On Monday morning, Paetongtarn “Ung Ing” Shinawatra, the daughter of Thaksin, gave birth to a bouncing boy.
The former prime minister expressed his joy at welcoming his seventh grandchild in a tweet sent out at 8:14am by @ThaksinLive. He also noted that all of his grandchildren were born while he was in exile.
Prutthasin “Thasin” Sooksawas is the name given to the newborn.
“Since I’ll turn 74 in July, I’d like to request your permission to go back and take care of my grandchild. See you soon,” Thaksin wrote in his tweet.
The former premier has made repeated allusions to his desire to go back to Thailand. For instance, on March 24, he said to Kyodo News that he would be ready to go to court if it meant he could live out the rest of his days with his family.
After his government was overthrown on September 19, 2006, by a military coup led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, Thaksin fled his country and has been living in exile since 2008, spending the majority of his time in Dubai. In addition, he is facing a number of charges and jail terms for alleged power abuse.
Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a sister of Thaksin, also shared her congratulations on Facebook, writing: “Very thrilled! Congratulations to Ung Ing, who is running for office despite being pregnant, and Pond, Paetongtarn’s spouse.
“I want my grandson to be as strong mentally and physically as his mother was. Thaksin, his grandfather, may be eager to meet his grandchild right now. I eagerly anticipate the day I can see you, my grandchild.After her government was overthrown in a military coup led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Yingluck has also been living in self-imposed exile. In Thailand, she is also accused of neglecting her duties in relation to the government’s rice-pledging program.
As soon as she feels better, Paetongtarn will return to the campaign trail, she wrote in an Instagram post on Monday morning.
