The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Bangkok

Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told a senior US envoy Friday that Thaksin Shinawatra will not run his government from behind the scenes, now that the deposed premier has returned from exile. Samak met Friday with Christopher Hill, the US pointman for East Asian affairs, just one day after Thaksin staged a dramatic homecoming after nearly a year and a half in self-imposed exile. Thaksin was toppled in a coup in 2006, and a military-backed court has banned him from politics for five years. Although Thaksin has publicly vowed "never, ever" to return to politics, he has already played a critical role in ensuring Samak's victory in elections held in December. Many analysts say Thaksin will try to keep Samak on a tight leash. Samak, a charismatic but combative right-winger, has bristled at suggestions that he is Thaksin's puppet, and told Hill that he holds the reins of government, according to his spokeswoman Suparat Nakbunnam.