Thaksin allies announce coalition

BANGKOK, July 4: Allies of Thailand´s fugitive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra said Monday they were forming a governing coalition with four smaller parties after an election victory.



Together the five parties hold 299 out of 500 seats in the lower house of parliament, said Thaksin´s sister Yingluck, who is set to become the kingdom´s first female prime minister.[break]



"All five parties agreed to work together to run the country and solve people´s problems," the 44-year-old businesswoman, who is seen as her older brother´s proxy, told reporters.



"The first urgent issue is how to achieve reconciliation," she added.



The Puea Thai Party -- masterminded by Thaksin from his self-exile in Dubai -- won a majority in the ballot, taking 265 seats, the election commission said Monday after the vote count was completed.



That was well ahead of the 159 secured by outgoing premier Abhisit Vejjajiva´s establishment-backed Democrats, who have conceded defeat after two and a half years in power.



However, Puea Thai was quick to reach out to potential partners, partly to protect against possible future defections or the disqualification of some of its winning candidates in Sunday´s vote.



The four other parties in the coalition are Chart Thai Pattana, Chart Pattana Pheupandin, Palangchon and Mahachon.



Thai ex-PM says does not want to return to power



Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra said on Monday that he does not want to return to power, after his sister Yingluck won a landslide general election victory.



"I´ve been with the party too long, and I really want to retire. Actually, I announced when I was in office that I planned to retire when I was 60," Thaksin told reporters at his home in self-imposed exile in Dubai. "I´m 62. It´s long overdue for me.



"Going back (to Thailand) is not necessarily to be going back to politics," he said, joking that he might become a professional golfer.



Asked if he wanted to be prime minister again, Thaksin said: "No."



Thaksin, who was ousted in a bloodless coup in 2006, said reconciliation takes precedence over any return to Thailand.



"Going back home is not a major concern. It is not a priority," he said. "The top priority is to bring back reconciliation."



Thaksin thanked the Thai people for voting for his sister.



"I am very grateful for the Thai people that they really come out to voice their concern about the country. It is very clear that they want to see reconciliation in the country, they want to see an end to the conflict, and they want to see the country moving forward," he said.

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