Soccer-Hero in Manchester,Thaksin faces allegations at home

BANGKOK, Aug 18 (Reuters) Allegations of corruption and human rights abuses, and the threat of extradition, hover over Thaksin Shinawatra after last year's coup in Thailand.

But in Britain the former prime minister is a hero, at least to fans of Manchester City who have made a perfect start to the season after their soccer club was bought by Shinawatra.

City have won their opening two games and tomorrow they host Manchester United, England's top club, who have kept their Premier League rivals firmly in their shadow for two decades.

A day after an arrest warrant was issued for Thaksin for ''official misconduct'' in a Bangkok land deal, the 58-year-old was attending City's 1-0 win over Derby on Wednesday.

Graft investigators have frozen 1.5 billion dollars in his Thai bank accounts and are building corruption cases against him.

In England, Thaksin's cheque book has bought him adulation from the City faithful.

He has organised pop concerts, laid on free Thai food and, most importantly, bought new players for the struggling team at a cost so far of almost 80 million dollars.

Although he insists he has quit politics, Thaksin's 160.1 million dollars takeover of City has helped maintain his grip on Thai politics, his every move and utterance recorded by Thai newspapers.

POWER AND MONEY ''Buying the football club is about publicity, because Thaksin is thinking about politics,'' said Somjai Phagapavivat, a professor of politics at Bangkok's Thammasat University.

''What Thaksin is trying to do is use his power and money to impress upon his former party members and the people here that he is still the person to lead them.'' He took power in 2001 at the head of his Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party and was the first prime minister to lead an elected Thai government through a full term.

But Thaksin, one of Thailand's richest men, has been dogged by allegations of financial impropriety.

He faces questions over his wife's purchase of a piece of prime Bangkok land from a unit of the central bank in a 2003 auction other bidders pulled out of.

Thai prosecutors said they would start extradition proceedings if the former telecoms tycoon failed to show up in court on September 25. Thaksin's lawyer said he would contest any extradition attempt through the British courts.

Thaksin says the allegations are politically motivated to justify the coup against him.

''He gave a lot to the people,'' said Soe Thointa, a 67-year-old farmer in the impoverished northeast. ''I don't believe those allegations because he already has so much money.'' The English Premier League has not opposed his City takeover despite allegations of ''serious human rights abuses'', including extrajudicial executions, during his years in office.

Earlier this month, the league's chief executive, Richard Scudamore, said Thaksin would fail its ''fit and proper person'' test only if he was convicted of a crime for which there was an equivalent offence in Britain.

Tomorrow, Thaksin's attention will be split between the worlds of politics and soccer.

City's game against United, one of the English season's most passionate matches, is being shown on Thai cable television on the day of a referendum on a military-drafted constitution.

A low turnout or sizeable ''no'' vote would be seen by many Thais as a show of support for Thaksin.

''Tomorrow is important for him for footballing and political purposes,'' Bangkok Post columnist Wanchai Rujawongsanti said.

''A City win could overshadow the referendum and a no vote will prove his popularity in Thailand and help his return to politics.'' Reuters SZ VP0645