Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has told Thais in the US his government has no problem with Thaksin Shinawatra, but the fugitive former PM could not be above the law - he must return to face his jail term.
e [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, according to Thai News Agency.
The prime minister was speaking to a packed room of Thais who live in the US during a visit that will see him attend the UN General Assembly and the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh.
"He [Thaksin] did wrong and refused to face the penalty. Instead, he held people hostage and used them in his negotiations," Abhisit said.
The PM also referred to the chaos at the Asean Summit in Pattaya when pro-Thaksin protesters invaded the summit venue. The government had to cancel the summit and declare a state of emergency. The chaos spread to Bangkok with the red shirts blocking roads, burning buses and tyres. The Army then stepped in under a state of emergency to disperse the mob.
Abhisit said he regretted wrongly evaluating the situation in April. "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 ill-intentioned groups, led to the Asean Summit being cancelled."
He also referred to an audio clip that was doctored to make people believe he ordered killings during the chaos.
Meanwhile, PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey said Thaksin had shown no willingness to mend fences judging from his series of phone-ins.
"In his latest to Pheu Thai Party on Tuesday, Thaksin has sent no signal for talks," Satit said. As Thaksin carried on like this, the political heat may continue to rise, he said.