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Thaksin to cancel Hong Kong speech: spokesman

AFP, Hong Kong
Ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra has decided to cancel a speech in Hong Kong planned for next week after Thailand threatened to extradite and jail him, his spokesman said Saturday.
Phong Thep Thepkanjana said Thaksin decided on the last-minute cancellation of his speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) in Hong Kong because he was worried his visit might affect the "good and friendly relationship" between Thailand and China.
"He was looking forward to the event. He was almost leaving for Hong Kong today. But he finally had to change his mind," Phong, speaking in Hong Kong, told AFP
The spokesman said he had arranged to fly from Bangkok to Hong Kong on Saturday to meet with Thaksin. But instead, he was told only after
arriving in the southern Chinese city that Thaksin would not be coming.
"The Thai government seems to be very nervous and already too excited about his coming for the speech in the FCC," he said.
Phong said the Thai government knew they could not legally prevent Thaksin from coming to Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.
"But Dr Thaksin regretfully made this decision because he does not want to affect the good and friendly relationship between Thailand and China.
"He also does not want the Hong Kong government to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed becauseof his trip."
The spokesman said he met with board members of the FCC Saturday afternoon to relay the message from Thaksin. But he would not say if any Chinese officials had approached Thaksin.
The ousted premier was originally scheduled to speak on the topic of "Financial Crisis, Political Uncertainty: Lessons from Thailand."
Tom Mitchell, vice-president of the FCC, confirmed with AFP late Saturday that Thaksin would not appear for the event.
But Mitchell said Thaksin was still willing to speak to the FCC's audience via videolink and he believed the lunchtime event could be held as scheduled on Monday.
Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who came to power in December after the pro-Thaksin ruling party was dissolved by a court, has said he would ask Cbjnji to help bring Thaksin back io Thailand.
A spokeswoman for Hong Kong's security bureau said on Friday there was no agreement on repatriating fugitives between the Chinese special administrative region and
Thailand, but would not comment on an individual case.
Twice-elected Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and whose whereabouts are unknown, was sentenced in absentia in October to two years in prison for abuse of power linked to a 2003 land deal.
He had already fled into exile by that time as corruption cases against him progressed through the courts.
Thaksin's allies won the first post-coup elections here in December 2007, sparking massive street demonstrations by Thaksin's foes which peaked with the occupation of Bangkok's two airports late l^styear,
Those protests ended when a court dissolved the Thaksin-linked ruling party, but that move angered the ousted leader's supporters, who have launched their own protest campaign demanding new elections.