″I don＇t want to be involved in politics any longer. I want to live peacefully with my family and die in this motherland.″

　　Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand last Thursday, ending 17 months of self-imposed exile following a coup against his government. Mr. Thaksin, who was ousted in a September 2006 coup, received a hero's welcome from thousands of supporters when he landed at Bangkok's international airport.

　　Thaksin was taken into police custody after arriving on Thai soil and was escorted by police to the Supreme Court. He and his wife face charges of corruption and conflict of interest in connection with her purchase of a prime piece of Bangkok real estate in 2003, while he was prime minister. About $2.1 billion in assets belonging to him and his family have been frozen until the case is resolved.

　　He was swiftly released on bail and told a news conference that he had "come back to restore my reputation and fight for justice in court." A trial was set for March 12 and Mr. Thaksin was barred from leaving the country without the court's permission.

　　Pledge to avoid politics

　　Mr. Thaksin, a 58-year-old billionaire, is legally barred from politics for the next four years; he insisted he would devote his time to charity and sports development. "I don't want to be involved in politics any longer. I want to live peacefully with my family and die in this motherland," he said.

　　Former police Lieutenant-Colonel Thaksin, born in Thailand's northern province Chiang Mai in 1949, became one of the richest people in Thailand by setting up telecommunications companies like the Shin Corporation and Advanced Info Service before entering politics.

　　Mr. Thaksin entered politics by joining the Phalang Dharma Party (Power of Justice Party) in 1994 and once served as Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister over two administrations.

　　He later founded the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party in 1998, which won two landslide election victories in 2001 and 2005 that made him Thailand's 23rd Prime Minister. The TRT party also became the strongest-ever political party in the country.

　　Mr. Thaksin's administration was branded a populist one whose policy platform catered to the country's rural and urban poor. Supporters have praised Mr. Thaksin for successfully reducing poverty and helping the country's economy recover from the aftermath of the 1997 financial crisis in Southeast Asia.

　　His critics are mostly academics, teachers, some businessmen, media and middle-class citizens in urban areas who believe their interest was less taken well-tended under Mr. Thaksin's populist policies. They accused him of abusing his power to benefit his family and allies' businesses through dictatorship and the suppression of press freedom.

　　Since the coup on September 19, 2006, Mr. Thaksin has traveled around the world in self-exile, mostly residing in Britain, where he owned a house in London and bought the Manchester City Football Club.

　　A boost for morale

　　Although Thaksin Shinawatra pledged to stay out of politics after returning to Thailand, he is still expected to leave a distinct mark on the country's near-term future political picture.

　　Opposition camps have feared a political comeback of Mr. Thaksin and possible revenge on behalf of his supporters. "He's in the back seat but is still driving the car," said Jon Ungpakorn, former senator and social and political activist.

　　His supporters, meanwhile, hailed the PPP's seizure of power, as they believe it will bring back their beloved leader. His government's populist policies benefited the rural and urban poor, and the Thai economy showed positive growth during the early years of his administration.

　　The Thai economy has been stagnant over the past two years, challenged by political instability, a surging currency, fierce export competition from rising economies in the region, a U.S. economic slowdown and the global oil price hike.

　　Mr. Thaksin’s return at this moment will be a boost for the morale of the PPP, which faces possible dissolution if House Speaker and former PPP deputy leader Yongyuth Tiyapairat is convicted by the Supreme Court of vote-buying in the December election.

　　Thitinan Pongsudhirak, politics professor in the Chulalongkorn University, said in the English newspaper Bangkok Post that Thaksin might use his clout and resilient popularity to pressure the judicial system to avoid a replay of the fate of the former TRT party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court last May on electoral fraud charges.