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Published on April 10, 2008

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday revealed that he had asked the United Kingdom for political asylum but later withdrew the request.

Thaksin was giving a speech on "The future of Thai children and the future of Thailand" as chairman of the Thaicom Foundation. His children and a number of his close aides as well as leading businessmen attended the event.

He said the last time he went to the UK, he was interrogated by UK immigration officials for over two hours because his request to seek political asylum was kept in the computer records, though he had withdrawn the request on his previous visit.

"At that time my lawyer advised me to seek political asylum, telling me that I might be arrested by the military as a fugitive, but I did not heed the advice because I did not think I had done anything wrong and I need not fear. But my lawyer insisted, so I submitted a form to seek political asylum but later withdrew it,'' he said.

Thaksin said he faced the same hassle when he went to Japan. "I met the same fate because of the Thai embassy in Japan,'' he said.

He added he was lucky to be in both hell and heaven in one life. "When I was a prime minister, some countries laid a red carpet for me, but when I returned I was questioned by immigration officials,'' he said.

"Even though I was no longer a country leader, the prime ministers of several countries telephoned to talk to me. I am not saying

that because I want to return to politics."

He compared his fate to that of poor Thai students abroad.

"It was like I got to study a 17-month master's degree course and could not return home during the vacation. If I had got to study a doctorate degree, I would have had to stay abroad longer, which I preferred not to. Thank you all the Thai people that allowed me to come home,'' he said.

Thaksin warned Thais against quarrelling or showing signs of internal conflict for the sake of the country's economy. "There is a massive cash flow in the world. Investors are looking for places to put their money, especially in real estate. It is no use quarrelling - we soon will die,'' he said.

The ousted premier also supported the move to start mega-projects now, saying the country should take advantage of the strong baht, and warned the oil price would surge to US$120 (Bt3,813) per barrel because of the depreciation of the dollar.

Thaksin thanked the Council for National Security for his chance to learn many things abroad, saying if he got back his frozen money, he would set up a special fund in Asia to attract investment to Thailand.

SAMATCHA HOONSARA

THE NATION