Hong Kong  - A talk by fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Hong Kong next week was still scheduled to go ahead Friday despite calls for his extradition to Thailand.

The controversial former premier is due to give a talk at Hong Kong's Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) on Monday at a luncheon attended by more than 100 people who have paid around 20 US dollars for their tickets.

The plans reportedly annoyed his successor Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who threatened to lobby mainland China for Thaksin's extradition. The business-tycoon-turned-politician was handed a jail sentence last year for breaching corruption rules while in office.

However, the Hong Kong Security Bureau on Friday said there was no agreement on the surrender of fugitive offenders between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Thailand.

Under the "one country, two systems" principle adopted in 1997 when the former British colony reverted to China, Hong Kong retains its autonomy in most areas and therefore would not be tied by an extradition agreement between Thailand and China.

"Hong Kong maintains its own legal regime relating to surrender of fugitive offenders under the Basic Law [Hong Kong's mini constitution]," said a government spokesman.

The FCC who is hosting the talk confirmed it was still going ahead as planned and that the event was a sell-out.

Thaksin will give a talk titled: "Financial Crisis, Political Uncertainty: Lessons from Thailand."

FCC President Ernst Head said Thaksin has been invited to speak because he was a public figure whose views were still of interest to the public.

Thaksin, ousted by a military coup in September 2006, has kept clear of Thailand after being sentenced last year over an incident when his wife successfully bid for government land while he was in office.

He has repeatedly said he would not get a fair trial in Thailand. He is a frequent visitor to Hong Kong and last year his youngest daughter bought a luxury home in the city worth around 5.7 million US dollars. (dpa)