Ousted Thai PM returns from exile

OUSTED Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made an emotional return from exile yesterday, preaching reconciliation and forgiveness in a country still polarised by his five years in elected office.

Thaksin, 58, accused of presiding over rampant corruption and disrespecting revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, protested his innocence and insisted his political career was over.

“We can certainly have various opinions on various things, but we shall not be divided,” he said.

“It will be best for all of us to reduce our ego, and our prejudice,” he said.

However, few Thais believe he is returning only to clear himself of corruption charges and to spend time with family after 18 months of exile enforced by a September 2006 coup.

Thousands of supporters waving roses and “We love Thaksin” banners cheered their hero at Bangkok’s airport, suggesting he will not be allowed to stay out of the political fray for long.

“I love him so much,” said 65-year-old Wilai Scott. “I want Thaksin to be PM again.”

The question is whether he does indeed take a back seat, or whether he uses allies swept to power in a December election to go after the generals and the royalist elite who ousted him.

The People’s Alliance for Democracy, which led the protest marches against Thaksin that culminated in the coup, has warned him not to use political clout to sway the corruption cases against him and his wife.

“If we find they are trying to intervene in the judicial process directly or indirectly, we will not sit idly by,” spokesman Suriyasai Katasila told reporters.

What seems certain is that the battle for Thailand’s future is far from over.