Thaksin says he won't return to Thailand unless fair trial guaranteed

"If I go back, it means that I will not be getting a fair trial anyway," Thaksin, now in exile abroad, said in an interview with Kyodo News. "I will return to face the facts and trial if and when the justice system goes back to normal."

His remark comes after the dissolution of his Thai Rak Thai Party and developments in court cases in the past two months.

Accused of abusing power to purchase land cheaply from a state agency, Thaksin and his wife Pojamarn were charged in court in June for corruption. Investigators ordered the two to report to the police between June 26 and June 29 or face arrest.

"The justice system in Thailand has been (based on) pure trust and confidence for generations but it's been destroyed by them in a very short period of time," he said, accusing Thailand's military-installed government of "interfering with justice" by using "guns and tanks" just to catch him.

Reiterating that charges against him, his wife and party are "baseless," Thaksin indicated that he will not be able to return to Thailand for the time being as it will take some time for "justice and democracy" to be restored there.

Following the bloodless coup in September last year, Thaksin has vowed not to return to politics and has been living in exile in London and traveling frequently to Asia. The military rulers in Bangkok, though, remain fearful of pro-Thaksin movements.

Thaksin also denied bribery allegations against his party and said he encouraged them to "continue fighting with ideology" and form a new party in the planned general election in December.

Thailand's Constitutional Tribunal in May disbanded the party he founded, and banned its executive members, including many hopeful candidates as new Thai leader, from all elections in the next five years as the party was convicted of election fraud in connection with last year's general election.

On what he will do from now beyond politics, he said he plans to create an international foundation dealing with the study and research of water. The foundation is to be launched in August.

Thaksin is visiting Tokyo to assume the post of visiting professor at Takushoku University in Tokyo and give a special lecture.