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Published on December 28, 2007

"If they were in Thailand, police can arrest him and his wife because both are still wanted on Thai arrest warrants," Samphan Sarathana, chief of international affairs at the Attorney-General's Office, told Agence France-Presse.

Thaksin mentioned to reporters in Hong Kong on Tuesday that he planned to return home by April, after his allies in the People Power Party (PPP) claimed victory in the general election on Sunday, the first since he was overthrown by a military coup in September 2006.

But the self-made telecom billionaire, who has been living in exile, and his wife Pojaman are on an immigration blacklist, meaning they can be immediately arrested if they try to enter Thailand.

More than 30 PPP MP-elects from the North and Northeast have flown to Hong Kong to celebrate the victory and New Year with Thaksin.

Thaksin told them he would not return to politics. He was reported as having had a chance to review PPP's proposed Cabinet list.

Sources said Thaksin looked a happy man but he would be even more cheerful if he could return to Thailand.

Samphan has been pushing for the extradition of Thaksin and his wife from Britain, where the former premier owns a home and has purchased the Manchester City football club.

The Supreme Court issued arrest warrants for Thaksin and Pojaman in August over separate graft charges linked to a 2003 real-estate deal.

In September the Criminal Court issued another arrest warrant against the couple over charges tied to alleged fraudulent filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2003.

Caretaker Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said although the military was now taking a backseat, another coup could not be ruled out.

"[A coup] is like a natural disaster, we cannot assure that it will not happen again," he told the Thai News Agency.

Thailand is on "the path to democracy", so the military would "abide by the rules", but the military would not stand by if the Kingdom was heading for ruin, he said.

"If anything happens to the nation, people will have to accept the consequences of their decisions."

Although the defence minister was unapologetic about the junta's toppling of Thaksin's elected government, he said PPP was quite eligible to form the next government.

However, "it has yet to be seen if PPP follows its policies as promised to the people".

PPP secretary-general Surapong Suebwonglee said party executives had discussed a list of tentative Cabinet members, including those from coalition parties, but certain portfolios would be reserved for PPP.

"We have campaigned with pledges that we would restore economic recovery first, so after forming the government our party would take over the economic ministries," he said.

He insisted party leader Samak Sundaravel would hold a press conference as promised on January 4 to announce the new government.

The Nation, Agencies