Thaksin makes Hong Kong his base for comeback

Thaksin makes Hong Kong his base for comeback

Hong Kong (dpa)

Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra is to make Hong Kong his Asian base as he plots a triumphant return to Thailand, a news report said Wednesday.

Thaksin, who hosted a press conference in Hong Kong Tuesday, will divide his time between the former British colony and the UK before making his return to Thailand, the South China Morning Post reported.

Quoting friends, the newspaper said Thaksin considered Hong Kong a natural base, because of its "basic freedoms and commercial set-up and strong links to Thailand."

Thaksin, who was forced out of office by the military in September 2006, spent the weekend in Hong Kong monitoring the Thai election results which resulted in big wins for his allies in the People Power Party, the newspaper said.

At a press conference Tuesday, Thaksin announced he would return to Thailand sometime between February and April, saying he wanted to live as "a normal citizen."

While he insisted he did not want to resume his political career, he hinted at a return to politics, telling reporters he would consider acting as an advisor to the People Power Party if invited.

Thaksin also said he would prove himself innocent of corruption charges laid against him by the military junta and the courts after he was deposed.

Members of the Thai military and bureaucracy behind the ousting of Thaksin, and the subsequent legal action, are widely reported to be nervously awaiting the arrival of the notoriously thin-skinned and vindictive tycoon-turned-politician.