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Thailand's government has issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for provoking his supporters to stage protests.

Thailand has issued an arrest warrant for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra

The three-week street battles between anti-government protesters and troops, which left two dead and 123 injured, ended on Tuesday. A court issued warrants Tuesday for Thaksin and 12 supporters, three of whom were detained by police and charged with crimes relating to the unrest. "Thaksin and his allies were charged by the court for illegal assembly of more than 10 people, threatening acts of violence, and breach of the peace, punishable with five years in jail," the warrant said, AFP reported.

Thaksin was also accused of inciting people to break the law and cause unrest, a charge punishable by seven years in prison, according to the warrant. Ousted in a coup in 2006, Thaksin escaped Thailand to avoid a jail term for corruption, but during the uproar he gave a string of speeches to the rally calling for "revolution". Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's four-month-old government managed to handle the unrest while the protesters also managed to derail a weekend Asian summit. 

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