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Bangkok: Deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will return to Thailand from 17 months in exile on Thursday to fight corruption charges, his lawyer said, as critics warned the homecoming could plunge the country into political crisis.
The prospect of Thaksin's imminent return sent shock waves through the country's political circles, prompting the new prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, to call for calm.
"I want to urge the Thai people not to be concerned," Samak told reporters. "I do not anticipate any unwanted incidents. There will be no chaos."
Samak and his People's Power Party, which is packed with Thaksin allies, won December 23 general elections. The polls were the first since military leaders ousted Thaksin in a September 2006 coup, accusing him of corruption and abuse of power.
Thaksin was abroad during the coup and has lived overseas since then, mostly in London and Hong Kong. He said earlier this year he planned to return in April to fight corruption charges.
On Tuesday, Thaksin's official website posted a picture of the deposed prime minister with his right hand raised giving the victory sign, superimposed over an image of Bangkok's airport.
It urged supporters to greet Thaksin at the airport at 9 am on Thursday.
"Welcome home Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whom we love, miss and have been waiting to return for over a year," the website said in Thai.
The chief of Thaksin's legal defence team, Pichit Chuenban, said the Thursday return date "is confirmed". "We are ready for his return," he said.
Pichit said Thaksin will surrender to police when he arrives and will seek his release on bail.
Thaksin and his wife Pojaman face corruption and conflict of interest charges in connection with her purchase of prime Bangkok real estate from a state agency in 2003, while he was prime minister. Pojaman returned to Thailand in January and was released on bail pending trial.
Thaksin also faces charges of concealing assets.
Rakkiat Wattapong, the Supreme Court secretary general, said that Thaksin would be detained when he arrives in Thailand.
Coup leaders who toppled Thaksin attempted unsuccessfully to dismantle his political legacy.
After the coup, Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party was disbanded by court order. He and 110 executive members were barred from holding public office for five years.
Fraud
Ruling party bought votes
Thailand's Election Commission (EC) ruled on Tuesday that a top politician of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) was guilty of vote buying in a December poll, which could possibly lead to a dissolution of the party.
The five-member commission ruled three to two there were "sufficient grounds to believe" PPP deputy leader and Parliament President Yongyut Tiyapairat had violated election laws, Commissioner Somchai Jungprasert told reporters.
However, the ruling, based on evidence Yongyut had mobilised village chiefs to buy votes, would have to be endorsed by the Supreme Court before the commission could hold hearings on whether the party itself was behind the violation, he said.
- Reuters
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