BANGKOK, Sept 25, 2007 (AFP) - Thailand's Supreme Court said Tuesday it would postpone corruption hearings against ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra because of his prolonged absence from the kingdom.

Thaksin and his wife Pojaman, who have been living in London since a coup overthrew Thaksin's government last year, face charges of corruption and conflict of interest over a controversial real estate deal.

LONDON, Sept 19, 2007 (AFP) - Exiled former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Wednesday he still planned to return home, a year to the day since he was ousted in a bloodless coup.

'I will go back but after the election... I will probably have to wait until the election, when the new government is installed,' he told BBC radio.

'I can't be sure when but that's my idea initially. The situation in Thailand is changing every day.'

BANGKOK, Sept 13, 2007 (AFP) - Thai prosecutors said Thursday they plan to travel to Britain for talks on what they admit is a long-shot bid to seek the extradition of ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra on corruption charges.

Thailand's Supreme Court will use a September 25 hearing to consider whether to launch extradition proceedings if Thaksin and his wife Pojaman fail to obey a summons to hear corruption charges.

The couple are living in exile in Britain, where Thaksin has bought English Premiership football side Manchester City.

BANGKOK, Sept 11, 2007 (AFP) - Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has denied that he illegally concealed his assets, as charged by an army-installed panel of corruption investigators, his spokesman said Tuesday.

Noppadon Pattama said the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) had based its claims on outdated information about the companies once controlled by Thaksin.

'Thaksin had nothing to do with those companies when he became prime minister,' Noppadon told a press conference.

BANGKOK, Sept 10, 2007 (AFP) - Thailand's junta-appointed anti-corruption committee said Monday it had enough evidence to press charges against ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra for concealing assets.

The Assets Examination Committee (AEC), set up by the military leaders who staged last year's coup, said Thaksin had failed to declare his shares in Shin Corp, the Telecommunication giant he founded, when he became prime minister in 2001.

BANGKOK, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - A Thai criminal court Monday approved a second arrest warrant for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, owner of the Manchester City football club, over fraud charges tied to a controversial share sale.

'The court approved an arrest warrant' for Thaksin and his wife Pojaman, said Pornchai Asavawattanaporn, the deputy chief of the Justice Ministry's Department of Special Investigations (DSI).

BANGKOK, Aug 30, 2007 (AFP) - Ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra denied that he was financing the upstart People Power Party, which has been taken over by his allies, his lawyer said Thursday.

More than 270 former lawmakers from Thaksin's now-defunct Thai Rak Thai party have taken over the once-obscure People Power in hopes of turning it into a vehicle for their comeback in general elections on December 23.

But Thaksin's lawyer Noppadon Pattama said the exiled billionaire was not financing the movement.

BANGKOK, Aug 24, 2007 (AFP) - Allies of ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Friday elected an outspoken former Bangkok governor to lead their new party as the nation gears up for elections promised by the year's end.

Samak Sundaravej, a fiery veteran lawmaker who has frequently clashed with the royalist elite in the military, was elected as leader of the People Power Party.

It was just a tiny fringe group until four weeks ago when 300 of Thaksin's allies joined and turned it into a vehicle for them to contest the elections expected in December.

BANGKOK, Aug 22, 2007 (AFP) - Thailand's ousted and exiled premier Thaksin Shinawatra will sue the country's top investigator for slander, seeking 43 million dollars in damages, his lawyer said Wednesday.

Thaksin and his wife Pojaman will jointly file the suit against Sunai Manomai-udom, the chief of the justice ministry's Department of Special Investigations (DSI), in a civil court Thursday, said lawyer Noppadon Pattama.

BANGKOK, Aug 22, 2007 (AFP) - Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra hailed Wednesday the strong 'no' vote in this week's referendum on an army-backed constitution as proof that he remains popular in Thailand.

About 58 percent of Thai voters approved the charter on Sunday, but both the turnout and the margin of victory were smaller than expected.

