- After years of self-imposed exile, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand to face potential criminal charges on the same day that a party he leads is set to begin establishing a new government. Shinawatra has stated that his choice to come back is unrelated to the anticipated vote in Parliament later today on a Pheu Thai party candidate for prime minister. Many think that the party’s ambition for power has something to do with his coming.
- On his private plane, Thaksin took out from Singapore and touched down at Don Mueang International Airport at approximately 9:00 a.m. local time. Live footage of him leaving the airport’s private aircraft terminal with his three kids—including his youngest daughter, important Pheu Thai member Paetongtarn Shinawatra—was shown by Thai TV. Not to be missed were his grandchildren. At the terminal gate, Thaksin knelt down in front of a picture of Thailand’s monarch and queen and laid a wreath made of flowers. He did not say anything during the little minute he took to meet his fans and the waiting journalists in front of the terminal.
- The 74-year-old billionaire supported populist ideas and created his own Thai Rak Thai party with the wealth he earned from the telecom industry. He was elected prime minister in 2001 and was comfortably reelected in 2005. In a number of criminal trials that he claimed had political motivations, Thaksin was found guilty in absentia before being overthrown in a military coup in 2006 and going into exile. If he doesn’t get a royal pardon, he could have to serve time in prison.
- The most recent in a line of parties connected to Thaksin is Pheu Thai. He was overthrown by a military coup that led to years of turmoil and conflict between the northern majority, who were primarily poor and rural, and the royalists, the military, and their urban supporters.
- After creating an 11-party coalition with two parties affiliated with its erstwhile military opponents, Parliament will vote on Pheu Thai’s nominee for prime minister, Srettha Thavisin, a former property tycoon. Shortly after Thaksin’s arrival in Bangkok, Thavisin congratulated him and his family on Twitter.
- Some of Pheu Thai’s fans have harshly criticized him for reneging on a pre-election promise to avoid collaborating with parties that support the military. Party officials have justified the choice, arguing that it was required to resolve the impasse and move toward healing following many years of severe political polarization.
- The non-elected Senate, which was appointed by a former military administration, must endorse the Pheu Thai-led coalition, which currently possesses 314 members in the 500-member House of Representatives, in order for it to win a majority of the total legislative vote. Under the military-implemented constitution, which was created to safeguard conservative military-backed authority, both chambers of Parliament vote jointly for the prime minister. Senators saw themselves as defenders of historic conservative royalist ideals, just like the army does.
- In 2008, Thaksin made a quick trip back to Thailand to appear in court before leaving the nation. He has refrained from going back because he believes he won’t be treated properly by the establishment and government, who are supported by the military and have a deep-seated dislike for him. He has continued to be involved in Thai politics, frequently using video chats to attend the political rallies of the parties he supports.
- Political science researcher Napon Jatusripitak, a visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, stated that Thaksin’s intentions to return to Thailand were shelved following the announcement of the election results. This suggests a close relationship between Thaksin’s personal agenda and the election, coalition building, and prime ministerial choice.
Source:
Associated Press
