Thailand to arrest Thaksin if he returns

Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be arrested if he returns home from a self-imposed exile, even if his victorious allies form a government, Thailand said today.

Manchester City FC owner Mr Thaksin, 58, and members of his family face an array of corruption-related charges from the former leader’s six years in office.

The multi-millionaire was overthrown in a bloodless, military coup last year and has lived abroad, mainly in the UK, since then, but he said this week he was looking into returning home.

“The court and police had already issued arrest warrants on him so once he arrives back to Thailand the authorities concerned are duty-bound by law to arrest him,” Samphan Sarathana, a senior official in the Office of the Attorney General, said.

Mr Samphan, a director-general in the office, said the results of the election, won by the pro-Thaksin People’s Power Party or PPP, had no bearing on the legal cases against the former prime minister.

“The case is gone too far for a reversal,” he said.

Mr Thaksin said in Hong Kong that he was exploring options to come back to Thailand between mid-February and April. He vowed to stay out of direct politics but said he was prepared to serve as adviser to the PPP.

The PPP won 233 of 480 seats in the lower house of parliament in the December 23 vote, while its top rival, the Democrat Party, won 165.

The PPP says it has already gathered enough support from smaller parties to form a coalition, but analysts say that horse-trading continues and that it is too early to declare the pro-Thaksin grouping as Thailand’s next government.

An arrest warrant was issued for Mr Thaksin in August after he failed to appear in court in a case involving conflict of interest in a land deal while he was in power. His wife Pojamarn is accused of illegally buying real estate from a government agency effectively controlled by her husband.

The military-appointed government that succeeded Mr Thaksin launched several investigations into his alleged corruption and have frozen millions in family assets. Other cases against him and family members are pending.