'He is very satisfied with the result, as the turnout was quite low and the 'no' vote was greater than expected,' Thaksin spokesman Noppadon Pattama said.

BANGKOK, Aug 17, 2007 (AFP) - Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra on Friday denounced corruption charges against him as 'politically motivated' allegations, designed to weaken his influence on a referendum this weekend.

Thais vote on Sunday on a new army-backed constitution that the junta says will clear the way for a return to democracy, but which opponents insist will entrench the role of the military in government.

Thaksin's allies have campaigned against the charter and the fallen premier accused the military of pursuing him to weaken his political influence.

BANGKOK, Aug 17, 2007 (AFP) - Thai investigators said Friday they would ask a criminal court next week to issue a second arrest warrant for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife.

Thaksin and his wife Pojaman, both living in exile in Britain where he has bought the Manchester City football club, were already slapped with arrest warrants by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The judges issued that warrant after the couple ignored a summons to appear on corruption charges.

BANGKOK, Aug 16, 2007 (AFP) - Thai authorities on Thursday placed ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife on an immigration blacklist, ordering their immediate arrest if they try to enter the country, police said.

The order came two days after the Supreme Court issued arrest warrants for Thaksin and his wife Pojaman for failing to obey a summons to appear before judges to hear corruption charges.

BANGKOK, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Ousted billionaire premier Thaksin Shinawatra was facing calls for his extradition from Britain on Tuesday after Thailand's top court issued arrest warrants for him and his wife.

Thaksin, who has taken over the Manchester City football club and settled in Britain since being toppled in a coup last year, is under fire with his wife Pojaman for allegedly snapping up prime Bangkok real estate at bargain prices.

BANGKOK, Aug 14, 2007 (AFP) - Thailand's Supreme Court on Tuesday approved arrest warrants for ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, after they ignored a summons to appear in court to face graft charges, a judge said.

'The two suspects acknowledged the charge and received an official summons but failed to appear before court today,' said Tonglor Chomngarm, head of a panel of nine Supreme Court judges that is hearing the case.

'The court has approved arrest warrants against the two suspects. Both should be brought before the court,' he said.

BANGKOK, Aug 2, 2007 (AFP) - Thailand's military has launched an inquiry into a reporter for army television who published a book about ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra's life in exile, an official said Thursday.

Lieutenant Sunisa Lertpakawat has been ordered not to speak to the media after releasing her book 'Thaksin, Where Are You' on Wednesday.

She is accused of breaking defence ministry rules by failing to inform her superviser about a trip to London to interview Thaksin, secretary of the army Major General Veeran Chantasartkosol said.

BANGKOK, Aug 1, 2007 (AFP) - Thai investigators Wednesday ordered ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife to appear before authorities by August 17 to hear fraud charges or face arrest.

The couple missed a July 27 deadline to testify before the Department of Special Investigations (DSI), but their lawyer had requested a one-month extension.

'Thaksin and his wife must return to Thailand to hear the charges in person by August 17 at 1:30 pm. This is the final deadline,' a senior DSI official said.

LONDON, July 30, 2007 (AFP) - Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said in an interview published in Monday's edition of the Financial Times that he had no plans to return to politics in his native country.

The former telecoms tycoon said he was more interested in his newly acquired Premiership football team, Manchester City.

He insisted he was 'relieved' that he did not have to worry about 'what should I do for my people, for my country?'

BANGKOK, July 23, 2007 (AFP) - Thailand`s ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra has gained effective control of Manchester City football club and will delist it from the stock exchange, his lawyer said Monday.

Thaksin will also nominate two Thai footballers to be recruited by the club, said Noppadon Pattama, Thaksin`s de facto spokesman in Thailand.

'Thaksin has gained control with a 75 percent stake in Man City. The next stage is to delist the club from the stock market to become a completely private company,' Noppadon told reporters.