“Foreign media wait in a very long queue to interview Thaksin. So there is no need to hire public relations firms or lobbyists in order to have media interviews,” said Noppadon, who is acting as a spokesman for the ex-leader.

Noppadon, who served as foreign minister in a Thaksin proxy government, denied that Thaksin was seeking talks with the junta. He said Thaksin wanted all the parties involved in the political conflict to sit down and talk in order to end the long-drawn dispute.

“Thaksin did not set any conditions, particularly about the legal cases,” Noppadon said, adding that if Thaksin had done so, he would have been exposed.

According to Noppadon, Thaksin sincerely wanted to see reconciliation in Thailand.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier said Thaksin has to rely on foreign media as a tool in his political campaign against the post-coup government.

“PR and lobbyist companies were hired. We have to admit that the Western world dislikes coups, so any viewpoint against it will have a better chance of getting media space,” Abhisit said.

He hailed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s clear stance that the relevant laws must be enforced in Thaksin’s case. “This has assured people that the NCPO has not changed its standpoint,” he said, referring to the ruling junta’s National Council for Peace and Order.

Thaksin has lived in self-exile overseas after he fled Thailand shortly before the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders in 2008 sentenced him to two years in jail for abuse of power.

Abhisit said yesterday that there were two main reasons why Thaksin has been on a media offensive at this time. First, it was because of legal cases against his family members, including his sister Yingluck and his son Panthongtae. Second, Thaksin’s criticism of the draft constitution coincided with a campaign against the charter by his supporters, including the red shirts’ United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.