He said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would be held responsible if such violence took place again. "I believe that people who can read through this will understand what's happening," Sondhi said.

He rejected the allegations of lese majeste at a press conference held at the Manager Media Group headquarters. His lawyer, Suwat Apaipakdi, said he believed the lese majeste charge was politically motivated, with the aim of inciting unrest.

Sondhi left for China yesterday evening for a "one-day break" after months of busy schedules, the Manager Online reported last night.

He denied a rumour that he had fled the country and said he would return tonight. Sondhi also was quoted as saying that he would definitely join an anti-government rally in Songkhla on Wednesday.

Sondhi and Suwat explained at the press conference that Sondhi's statement in question, which was reported incompletely in the Thai-language Kom Chad Luek newspaper last Friday, was aimed at attacking Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for possible evasion of responsibility about the Egat privatisation plan, which the Supreme Administrative Court recently ruled was not carried out according to the relevant laws.

Kom Chad Luek is a sister publication of The Nation.

Police yesterday received many separately complaints accusing Sondhi of lese majeste.

Maj-General Surasit Thaworn, a specialist attached to the Supreme Command, and eight other commissioned military officers filed a complaint with national police chief General Kowit Wattana accusing Sondhi of lese majeste. Later in the afternoon, a group of taxi motorcyclists filed a similar complaint with Kowit.

A group of veterans from Ratchaburi and Nakhon Si Thammarat filed the same complaint against Sondhi at the Crime Suppression Division. Similar police complaints were also filed by village heads and kamnan in Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, Nong Bua Lamphu, Phrae, Nan and Sakon Nakhon.

Thaksin yesterday denied he had anything to do with the mob besieging the Nation Group office buildings on Thursday.

"Don't you think it's me who is the victim of harassment? You have been harassing me all the time, for many years. In fact I'm not harassing anyone. This matter involves a group of dissatisfied people," said Thaksin, when asked if the Nation Group was being subjected to harassment.