Arrest warrant for Thaksin

Published on Tuesday 25 May 2010 19:29

A THAI court issued an arrest warrant yesterday for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on terrorism charges, accusing him of fomenting two months of unrest in Bangkok that left 88 people dead.

If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.

Mr Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and later fled abroad ahead of a corruption conviction, has been accused by the government of being behind Red Shirt protesters who seized areas of downtown Bangkok before being overcome by the army last week. He denies involvement.

Life in the Thai capital was largely back to normal yesterday although businesses are still counting the cost of the violence, which culminated in a wave of arson targeting malls, banks and government buildings.