Deposed Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has reportedly called three Bangkok radio talk shows and urged a swift return to democracy.
BANGKOK: Deposed Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has called three Bangkok radio talk shows and urged a swift return to democracy, the stations said on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to rally support here.
Thaksin, who has lived in exile since a coup last September, has previously only spoken to international media and the Thai junta has threatened to shut down local outlets that broadcast his statements.
But on Wednesday evening Thaksin picked up the phone from London, where he lives, and called three anti-junta community radio stations, which broadcast his calls for early elections live on air.
"I was shocked and speechless when I realised that the person on the other line was him," said Chupong Theethuan of "Confidante" community radio station.
"He urged quick elections and said the government does not have to worry about him as he will not travel near this region again," he added.
Thaksin called three radio programmes sympathetic to his politics -- Confidante Radio, Saturday Voice Against Dictatorship and Taxi Driver Community Radio, all small stations broadcasting in Bangkok.
Speaking live on Saturday Voice Against Dictatorship, he said he was worried that some of his schemes for the rural poor had been scrapped by the military-installed government.
Thaksin told Confidante Radio he was concerned the government had scaled down scholarships for students and urged "children who are suffering" to contact his foundation, Chupong said.
He told Saturday Voice that he would return to Thailand, but said he did not want to come back home when it might cause a confrontation.
"I have spent almost one year abroad, but the country has not yet returned to normalcy. They always cite me as the problem, but as of now no one wants to reconcile with me," he told Saturday Voice.
Thaksin was in New York when tanks rolled onto the streets of Bangkok, and has since divided his time between London, the United States and Asia.
Despite insisting that he has no intention of returning to politics, the billionaire businessman has hired two political lobby groups in Washington.
This is the first time Thaksin has successfully contacted media based in Thailand, although he has regularly been posting video messages to supporters on his website and has given interviews to international media.
The junta imposed a variety of censorship orders after it seized power and in January this year issued a specific warning that it would shut down broadcasters who carried statements by Thaksin.
Two community radio listeners have reported that the three stations had gone off air, but Confidante Radio said it was merely experiencing technical difficulties.
Junta head General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said earlier that he had ordered an investigation into the three stations, but had not yet decided whether to shut them down.
Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp warned that a move by Thaksin to appear on local television channels would not be tolerated.
"This would cause a security concern," he told reporters.
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