Thaksin is expected to hold a press conference at the Peninsula Hotel in downtown Bangkok in the afternoon, where he booked rooms as a temporary residence for a undisclosed period.

The Thai International Airways flight boarding Thaksin – TG 603 from Hong Kong, China arrived at the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 9:45 A.M. (0245GMT).

Thaksin said he came back to fight a series of corruption and abuse of power allegations against him and his family in court, and insisted he would quit politics forever.

The ex-premier was accompanied on board by his son Panthongtae Shinawatra and some 70 supporters, including former officials of Thaksin-founded, now defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, the former ruling party which was dissolved after the September 19 coup in 2006 toppled Thaksin's government.

Thaksin was welcomed by thousands of supporters, who were hailing "Thaksin, Thaksin" and raising banners reading "We Love Thaksin" and "Thaksin Welcome Home". An army of reporters had been waiting outside the VIP lounge of the airport, some of them stationed since Wednesday night, to catch the first glimpse of the ex-premier who touched this soil after more than one-year's absence.

Some of the supporters had traveled to Bangkok from Thailand's northern and northeastern provinces, where the majority poor has constituted the strongest voter base for Thaksin and the former TRT and helped it win two landslide election victories on 2001 and 2005.