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Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra during his interview with CNN last night.

Thaksin: Enough is enough

Ex-PM vows he won't re-enter politics; denies being behind blasts, saying he wouldn't be so stupid as to plant bombs

Overthrown prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has vowed not to re-enter politics, saying "enough is enough".

Speaking to an international news organisation for the first time since his ousting, Thaksin told CNN he wants to return to Thailand as a private citizen.

"After six years in politics it is time for me to be a normal citizen," he said, adding he would like to return to Thailand and "contribute as a private citizen outside the political arena".

He described his years as prime minister as a "sacrifice".

In a brief taped interview from Singapore, Thaksin strongly dismissed suggestions he was behind the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok that killed three and injured about 40 more.

"I came from an election. I came from the people," Thaksin said. He asked rhetorically why he would do something "stupid" like plant bombs in crowded places.

The former PM called on the authorities to bring the culprits to justice and expressed sympathy with the victims and their families.

Thaksin told CNN he learnt of the coup that ended his leadership about four hours before it was publicly announced, while in New York attending the United Nations General Assembly.

He was only able to get a brief appearance on ModernNine Tele-vision to counter events at home.

The then director of the station Mingkwan Saengsuwan resigned a few days later accepting responsibility for broadcasting Thaksin's comments.

ModernNine and Channel 7, contacted last night, said they were now practising self-censorship and would not air yesterday's CNN interview.

One Channel 7 official said the station did not wish to enter into a debate with the Council of National Security (CNS) after last week's much-criticised demand for local broadcasters to not carry stories about the former prime minister.

"Just the name Thaksin is enough. We don't need to look at the content," said a Channel 7 source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Thaksin's chief counsel in Bangkok, Noppadon Pattama, con-tacted about 30 minutes after the interview, said he was still waiting for the item. "What? It has been broadcast already? You sure it wasn't blocked?" he said.

Thaksin has been travelling through East Asia, to Hong Kong, Beijing and Bali, over the past month in what was seen by the CNS as an effort to map a possible comeback.

In an unprecedented move, the government of Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont revoked his diplomatic passport and instructed Thai embassies not to provide special assistance - just treat Thaksin as an ordinary citizen living abroad.

On his return from the Asean summit in the Philippines Surayud offered no opinion on the Thaksin interview. Neither did he react to broadcasters' self-censorship.

He said "some diplomatic action" might need to be taken in response to Thaksin's meeting with a deputy prime minister of Singapore last week. "We need to let all countries know of our stance [towards Thaksin's travels] because his diplomatic passport had been revoked.

"We will not issue documents or anything to anyone. But it will be a mutual understanding on all sides making it clear how the matter should be dealt with diplomatically."

The Nation