Thaksin, who heads the Palang Dharma Party (PDP), was a deputy prime minister in the 13-month-old coalition government of Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa until he pulled his party out of the administration last month.
Viewed by some political analysts as a rising star in Thai politics, Thaksin made his fortune as a major shareholder in top Thai telecommunications and computer conglomerate, the Shinawatra Group.
For me, it is almost definite that I will give up (politics) and at the moment I am only concerned about my party followers. I have already warned them not to attach themselves to any one individual, Thakshin told reporters.
Thaksin, whose PDP holds 23 of the 391 seats in the Thai parliament, said he would not run in any fresh general election.
Political analysts said they did not believe Thaksin will quit politics so soon. They said he could swing back to active politics if Banharn
