Just days before an election his party is poised to win, Thailand’s wealthy former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Tuesday that he would return home in July after 17 years of self-imposed exile.
Although Thaksin, possibly Thailand’s most influential and unpopular former leader, has often broken his word about coming back, his remarks on Twitter were the first time in recent years that he has given a specific deadline.Once more, I’m asking for permission. In July, just before my birthday, I’ve made the decision to return home to visit my grandchildren.
He said, “I want permission,” although he didn’t specify who he was asking. It has been 17 years since I was cut off from my family. I am old.
The 73-year-old former police colonel and telecoms magnate has dominated Thai politics ever since he was overthrown in a coup in 2006. He went into exile in 2008 to avoid going to prison for abuse of authority, which he claims was a politically motivated accusation.Like its predecessors before winning every election since 2001, Pheu Thai, a party controlled by his family and business associates, has a sizable lead in polls ahead of the May 14 elections.
Paetongtarn, the party’s candidate for prime minister and youngest child of Thaksin, gave birth to her second kid last week. She is 36 years old.
The United Thai Nation party of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a general who led a coup in 2014 against the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, Thaksin’s sister, is among the parties in the ruling, military-backed coalition that are far behind Pheu Thai in the most recent polls.
When questioned by journalists about Thaksin’s prospective return, Prayuth responded, “It depends on him and the justice system.”
Thaksin later stated on Twitter that he wouldn’t “be a burden to Pheu Thai” and that his return will take place in accordance with the law. He didn’t go into detail.Most of Thaksin’s exile has been spent in Dubai or London, where he rose to fame in 2007 after purchasing Premier League football team Manchester City.
His early investments helped a struggling team, which improved them enough to win six league titles under new owners.
By wooing millions of disaffected working class voters with populist measures while serving as prime minister from 2001 to his downfall in 2006, Thaksin established a political empire.
But some of the most influential families and organizations in Thailand, including the military, fiercely oppose his family and business clique.
