'Vagabond' Thaksin to Fight on

Ex-premier will not rest until state returns his fortune

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra says he will continue fighting for justice for himself, and will not rest until he gets back the 76-billion-baht in family money confiscated by the state.

Likening himself to a vagabond, Thaksin said he lived the lonely life of a fugitive, spending most of his time alone without a home or his family by his side.

While his foes might regard him as a divisive influence, he was not about to end his involvement in Thai politics until his name was cleared and the state gave him back the money it had taken.

In a live phone-in interview on satellite TV DStation, a station run by leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), Thaksin said his financial status overseas was still manageable but he would continue to fight to regain the money which was confiscated, based on allegations against him that he was unusually wealthy.

"It's the sum that my family spent our whole lives to earn. Usually, it [wealth earned by corrupt means] must be the state's money, as it has been channelled [to politicians]. But this is my money," said Thaksin, who fled the country in August last year and was sentenced to a two-year jail term in October for abuse of power in a land purchase deal.

In 2007 the coup-appointed Assets Scrutiny Committee ordered banks to confiscate the money, based on its ruling that Thaksin used his authority to enrich his family's then Shin Corp business empire.

Despite calls for him to end his involvement in politics for the sake of national harmony, Thaksin insisted that would not happen unless he gets justice.

"I demand justice for myself and my family," he said.

"I can keep fighting. Without getting justice, I will never stop."

Unjust accusations had been made, and unjust court rulings delivered against him, he said. If these were not dropped, he would not reconcile with anyone.

If he was killed, chaos in the nation would become more intense, he said.

Thaksin said he was speaking from a plane over international waters. The show was also broadcast via pro-Thaksin websites.

Thaksin said his opponents tried to eliminate him without respect for the rules of the game because they were paranoid about his supposed lack of loyalty to the monarchy, he said.

"I'm loyal to the monarchy, and they should not use wrong assumptions about that as a basis to attack me," Thaksin said.

The military was behind the formation of the Democrat-led government, which included a key supporter of the protest group People's Alliance for Democracy as a minister. The judiciary also helped the government come to power, he claimed.

With such a background, the government would find it tough to boost confidence among investors, Thaksin said. On the economic front, he urged the government to come up with long-term strategies and avoid over-spending on populist schemes.

Thaksin said he was the architect of some of the grassroots policies which the Democrat-led government had now copied.

"The government must not run its populism policies as a competition, otherwise people will not benefit in the long run," he said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Sunday said all Thais would get justice from his government, including Thaksin as he is a Thai.

"The government provides justice for all Thais. As he is a Thai, we will give him justice in line with the law," he said.