olympics, and rumours had circulated in Thailand that they would remain overseas as the graft cases mounted against them.
Pojaman was convicted on July 31 of tax evasion and released on bail, and the couple had been ordered to appear before the Supreme Court on Monday to defend themselves in a separate property case.
They had received special permission from the courts to travel abroad.
Thaksin flew to Japan on July 31, and his wife joined him in Beijing on Thursday.
A former legal advisor close to Thaksin said they had both now flown to Britain, where Thaksin has a home and has spent most of his time since the coup.
"I expected everything would be better, that I might have a chance to prove my innocence and receive a fair trial when I returned to Thailand," Thaksin said in the statement. "But the situation became worse."
He did not indicate when he intended to return to Thailand, urging his supporters "to be patient for a short while".
"If I have a chance, I will come back to die on Thai ground," he added.
Thaksin and Pojaman were due to appear at the Supreme Court on Monday to report in a case accusing Thaksin of using his influence to win a bargain-priced property deal for Pojaman in 2003.
The Supreme Court has also agreed to hear two other cases against Thaksin - one linked to a state lottery scheme his government legalised in 2003 and another tied to a loan Thaksin's government gave to Myanmar.
Elections last December swept Thaksin's allies in the People Power Party back into power, infuriating the elites in the military, palace and bureaucracy which felt threatened by the ousted premier's hold on the rural population.
However, street protests have so far scuppered the PPP's plans to amend the new constitution - brought in under military rule - which currently grants wide power to non-elected officials in the courts and bureaucracy.
Thailand's courts have dealt a series of blows to the new government, with three top officials forced to resign after legal decisions.
After the coup, Thai courts also froze more than US$2 billion of Thaksin's assets, a move which did not stop him from buying Premier League club Manchester City in July 2007.
Reports in England last week claimed Thaksin may be forced to look for a buyer for the club as he fought the corruption charges in Thailand, but Thaksin insisted he had no plans to sell up.
- AFP/yb
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