Deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed he will return to Thailand today and vowed to stay out of politics forever.
Critics, however, fear the billionaire's homecoming could plunge the country back into political crisis.
Speaking to Thai Public Broadcasting Service television in Hong Kong yesterday, Thaksin said the first thing he wants to do when he returns to Thailand is hug his wife and children.
"The country has returned to democracy, so I want to go home ... I miss my motherland," he said while drinking coffee with supporters at a shopping mall.
He also said he will "never ever again" enter politics.
"I've had enough," he said.
Thaksin will be greeted at the airport by senior officials in Thailand's new government and other "people who love him" when he returns, officials said.
Thaksin has lived abroad since he was ousted in a September 2006 military coup and government officials say they plan to welcome him with open arms.
"I ordered the Airport Authority of Thailand to prepare the VIP rooms ... and I myself will be on hand to greet him," Transport Minister Santi Prompat told reporters.
"I will be there as the old friend ... who promised voters that if they chose the People's Power Party we would bring Thaksin back with full honors," said Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobambrung, a longtime Thaksin ally.
Thaksin, a former telecommunications magnate, also faces separate charges of concealing assets.
Police will detain Thaksin on arrival and "they have to bring him to court," Rakkiat Wattapong, the Supreme Court secretary-general, said yesterday.
The chief of Thaksin's legal defense team, Pichit Chuenban, said Thaksin would surrender to police and seek his release on bail.
Source: China Daily/Agencies
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