"The [overwhelming support from villagers] has given me a heavy heart about stepping down," Thaksin said. "In fact, to be the prime minister of Thailand - especially during my time - is exhausting. The media don't like me. My family is under a lot of pressure. The fact that my family sacrifices me to work for the country for six years is enough. I had started to think that it might be time to support somebody of a younger generation to replace me.

"But when I meet people and they encourage me to fight on, they place their hope with me - and it gives me a heavy heart. I am at a crossroads. On the one hand I want to devote myself to the country, while on the other, I know there is a group of people who are unhappy. They don't want me to be prime minister," he said.

Thaksin said he has tackled the country's problems during his six-year premiership. But some accumulated problems like poverty cannot be solved in one night, and need time to address. What's needed is determination and faith, he said.