The junta's leader yesterday admitted that the Monday interview with deposed premier Thaksin Shinawatra on CNN was blocked from airing, but only with the cooperation and appropriate judgement of cable TV operator UBC.

"The programme that broadcast Thaksin's interview was blocked, but I can say I did not give such an order," said General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, chief of the Council for National Security (CNS).

UBC made its own decision following the CNS order [to ask the broadcast media to cease airing views defending Thaksin], he said.

Thaksin broke his silence for the first time since the September 19 coup by giving the interview with CNN in which he vowed not to return to politics.

"It will be a great benefit to the country if Thaksin really quits politics as he said on CNN," Sonthi said. The ousted premier should delay his return to the country until national reconciliation takes place, he added.

The CNS is said to have asked UBC not to air the interview, scheduled at 7pm. UBC overrode the signal with a recording of the previous hour's sports news.

Meanwhile, Thai Rak Thai Party spokesman Sita Divari said Thaksin needed to speak via international media because he and his family felt that they had not been treated along the lines of justice.

Sita insisted that Thaksin had no hidden agenda by giving the interview, saying the junta should not question his good will.

"Thaksin insisted that he would not return to politics, and he told our party members to co-operate with the government and the CNS," Sita said.

He believed Thaksin decided to give the interview because he and his family had been treated unfairly by the justice system.

Noppadon Pattama, a legal adviser to Thaksin, said the junta should let things proceed naturally and should not be too paranoid regarding Thaksin's interview to the international media.

He believed if the interview had not been blocked, Thai people would know what Thaksin really had on his mind.