Shinawatra delays return to face charges in Thailand
Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, currently involved in a £81.6m (€121.2m) deal to buy Premier League club Manchester City, will not return to Thailand to face corruption charges because he fears for his safety.
Prosecutors said they would seek seek Thaksin's extradition if he failed to meet a Friday deadline set by police to face charges that he concealed his ownership of millions of dollars worth of shares from the Thai stock exchange.
"He will not return to answer the charges because of safety concerns and other reasons," Noppadol Pattama, Thaksin's lawyer and de facto spokesman in Thailand, told The Associated Press.
Earlier at a news conference, Noppadol said Thaksin would not return until after an election expected to be held in December because "the country is under the rule of the military who got power in an undemocratic way" and the investigations targeting him are unfair.
The military deposed Thaksin in a bloodless coup on September 19 last year after demonstrations calling for him to step down because of alleged corruption and abuse of power. One of the coup leaders' first acts was to initiate probes against Thaksin.
They installed an interim government, but retain power behind the scenes, while promising an election by December once a new constitution has been drafted and submitted to a national referendum.
Personal security was another of Thaksin's concerns, Noppadol said. Thaksin was ousted while abroad, and has divided his time since then between a residence in London and travel around Asia.
The military has consistently told Thaksin that he should not return until after the polls, saying his presence could trigger political instability.
Earlier this month, army commander Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin - who led the coup against Thaksin - said the former prime minister might be harmed by his enemies if he returned to Thailand now.
But Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont told reporters that the government would ensure Thaksin's safety if he returned.
