Exiled Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra has said there are no grounds for his arrest on terrorism charges, and says fires allegedly lit by his 'Red Shirt' supporters were a set up.
"The big fire is, must be the work of professional," he told the ABC's Lateline programme.
"Is not be a Red Shirt definitely and it must be well planned ahead. I can assure you, as an ex-police I can assure you that this is a well planned and professionally done," he said.
When pressed over the deadly violence in Bangkok and the weapons used by the Red Shirts, the former leader of the Thai Rak Thai party denied any involvement outright.
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“No way. How can, where can you buy the weapons?” he said on the ABC's Alteline programme.
The charges filed against Thaksin in his native country include that he has been bankrolling the protests and inciting unrest from overseas.
The telecoms tycoon-turned-politician was ousted in a bloodless military coup in 2006 and has been living in self-imposed exile, mainly in Dubai, to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.
Montenegro asks for quiet
Montenegro, where Thaksin is living, has requested that he avoid making any public comments during his stay in the Balkan country.
The request comes just days after a court in Thailand approved an arrest warrant for Thaksin on terrorism charges over weeks of political violence in Bangkok, which left more than 80 people dead.
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the former prime minister to refrain from making any comments," a Montenegrin source close to Thaksin said.
According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Thaksin was due back in the Adriatic state after a quick trip to Cyprus.
"He will stay the next two days in Montenegro and probably go to France afterwards," the source said.
Thaksin speech in Paris to go ahead
The French foreign ministry said it had persuaded Thaksin to abandon plans to give a speech on the Thai crisis for a think tank in Paris on May 31.
However, the head of the group organising the speech insisted it would go ahead.
Speaking to the ABC's Lateline program Mr Shinawatra said Interpol will not assist Thai officials, as the charges againt him do no meet the criteria for an international police investigation.
"Interpol have their own criteria to judge, that is, to not be politically motivated," Thaksin said.
"This is clearly politically motivated and there is no ground," he added.
