Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has claimed that he was protected by a team of Special Branch police officers when he made a brief stopover in Kuala Lumpur early this month.

"My private jet stopped for refuelling in Malaysia and they sent 20 Special Branch policemen to guard me. They love and care about me," Thaksin said in a phone-in to a community radio station yesterday.

According to Thailand’s English-language newspaper The Nation , the pro-Thaksin radio station had a brief interview with the fugitive tycoon-cum-politician, who is living in exile to avoid a jail sentence for corruption.

thaksin red shirt rally in bangkok The Thai government has earlier complained that the Malaysian authorities had failed to take action against Thaksin when he was in Kuala Lumpur on July 4.

Thaksin, who was reported to have stayed one night at the Shangri-la hotel left the next day for Fiji.

It is believed that Thaksin was exploring whether Fiji can be used as one of his bases in exile if he is assured safety from extradition.

He later flew to Tonga and Vanuatu. After a week of island-hopping in the South Pacific, Thaksin eventually returned to Dubai - his temporary base - last Friday.

Musa: We were not informed

Two days after Thaksin’s July 4 stopover, Thailand Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Sennian said that the Malaysian government had cooperated with Thailand in planning to arrest Thaksin.

He said that Thai embassy officials have informed the Malaysian authorities to seek Thaksin's arrest and extradition.

"Somehow, Thaksin managed to get wind of the impending arrest and escaped," Thaworn said.

musa hassan pc 021107 think But Thaksin's legal adviser, Noppadon Patama, said no attempt was made to arrest the fugitive PM during his Kuala Lumpur stopover.

Meanwhile, Malaysian police chief Musa Hassan ( right ) denied that Thai authorities had informed the police about Thaksin presence in Malaysia.

In an immediate reaction, Musa claimed that Thaksin was never in Malaysia.

“We were only alerted by the Thai embassy here of the fugitive’s supposed presence early this month following a news report in Bangkok,” he told The Star .

“As far as we are concerned, he was never in the country and we did not send 20 Special Branch officers to protect him. We have checked with local hotels, Immigration and other sources, and there is no evidence to show that he was ever here.”

Thaksin was a former senior police officer who built a telecommunications empire worth billions of dollars.

He became Thailand's prime minister in 2001 before being ousted in a military coup five years later, while he was attending the UN general assembly.

Thaksin has been using various passports issued by other countries after his passport was cancelled by the Thai government.

He remains popular figure in parts of Thailand, especially his stronghold in both the north and northeast.