Thaksin must pay for his wrongdoings: Abhisit

"He (Thaksin) committed a wrongdoing so he has to come back and pay the penalty. We are a forgiving society. But it is not possible for anyone to be above the law," Abhisit said.

The prime minister was speaking to a packed room of Thais who live in the US during a visit that will see him attending the UN General Assembly and the G20 summit in Pittsburgh.

He (Thaksin) did wrong and refused to face penalty. Instead, he held people hostage and used them for in his negotiations, Abhisit said.

He also referred to the chaos during Asean Summit in Pattaya when proThaksin protesters invaded the summit meeting hall annex. The Thai government cancelled the summit and declared a state of emergency in Chon Buri.

The chaos spread to Bangkok with the red shirts blocking the Victory Monument and burning buses and tyres. The army then stepped in under the state of emergency to disperse the protesters.

Abhisit said he regretted wrongly evaluating the situation during the April chaos. "My government initially felt it would be better not to have problems with any of the opposing groups. But the tension, which was instigated by some illintentioned groups, led to the cancellation of the Asean Summit."

He also referred to an audio clip that was doctored to make people believe that he ordered killings during the chaos.