August 15, 2007	Wednesday	Sha’aban 1, 1428

BANGKOK, Aug 14: Ousted billionaire premier Thaksin Shinawatra was facing calls for his extradition from Britain on Tuesday after Thailand's top court issued arrest warrants for him and his wife.

Thaksin, who has taken over the Manchester City football club and settled in Britain since being toppled in a coup last year, is under fire with his wife Pojaman for allegedly snapping up prime Bangkok real estate at bargain prices.

Prosecutors said they would start extradition proceedings if the couple failed to turn up for a new hearing on Sept 25 at the Supreme Court, where they had been requested to appear on graft charges on Tuesday.

“The two suspects acknowledged the charge and received an official summons but failed to appear before court today,” said Tonglor Chomngarm, head of a panel of nine Supreme Court judges that is hearing the case.

“The court has approved arrest warrants against the two suspects. Both should be brought before the court,” he said.

Thailand and Britain have an extradition treaty.

The outcome of the case could affect Thaksin's ownership of Manchester City. If he were convicted, the English Premier League could reconsider whether he is still a “fit and proper” owner.

Human rights groups have already criticised the league for allowing him to take over the team, pointing to reports of 2,500 extrajudicial killings in his “war on drugs” in 2003.

Thaksin and Pojaman are each charged with two violations of anti-corruption laws. Each could be jailed for up to 13 years and face a fine of up to 200,000 baht ($6,250) if convicted.Thaksin is accused of illegally influencing a deal in 2003 to allow Pojaman to buy prime Bangkok real estate from a government agency for the bargain price of 772 million baht ($22.7 million), about one-third its estimated value.

Both Thaksin and Pojaman have denied the charges.

Thaksin's lawyer had asked the court to delay the case until after Thailand holds elections to restore democracy, saying the couple fear for their safety and their ability to have a fair trial under the military-appointed government.

“The warrants issued against them do not mean that they have been found guilty in this case,” their lawyer Pichit Chenban told reporters.

“This is just the beginning of the court process. I guarantee they are willing to come to defend themselves in court at the appropriate time.” But Judge Tonglor rejected the safety concerns as “unreasonable.”

“Even though the country is in a post-coup period, the country has an interim constitution and the government has a duty to guarantee the safety of all people,” he said.

Thaksin has lived in exile since last year's coup but has taunted the junta with the possibility of his return, which the generals fear could spark an outpouring of public support among his grassroots supporters.

But once the government began threatening to arrest him over corruption charges, Thaksin changed tack and began saying he would return only when democracy is restored.

Investigators are still looking into a dozen other corruption cases against Thaksin.

Thailand's cabinet on Tuesday approved a new investigation into the killings to determine if Thaksin could be held responsible for the deaths.—AFP