Thaksin says he plans to return to Thailand
Former prime minister tells Al Jazeera he is planning to return home in exclusive interview recorded in Laos.
Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand currently living in self-imposed exile in Dubai, received a rock-star like welcoming when he arrived in Laos.
His supporters had travelled from neighbouring Thailand to see a man they have been trying to bring home since he was ousted in a military coup six years ago.
After the coup in 2006, Thaksin was convicted of an abuse of power and handed a two year jail sentence.
With his sister Yingluck Shinawatra now the prime minister, moves are well advanced to clear the way for him to leave his base in Dubai for good, and go back home.
It would be part of a reconciliation process which may include an amnesty for all political offences since the coup, meaning Thaksin would avoid jail.
Wayne Hay spoke with Thaksin in Laos in an Al Jazeera exclusive.