Letter from London: 'I'm so sorry'

Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Thursday apologised to his supporters after his Thai Rak Thai party was dissolved and he was banned from politics over election law violations.

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In a hand-written letter dated from London, where he has been based since his ouster last September, Thaksin expressed surprise that he and 110 other senior party members had been banned from politics for five years.

"I, as the founder and leader of the party up until the coup, apologise to all party members, executives and supporters that met with this unexpected fate," he said in the letter which was presented by his lawyer Thursday.

Thaksin resigned as leader of Thai Rak Thai (TRT) soon after the coup and has insisted he has no further political ambition, but in his letter he urged TRT supporters to maintain their activities.

"They should learn from the mistakes of the past and keep up all the good work to build our country ... rather than turn our back on the world community," he said.

"And now I think both the junta and government are happier, so they can hold elections to restore democracy to Thai people soon, in order to regain confidence and the country's dignity," he added.

In the letter, which was read out by his lawyer in Bangkok, Thaksin said he had expected his party's dissolution as well as the court order banning him from politics.

The Assets Examination Committee, a powerful anti-corruption body set up by the junta, this month recommended for the first time that Thaksin and his wife Pojaman should face charges over a controversial land purchase.

The attorney general will decide whether to bring the case to a court within a few weeks.

Thaksin will visit Japan and China next month and return to Tokyo again in July to deliver a lecture on business at Japanese private Takushoku University.