BANGKOK, Sep. 8 (Xinhua) -- Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said in a Twitter interview that the convicted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must return to Thailand to servehis jail term before they could a talk, The Nation online reported Tuesday.
In his probably first interview through Twitter, a comparatively new form of social networking and mini-online-chatting service, by The Nation's editor-in-chief on 9:30 p.m. Monday, the prime minister insisted Thaksin would have to respect the laws like all Thais.
Thaksin was, under the charge of power abuse, sentenced in absentia to two years in jail by Thai Criminal Court in 2008, after he and his wife found a chance to leave Thailand and never came back. Thaksin had been ousted by a military coup in September19, 2006.
When asked to confirm whether he would not hold any talk with Thaksin unless the self-exiled former premier returns to serve his jail term first, Abhisit replied, "I want everybody to respect the laws".
"You wouldn't answer my question," Suthichai, the editor, would not give up.
"Read my answer well and you will find the answer," Abhisit replied.
Asked again by Suthichai whether this means a "No", Abhist said his interpretation is probably right.
In terms of the possibility to talk with Thaksin over Twitter, on which the former premier also owns a personal page, Abhisit said the mini-blog tool's capacity of 140 characters per post would be too limited to hold such a talk.
On the other hand, Thaksin said in an interview on Sunday he is ready to talk to everyone, including the prime minister or a deputy prime minister.
"If you or any taxi driver and low-ranking policeman can have my phone number, then the powers-that-be should know how to get in touch with me," Thaksin said in the interview aired for the first time by Thailand's state-run MCOT station.
Abhisit's Twitter interview began with a question about the speculation that the prime minister would dissolve the House on New Year day, but he ducked the question.
"No one can tell in advance about House dissolution, but I'll devote myself t
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