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BANGKOK, Nov 9 (TNA) – Thailand’s Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on Monday lambasted convicted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra for his interview appearing in a British daily which is considered offensive to the monarchy, but Mr Thaksin said his interview was ‘distorted’ by the reporter.

The interview was conducted in Dubai by Richard Lloyd Parry, a British foreign correspondent who is the Tokyo-based Asia editor of The Times of London.

In an article headlined "Ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra calls for 'shining' new age after King's death" posted on the Timesonline website on Monday, Mr Thaksin made comments related to the monarch and his successor.

Mr Kasit said he found many of Mr Thaksin's remarks in the interview to be strongly offensive to Thailand’s monarchy, inaccurate and unacceptable to the Thai people and not the act of a person who loves the nation.

The minister said he was curious as to whether Mr Thaksin had a hidden agenda or planned an inappropriate act.

Thailand’s Ministry of Justice will decide whether Mr Thaksin will be charged with lese majeste, Mr Kasit said.

The foreign minister said the article lacks credibility and that the correspondent who wrote the story may have received inaccurate information. He might not be able to understand the truth in its many aspects including the diplomatic spat between the Thai and Cambodian governments on the Khmer appointment of Mr Thaksin as economic adviser and personal adviser to Mr Hun Sen.

The ministry was preparing to clarify the facts about the monarch to reporters in Thailand and abroad to understand the truth, he said, stressing that it is to be understood as a clarification, not a protest.

Thailand’s Supreme Court Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions sentenced Mr Thaksin to a two-year prison term in absentia after finding him guilty of a conflict of interest in the Ratchadaphisek land purchase scandal in 2003. The ex-premier jumped bail and fled the sentence.

Meanwhile, Mr Thaksin issued a statement condemning the Timesonline article, saying that his interview appearing on the website was not based on what he said to the correspondent.

He said that his wording was totally twisted and untrue, and that it caused misunderstandings among readers including Thais.

Mr Thaksin affirmed that he had never given an interview that could impact the monarchy but contrary he is a royalist who respects Thailand’s monarchy.

In a related development, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that initially the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will clarify to the media, domestic and international, regarding the inaccurate and inappropriate content of the article.

Mr Abhisit said he believed that most Thais saw the article was not appropriate and that Mr Thakin himself realised it . He, therefore, issued his statement to condemn the article.