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Published on August 17, 2007

"Ten prosecutors who have read English law have been assembled to plan and prepare the extradition request," chief prosecutor for foreign litigation Samphan Sarathana said yesterday.

Samphan said he had instructed his prosecutors to begin their job by studying provisions under English law that could be used to convince British authorities of the abuse-of-power charges faced by Thaksin and Pojaman.

Under the bilateral extradition agreement between the United Kingdom and Thailand, request for extradition must be based on wrongdoing recognised by both the English and Thai legal systems.

"The ministry will coordinate with the Office of the Attorney-General and police in regard to the execution of the warrants," he said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Jarungwat said all legal avenues would be considered to bring Thaksin and Pojaman back for trial.

"It's still too early to talk about an extradition request," he said, adding that his ministry had just received copies of the two arrest warrants for Thaksin and Pojaman issued by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Separately, Noppadon Pattama, Thaksin's legal adviser, said the ex-PM would not appear before the Supreme Court on September 25, as ordered, because Thaksin was concerned for his safety.

He reiterated that Thaksin would "definitely return to Thailand after the general elections".

Noppadon said Thaksin had also asked him to convey a message to the Council for National Security, which was to "stop trying to damage his reputation and that of his family. He is confident that he will be able to prove his innocence and that of his family when the time is suitable".