A Hong Kong newspaper published on its front page photos of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra holding hands of his wife as they went shopping at a shopping centre in Hong Kong.

One picture showed him trying on a dark blazer in a Marc Jacobs boutique, Associated Press reported Monday.

Thaksin told reporter of the Oriental Daily News that he is now unemployed and that it was too soon to return home.

The Royal Thai Consulate-General in Hong Kong declined to comment on the report.

"I have no capacity to give any comments about the former prime minister's private trip to Hong Kong," Consul Waramon Waruttma told The AP.

 The mass-market paper quoted Thaksin as saying he arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday and will depart in the next few days for an unspecified Southeast Asian country.

Thaksin said he would wait until Thailand is more stable before he returns home, the Chinese-language paper reported. The former leader has been living in London, where he owns an apartment, since being deposed by a military coup in September.

Thaksin joked with the reporter and photographer, saying, ``I need a job because I'm unemployed now,'' the paper reported.

The AP reported the photos showed him dressed casually in dark slacks, an electric blue zip-up jacket, loafers and a striped dress shirt with the top two buttons unbuttoned. One picture showed him at a store counter buying a black handbag and two blouses _ one with a zebra print and the other with a purple pattern.

Thaksin also asked how the paper found out he was in Hong Kong. He managed to elude most other Hong Kong media, which are notorious for being hyper aggressive and extremely efficient at tracking the movements of celebrities.

When asked to give the paper an exclusive interview, Thaksin replied, ``No, no, no, no, no,'' the report said.

Thailand's interim prime minister, Surayud Chulanont, has said Thaksin should not return to Thailand until after general elections scheduled to be held a year from now. Thaksin's reappearance could spark clashes, he has said.