Thailand's ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra asked his lawyer to file a civil lawsuit against the Assets Examination Committee (AEC) on Thursday, demanding more than 50 billion baht (US$1.5 billion) from the panel after it froze the family assets worth more than 60 billion baht (US$1.8 billion).

Noppadol Pattama, Thaksin's legal aide, was quoted by the Bangkok Post's website as saying that the lawsuit against 11 AEC members was done because they froze Thaksin's assets without following legal procedure but it was done at free will.

Noppadol said the freezing of the assets has defamed Thaksin's family name and rid them of business opportunities.

He added that Thaksin will file a criminal lawsuit against the AEC next week.

Last month, the AEC ordered assets of the deposed prime minister and his family members in scores of local bank accounts frozen on charges of malfeasance while Thaksin was premier and unusually wealthy. The total amount of the frozen assets is as high as some 65 billion baht (US$1.97 billion).

The ruling came after the Constitution Tribunal on May 30 disbanded Thai Rak Thai party, founded by Thaksin, and three small political parties on electoral fraud during a general election in April last year. The election was later ordered null and void.

However, through a video clip released recently, Thaksin said the AEC's order was unfair since they did not have enough evidence.

(Xinhua News Agency July 20, 2007)