Embattled caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has sought meetings with European leaders including French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair during a planned visit to the region, a source said yesterday.

The message was relayed to the ambassadors of at least two European countries during recent meetings initiated by Thaksin's camp, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

It was not clear what Thaksin was hoping to gain by meeting European leaders but, the source said, one of the European ambassadors to Bangkok was "uncomfortable" with the request.

The source said Thaksin was keen to clarify his current position with the Bangkok-based ambassadors and that he blamed the opposition Democrat Party for Thailand's current political malaise.

Thaksin told the envoys the Democrats had been unable to defeat his Thai Rak Thai Party at the ballot box and so had resorted to joining the coalition of protesters seeking his ouster, said the source.

Another political source said Thaksin wanted to maintain a visible role during his current political hiatus, in which he is still officially caretaker premier but has turned over his duties to Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya, who is serving as acting premier. "He will be travelling the world and will bring back some ideas in order to keep Thais abreast of his hectic activities. The Democrats are no match for Thaksin when it comes to creating hype," he said.

Uncertainty hovers over Thailand's political future, with the anti-Thaksin coalition calling for the nullification of the April 2 general election and appointment of a new government by His Majesty the King to see through political reform.

One source said Thaksin had told the envoys that the April 2 election was "the cleanest" in Thailand's recent history.

A spokesman at the US Embassy in Bangkok said the meeting bet-ween Thaksin and US Ambassador Ralph Boyce last Friday touched on the prime minister's upcoming visit to the United States. He did not elaborate on the timing of the visit, and would not confirm or deny whether there had been a request to meet US President George W Bush.

"Questions [about his meetings] should be directed to the office of the caretaker prime minister," the spokesman said.

Besides ambassadors from the US, Britain and France, Thaksin has called for meetings with envoys from China, Japan and Russia.

The Thai Constitution stipulates that a new Parliament must convene within 30 days of the general election to appoint the prime minister, who may in turn appoint his own cabinet.

This means Thaksin's reign as prime minister will end on May 1, raising the question of legitimacy if his meeting with these leaders were to take place after that date.

Thaksin yesterday told reporters he planned to take a trip outside Thailand after tomorrow's Senate election, but did not give an exact date.

The Democrats' Kiart Sithi-amorn said Thaksin's initiating discussions with so many Bangkok-based envoys at a Thai Rak Thai office was "not the proper thing to do".

Thaksin remained tight-lipped over his political future and continued to brush off journalists' questions about his upcoming world tour. He said he was no longer functioning as the prime minister and any question should be directed to Chidchai.

Besides the current political crisis, concerns in diplomatic circles also centred around the future of Thailand's planned Bt1.7-trillion mega-project infrastructure investment.

Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon told reporters yesterday that "all diplomats now have a good understanding of what is going on politically in Thailand and are well aware of Thaksin's current status."

Thaksin announced on April 4, two days after the general election, that he had decided not to accept the premiership in the new government.