Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will not return from exile to the "killing zone" of Thailand despite being ordered back to face charges of hiding assets illegally, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Thaksin, who had until Friday to respond in person to charges of violating stock regulations and anti-corruption laws, would return to Thailand only after "democracy is fully restored," lawyer Noppadon Pattama told reporters.
"We won't let him return to the killing zone now, but he should come back after the elections," Noppadon said referring to a decision by Thaksin's team of lawyers. Noppadon did not say what "killing zone" meant, but army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who ousted Thaksin in a bloodless coup last year, said earlier this month Thaksin's safety could not be guaranteed if he returned home now.
"He will return only when he's confident that democracy is fully restored in the country, where we can be assured of a better justice during the trial," Noppadon said.
Sunai Manomai-udom, head of the Justice Ministry's Department of Special Investigations, issued the return order last week and said an arrest warrant for Thaksin would be issued if he failed to show up.
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