Wife returns without Thaksin
19/10/2006 08:06  - (SA)  

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Bangkok, Thailand - The wife of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup on September 19, has returned to Thailand, although her husband remains in London, officials said on Thursday.

Pojamarn Shinawatra arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon, having left the country on September 25 to join her husband in London, where the family owns an apartment and where their daughter is attending college.

Thaksin, who was in New York for the UN General Assembly when military leaders seized power, has not returned to Thailand since, opting to stay in London.

He has been warned by the military that that he should not yet return because it could endanger the country's stability.

"She came back by herself. No one else came back with her," said an official from the Thai Rak Thai party that Thaksin founded and once headed.

"She returned quietly, around (15:00), and then just returned home. A small team went to pick her up."

Local newspapers reported that two of their grown children also returned to Bangkok, but the official said they did not accompany her. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.

Immigration police also confirmed that Pojamarn returned to Bangkok on Wednesday by herself.

Coup leaders have said the military intervened and seized power last month because intelligence showed the likelihood of imminent, violent clashes between Thaksin's supporters and opponents in Bangkok.

Despite Thaksin's popularity with the poor, he was almost universally opposed by the country's elite, who accused him of widespread corruption and abuse of power.

Massive anti-Thaksin rallies were staged in Bangkok for several months earlier this year.

The new regime has set as one of its top priorities investigations into alleged corruption by Thaksin and members of his government, vowing to punish any wrongdoing.

Thaksin's family is among the richest in Thailand, with numerous assets held in the names of his wife and children.

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