Thailand's Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Sunday said that his government has never planned to interfere in the judicial process to help former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra escape legal punishments.

During his weekly Samak's Talk program broadcast live on TV Channel 11, Samak said some critics warned the wrong person not to interfere in the judicial process.

"I've read in newspapers that some well-known figures warned the government not to interfere in the judicial process. But I wonder whether they warned the wrong persons or whether their warning should come 16 months earlier," Samak said.

Sixteen months ago, or in September 2006, a military coup was launched by several military generals, ousting Thaksin from the Government House.

"Will the prime minister like me dare to interfere the judicial process? I've studied laws and learnt democratic system and I learn that judiciary branch and administration have to balance each other," Samak said.

During the past days, especially after the return of Thaksin on Feb. 28, the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), a civil anti-Thaksin group which launched dozens of demonstrations against Thaksin before the military coup in 2006, had threatened several times that the anti-Thaksin group would launch mass protests against the government led by Samak since "it is purging senior government officials and interfering in judicial procedure."

(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2008)