Thai ex-premier in-exile Thaksin Shinawatra said Tuesday in Tokyo that he had no plan to go back to his country if he was to cause problems, while denying meddling in his younger sister's governance of Thailand.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra speaks before press in Tokyo on August 23, 2011. Shinawatra is due to give two speeches in Japan on August 23 as part of a visit that has stoked widespread controversy in his home country. (Xinhua/AFP)
"I don't think I will go back if I were to be part of the problems. Definitely I will go back if I am not be part of the problems," Thaksin said at a press conference, adding he would be willing to go back urgently if he "could be part of the solution".

The visit of Thaksin, toppled in a 2006 coup, came just two weeks after Yingluck Shinawatra took power, drawing suspicion from critics and his opponents that he is seeking new international spotlight.

Thaksin said he has close ties with his younger sister but denied any interference in the politics of Yingluck's.

"We have been in contact with each other all the time as family members, she may not know people well enough as me," Thaksin said. "That's normal. But she has her own right to lead the country without my interference at all."

"Whenever she needs advice, she will call me and I will give her my advice. I act like encyclopedia. Whenever she wants to open the encyclopedia, she can feel free to open it, and she can close it anytime," he said.

Thaksin's visit, said to be a good-will one which will involve visits to Japan's quake and tsunami-plagued Tohoku region, spurred small protests in Thailand. Protesters marched in front of Japanese embassy in Thailand last week to oppose Japan's decision to issue visa to Thaksin, despite his sentence of two-year jail term on corruption.

"Coming to Japan is my own right. My sister has nothing to do with it," Thaksin said, adding that "the Thai government cannot force the Japanese government to issue a visa to anyone".

Thaksin reiterated his innocence, saying that if he had committed any crimes, he would be "happy to be in the jail", but that charges against him are "politically motivated".

The ex-leader's visit will last until Aug. 28. He said Thailand should help Japan to recover from the March disasters by taking measures such as granting visa-free access to survivors who want to rehabilitate in his country.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet