The propaganda war between ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the generals who overthrew him in September's coup has gone international.

General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS), told the Washington Post that Thaksin could return to Thailand, but at his own risk. "It is very dangerous for a man to have hundreds of thousands of people dislike him, for which reason I cannot say whether or not it is safe for him," Sonthi was quoted as saying.

The coup leader also said democratic elections would be held before year-end.

He said the military would immediately hand over control to a civilian government following the inauguration of a new prime minister. He was seeking to ease mounting concerns that the military might have designs on long-term power.

"The elections will happen this year. As for the role of the Army after the election, once we have a new elected government, the Army will withdraw and return to its units as a professional military," Sonthi was quoted as saying.

The report appeared in the Thursday edition of the US paper.

It was his first interview with a Western newspaper since leading the coup on September 19. Sonthi earlier spoke with the CNN news network and the Japanese media while hopping around Asia.

Time magazine is running an interview with Thaksin along with an article about his life in exile in its Monday issue.

In it Thaksin strongly criticises the government and the generals who toppled him.

"[The junta] wants to bring the country backward. That is not good. You should take the country forward," he is quoted as saying.

He also describes as "protectionist" the government's policy of capital controls. "No one can adopt protectionism any more. Thailand has to be ready for globalisation: you cannot turn your back on it."

As to why there was hardly any public outcry against the putsch, Thaksin says: "First, the people are shocked. Then they start to voice their concerns. And then they start to accept it, especially after it's endorsed by His Majesty the King."

When asked whether he would return to politics, he reiterates that he has washed his hands of it. "I'm quite confident that if I ran [for election] today, I would win, [but] I have no political ambitions. I am calling it quits."

He also defends himself against the accusations of corruption, calling them "baseless", and says some juntas end up being more corrupt than an elected administration. "At any rate, corruption will not go away in Thailand: it's in the system."