BANGKOK: Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, whose British visa was revoked last week, has scrapped his British asylum application to be free to carry on his political activities.

'I dropped the asylum bid because I don't think it is necessary. I don't like the term 'asylum'. I want freedom because I am a champion of democracy. I don't like anything that restricts freedom,' the former premier said.

OPTING FOR FREEDOM 'I dropped the asylum bid because I don't think it is necessary. I don't like the term asylum. I want freedom because I am a champion of democracy. I don't like anything that restricts freedom.' ... more

The billionaire telecoms tycoon said he would address supporters at future rallies in north-east Thailand, a region that helped give him two landslide election victories.

'I will phone in and talk to the people who love and have faith in me. I will make a longer speech and start naming names because they have pushed me into a corner,' he said.

Earlier this month, he called in to a rally in Bangkok and urged his supporters to bring him home, a move that angered his opponents.

Thaksin said yesterday that he would leave Beijing for an undisclosed location and vowed to fight his political enemies.

'I will keep travelling. I'm leaving Beijing at the moment,' he told Reuters by phone from the Chinese capital.

He refused to say where he was going next but denied it was Manila, as rumoured.

The Philippines had earlier said it would turn him away if he were to seek asylum there.

Philippine presidential spokesman Jesus Dureza said: 'We will courteously tell Thaksin that we will not allow him to come to the country to seek political asylum.'

Mr Dureza did not elaborate on the reasons for the decision, but giving sanctuary to Thaksin, who has been accused of corruption in Thailand, would likely open President Gloria Arroyo up to criticism from a feisty opposition and anti-government groups.

The Bahamas, Bermuda and several countries in Africa which are not believed to have extradition agreements with Thailand have reportedly offered to take in Thaksin and his wife.

But the Thai authorities said they will press for his extradition no matter where he goes to live.

Mr Sirisak Tiypan, director-general for international affairs at the Office of the Attorney-General said prosecutors were already working on extradition documents.

He added that even if Thaksin decided to live in a country with which Thailand had no extradition treaty, the authorities could ask for him to be handed over on a reciprocal basis.

Mr Sak Kosaengruang, a former spokesman for the Asset Examination Committee which investigated Thaksin for corruption, said that the authorities could ask Thai envoys posted overseas to help find Thaksin or offer a bounty for the former premier.

Mr Kasit Pirom, of the opposition Democrat party, said the 'diplomatic' passport should have been cancelled as Thaksin had been convicted and sentenced to two years in jail.

He added that if his ordinary passport were also terminated, Thaksin would be forced to return to Thailand.

He had been living in London after he and his wife, Potjaman, skipped bail in August to avoid corruption charges.

He was sentenced to two years' jail last month for breaking a conflict of interest law during his five years in office before he was ousted in a 2006 coup.

The campaign against him is largely driven by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - an unelected group led by royalists, academics and businessmen - while he continues to enjoy support in the countryside.

The PAD has occupied the official compound of the Prime Minister's offices since August, demanding the current government stacked with Thaksin loyalists step aside.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK