Thai ex-PM Says Does Not Want to Return to Power
Thailand's exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra said on Monday he does not want to return to power, after his sister Yingluck scored a landslide general election victory.
"I've been with the party too long, and I really want to retire. Actually, I announced when I was in office that I planned to retire when I was 60," Thaksin told reporters from a podium set up in front of his home in the upscale Emirates Hills neighborhood of Dubai, where he lives in self-imposed exile.
"I'm 62. It's long overdue for me," Thaksin said.
"Going back (to Thailand) is not necessarily to be going back to politics," he said, joking that he might become a professional golfer.
Asked if he wanted to be prime minister again, Thaksin said: "No."
Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, said reconciliation takes precedence over any return to Thailand.
"Going back home is not a major concern. It is not a priority," he said. "The top priority is to bring back reconciliation."
"I will be here doing business, and whatever advice they may need, I will give, but if they don't need, I don't have to worry -- the Thai people will be in good hands," he said.
Thaksin played down the possibility of further conflict in Thailand, where more than 90 people, mostly civilians, died in a series of 2010 street clashes between mostly unarmed red-clad protesters loyal to Thaksin and government soldiers firing live ammunition in the streets of the capital.
"Now, I think all the Thai start to think that five years is enough for them, regardless of color," he said when asked about potential protests by his "yellow shirt" opponents.
Thaksin thanked the Thai people for voting for his sister.
"I am very grateful for the Thai people that they really come out to voice their concern about the country. It is very clear that they want to see reconciliation in the country, they want to see an end to the conflict, and they want to see the country moving forward," he said.
"I'm proud of her, and I trust her," Thaksin said of his sister.
Source: Agence France Presse
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