Thaksin Shinawatra hopes for UK return

Thailand’s deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said today he will seek court permission for a trip to England, his first journey abroad since returning home to face criminal charges.

The trip would apparently include attending a match at Manchester City – the Premier League club Thaksin owns.

He said today he will ask to leave the country from March 13.

Thaksin, who had been in exile since being deposed in a September 2006 military coup, returned to Thailand on February 28.

The billionaire politician bought Manchester City during his time overseas and said earlier this week that he hopes to attend the team’s March 16 match against Tottenham.

Thaksin’s return has stirred the Thai political scene because of suspicions that he will seek a return to power.

The military accused him of corruption and abuse of power during his time in office, and a court imposed a five-year ban on him holding political office.

But the current prime minister, Samak Sundaravej, is a political ally and the head of a pro-Thaksin political party, which is widely seen as doing the former prime minister’s bidding.

Thaksin today repeated his oft-stated position that he has bowed out of politics.

“I’m no longer involved in politics and I will be concentrating my efforts on charity work and sports,” he said after a meeting of the Professional Golf Association of Thailand, which he chairs.

He denied speculation that he would become an adviser on the economy to Mr Samak’s government and said he would become an “academic” who would lecture to the public.

He said Samak’s government “is trying their best”.

“We must give them a chance and also time to prove themselves,” he said.