Bangkok Post

Mr Noppadon was responding on Saturday to a claim by Thepthai Senpong, the spokesman for Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, that Thaksin was in Hong Kong to discuss a cabinet reshuffle with key figures of the governing Pheu Thai party.

Mr Thepthai had also criticised Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra for having no authority to make decisions about changing cabinet ministers, claiming her brother called the shots.

Mr Noppadon said Thaksin had left Hong Kong for Japan on Friday and would stay there for five to six days. While there, he would meet with Japanese businessmen to encourage them to make more investments in Thailand.

He admitted that several Pheu Thai MPs had gone to meet Thaksin in Hong Kong, but said there were no discussions of a cabinet reshuffle.

The longtime aide to Thaksin insisted that any decision whether to reshuffle the cabinet or not would be the authority of Ms Yingluck.

Speculation about a major overhaul of the cabinet has been high since the end of May, when a five-year ban on 111 politicians ended. Many of those who had been banned held senior ministerial posts in earlier Thaksin-led administrations.