Thaksin: I won't swap exile for jail

Thailand's exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra told tens of thousands of supporters in his homeland that he could not return as long as he had a jail sentence hanging over him.

The former Manchester City FC owner, who served as the country's elected leader from 2001 until he was ousted by a military coup in September 2006, was convicted in absentia this year to two years in prison on conflict of interest charges.