Thaksin says seeks to bury hatchet with enemies

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Ousted Prime Minister ThaksinShinawatra said on Tuesday it was time to bury the hatchet withhis enemies and allow Thailand to move forward after nearlythree years of political strife.

"Let bygones be bygones. We are moving ahead. Let's movethe country forward," Thaksin told foreign correspondents a daybefore he was due to face corruption charges at the SupremeCourt.

Thaksin, who has had nearly $2 billion of his family assetsfrozen, said he was focused on fighting charges related to hiswife's purchase of a prime piece of land owned by the Bank ofThailand.

"We did nothing wrong," he said. "I will just go there anddeny all the charges."

The telecoms billionaire, who returned from exile lastmonth after he was ousted in a bloodless 2006 coup, insisted hewould devote his remaining years to family, charities, teachingand running his English Premier League soccer club, ManchesterCity.

"I will never want to come back. My wife and my family keeptelling me that. We should spend our time together for the restof our lives," said Thaksin, who turns 59 in July.

But few Thais believe -- or want to believe -- Thaksin willstay out of the political fray for long after his supportersformed a coalition government following a December electionthat marked Thailand's return to democracy.

Already the People's Alliance for Democracy, which ledstreet protests against Thaksin which culminated in the coup,has warned him not to use his political clout to exact revengeon opponents or sway graft cases against him and his wife.

Several top bureaucrats who worked with the interimpost-coup government have already lost their jobs, includingthe national police chief, the head of the Food and DrugAdministration and a senior investigator probing graft chargesagainst Thaksin.

Thaksin said on Tuesday it was normal for new governmentsto replace officials from an outgoing administration.

But analysts say a protracted purge could revive openpolitical conflict with his opponents in the military androyalist establishment.

Thaksin tried to play down those fears, saying tensionshave eased since he declared himself a private citizen.

"If I was still in politics, maybe. But that's anotherreason that I better quit politics. It's probably better," hesaid.

(Editing by Ed Cropley and JerryNorton)