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Thai PM says Thaksin can return from exile
2007-06-12
Thailand's army-installed prime minister said Tuesday that ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra would be allowed to return to the kingdom to defend himself against corruption charges. "His reason for wanting to return is understandable. He needs to come to fight the charges" made by an anti-corruption panel, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told reporters. "He does not have to seek permission" from the military junta to return, he said. Thaksin's lawyer said earlier that the deposed premier was thinking about returning to Thailand for the first time since the September 2006 coup to fight corruption charges against him, after authorities froze 1.5 billion dollars of his assets. Thaksin was in New York when the military overthrew his government in a bloodless takeover. Since then, he has split his time between a home in London and travelling around Asia. Surayud said police would ensure Thaksin's safety if he returned home. "Police will be responsible for his safety. The government does not need to give him a specific guarantee for his safety because all Thais are protected under the law," he said.
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