Jakrapob Penkair, a former redshirt leader, who returned to Bangkok today after living in self-imposed exile abroad for 15 years, has been released on Bt400,000 bail.

After arriving at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, he was escorted to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) HQ, where he surrendered to the 1997 arrest warrants, relating to an accusation of criminal association and possession of a firearm, which he has denied.

His elder sister and his secretary were there and posted bail for him.

Jakrapob told reporters that before deciding to return to Thailand, he had discussed the matter with certain individuals, but refused to give further details. Also waiting for him at the CSD were people dressed in red, who cheered when he appeared. They gave him red roses and encouraged him to continue fighting.

Jakrapob, 57, announced his imminent return from exile on his Facebook page yesterday. He wrote that he wants to return to serve the country.

His secretary told the media that Jakrapob is ready to fight the charges filed against him, adding that he had not returned to Thailand for 15 years because he was engaged in ‘missions’ and during that time Thailand had no democratic government.

Jakrapob was a government spokesman under the Thaksin Shinawatra administration and a PM Office Minister in the Samak Sundaravej government.

He was once charged with lèse-majesté, for a speech he gave at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Bangkok, but the charge was subsequently dropped. He went into exile shortly after the coup in 2006.