Thaksin denies rumors of death due to cancer

BANGKOK - Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been living in self-exile, has denied rumors circulating on Internet that he is dead.

Rumours about Thaksin’s death have been sweeping the Internet in recent days, after it became clear that the former premier was suffering from terminal stage cancer.

One version said he had died during a chemotherapy session on Friday, The Bangkok Post reports.

Thaksin’s eldest son, Panthongtae, earlier denied on his Twitter page that that his father had died, but that failed to persuade some people.

“I’m sorry [for those who invent the rumors], but I’m fine. I’m not sick. No doctors have treated me for anything,” Thaksin said in his own Twitter page around 3 a.m. on Sunday.

He said he had rarely addressed the Red Shirt rally recently because he wanted to distance himself from the Red Shirt movement, to make it clear that the demonstration was purely for democracy and not for him.

Thaksin lashed out at the Abhisit Vejjajiva-led government for turning down the red-shirted United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) demand that he dissolve the House in 30 days.

“The UDD leaders should be applauded for agreeing to take one step back. However, it was disappointing that the government rejected it,” Thaksin said.

On April 10, the red shirt demonstrators and security forces clashed in Bangkok. Theksin had left Dubai the same day, and had since travelled to Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Europe. (ANI)