AFP
Former Thai premier and fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra is to address "Red Shirt" supporters in Cambodia.
After three days in Laos, Thaksin will visit the Cambodian city of Siem Riep - less than two hours from Thailand by road - on Saturday evening for a gathering to be attended by Red Shirt chiefs.
"Tens of thousands" of supporters will greet Thaksin during his trip to Laos and Cambodia over the Thai New Year, said Red Shirt spokesman Worawut Vichaidit.
Rallies by Thaksin supporters in Bangkok in 2010 descended into the kingdom's worst political violence in decades, with more than 90 people killed in a military crackdown.
Thaksin sister Yingluck became prime minister last year after a resounding election victory by the ousted premier's political allies.
Thaksin, who is close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, was toppled in 2006 and fled to Dubai to avoid a two- year prison term for corruption.
Hun Sen said yesterday that "perhaps more than tens of thousands" of Thaksin supporters would visit to hear a leader who "cannot enter his motherland."
Thaksin, who spend much time on the road in Asia, has played down suggestions that allies are seeking to clear the way for his return to Thailand.
After Siem Riep, Thaksin will be in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, on April 16 to play golf with Hun Sen.
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