Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra denied suggestions by the military and his army-appointed successor he was linked to New Year's Eve bombs that killed three people and wounded 38 in Bangkok.
In a letter faxed to media organizations from Beijing, where he is in exile after his removal in a September 19th coup, Thaksin accused the army-appointed government of jumping to conclusions by blaming "groups that have lost political powers".
Many Thais have interpreted that as meaning Thaksin.
"I swear that I have never thought of hurting or destroying the happiness of the Thai people or spoiling the credibility of the country for my political goals," he said in the handwritten three-page letter.
Thaksin, a police lieutenant-colonel before moving into telecoms and then politics, said his contacts within the force suggested the unprecedented blasts were the work of Muslim separatists from the Malay-speaking far south.
"I asked police about the materials and methods used.
The bombs were probably the work of militants from the far south," the billionaire said. "I want to condemn the group that was behind the bombs in the strongest terms."
More than 1,800 people have died in three years of bombings and shootings in the three southernmost provinces along the Malaysian border.