Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra told about 100,000 supporters via telephone that he would stay away for 10 years unless the king showed him mercy or a majority wanted him back.

``The term of my legal case is 10 years, so that means they want to keep me out of the country for 10 years,'' he told a Bangkok stadium packed with his supporters late yesterday. ``Will you allow me to stay abroad that long?''

Thailand's Supreme Court found Thaksin, 59, guilty last month of helping his wife buy land from the government, his first conviction since the military ousted him in a 2006 coup. Thaksin skipped bail in August and fled to the U.K. with his wife, Pojamarn Shinawatra, who was sentenced to jail for tax evasion.

Thaksin's speech may inflame an increasingly violent political standoff between anti-government protesters who despise him and the ruling People Power Party led by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, the former leader's brother-in-law. The mostly middle-class People's Alliance for Democracy opposes any party linked to Thaksin and has vowed to protest until the People Power Party is out of power.

``There are only two things that can bring me back into the country,'' he said. ``The first is the king's mercy and the second is a request from the majority.''

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch, is revered as a symbol of continuity and stability in the nation of 66 million people. As a constitutional monarch, he is head of state while the prime minister and parliament govern.

`Same Old Thing'

The People's Alliance has occupied the prime minister's office since Aug. 26. They clashed with police last month after they surrounded the parliament building, leading to two deaths. They want Thaksin's allies ousted and seek a new political system that would reduce the influence of his powerbase of poor, rural voters.

``What Thaksin said is just the same old thing,'' Suriyasai Katalisa, a People's Alliance leader, told Nation TV. ``Nothing new at all. He simply blamed the coup. He never looks at himself and acknowledges that he abused his power when he was in power.''

The People Power Party, the successor to Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai, won last year's elections with the help of farmers in northeast Thailand attracted to its policies of cheap health care and micro-credit. The government has increased spending in rural areas to counter the effects of slowing global economic growth.

``The division in the country is only because a group of people wanted to get rid of one man,'' Thaksin said.

Rallies

The pro-government group plans continuous rallies to counter the People's Alliance for Democracy and pre-empt any coup attempts. Thailand has had 10 coups since scrapping its absolute monarchy 76 years ago.

``There is no peaceful resolution to this crisis unless one side backs down,'' said Ismail Wolff, an analyst with PSA Asia, a Bangkok-based security and risk assessment consulting firm. ``History is likely to repeat itself here, and violence, it seems, is becoming increasingly inevitable.''

Thaksin also faces criminal charges over his cabinet's 2003 approval of a state-run lottery, a loan extended to Myanmar to buy equipment from his family's former business and alleged manipulation of telecommunications and tax policies for personal gain. A related civil case against him is seeking to confiscate almost $2.2 billion.

To contact the reporter on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net; To contact the reporter on this story: Suttinee Yuvejwattana in Bangkok at Suttinee1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 1, 2008 15:51 EDT