Fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra threw down the gauntlet on Monday: He will return to politics and become prime minister again.

He told the Arabian Business magazine in Abu Dhabi:

“The country is going down deeply. The confidence is not there. The trust amongst foreign community is not there. The poor people in rural areas are in difficulty.
With me at the helm I can bring confidence quickly back to Thailand. We have to find a mechanism under which I can go back, that is why I must tell you that I will go back into politics.”

Thaksin also criticised the British government for lifting his visa, effectively making him a wanted criminal on the run.

"England must understand better, but unfortunately they are now busy with their own problems," he alleged. "So they forgot about democratic values."

The UK cancelled the visas of Thaksin and his wife Khunying Potjaman earlier this month after he was convicted of corruption, and continued to speak out on Thai politics from his British haven. The couple has since divorced.

The magazine's web site said that the full text of its exclusive interview with Thaksin would be published on Sunday, Thaksin gave no hint in the published portion of the interview when he might attempt to return to Thailand.

But he is clear that he has officially decided to get back into the political ring.

"A lot depends on the power of the people," he said.

"If they feel they are in hardship and they need me to help them, I will go back," he said.

"If the king feels I can be beneficial I will go back and he may grant me a royal pardon. If they don’t need me and the king feels I can make no difference then I will stay here and do business."

© 2008 Bangkok Post