Thaksin defiant, won't return

(BangkokPost.com)

Noppadon Pattama, the lead legal adviser of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, said Tuesday his boss will not return to Thailand to hear police charges or fight court cases - until after the general election.

Mr Noppadon cited four reasons behind the decision.

First, Thailand is still under the rule of the military junta and there is no democracy. The junta has set up a plan to convict Mr Thaksin and put him behind bars, he claimed.

Second: The justice system has been compromised, starting from the Assets Scrutiny Committee members, all of whom were Mr Thaksin's enemies, he said.

Thirdly, there is no safety for him in the country, even though Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Council for National Security chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin have told the media they will guarantee Mr Thaksin's safety.

"Even with tight security, Mr Thaksin had almost been attacked by a car bomb," he said, referring to an incident when Mr Thaksin was premier. "Now there cannot be a guarantee that he will be safe."

Lastly, Mr Noppadon cited reconciliation for the decision to put off returning.

The government cannot solve problems, he said, and his supporters do not want Mr Thaksin to become a victim or be blamed if the government fails to solve these problems.