Hours after Thai government issued arrest warrants for the ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife; Pojaman, he decided to go shopping at Guildford, southwest of London.

A UK-based website, getsurrey.com, reported that Thaksin, owner of England's Manchester City Football Club, went shopping with his family in the town centre, and was seen popping into Carphone Warehouse and French Connection.

The ex-Thai leader, who was flanked by bodyguards, also spoke to the small number of shoppers who recognised him.

It is thought one of his daughters could be attending the University of Surrey in Guildford to study tourism and management, the online said.

Thaksin - who owns a property in St George's Hill, Weybridge - is wanted by the government in Thailand to face corruption charges.

His wife, who was by his side as he ambled through Tunsgate, is also on bail pending appeal after she was jailed in Thailand for tax fraud.

He and his wife are on bail on corruption charges and was due to appear in court in Bangkok on Monday after he went to Beijing to watch the Olympics. However the couple jumped the bails and fled to England.

The online reported Thaksin is not the first wanted international leader to make Surrey his home.

Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet holed-up in a mansion near Egham as he awaited extradition to his home country to answer human rights abuse charges.