Shocking Twist: Exiled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Lands Behind Bars After Dramatic Return

Title: Thailand’s Political Landscape Transformed as Former Prime Minister Returns

Introduction:
In a significant turn of events, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ended years of exile and returned to Thailand to face a prison sentence. His return comes as parliament broke months of deadlock and chose a candidate from his party Pheu Thai as the country’s next leader, ending nearly a decade of military leadership. This article delves into the details of Thaksin’s return, the political maneuverings that took place, and the potential implications for the future of Thailand.

1. Thaksin Shinawatra’s Homecoming:
– After more than a decade of living in exile, Thaksin Shinawatra returned to Thailand, greeted by a crowd of supporters.
– Thaksin, a charismatic billionaire and a dominant force in Thai politics for two decades, is admired by rural and working-class voters for his anti-poverty policies.
– However, the royalist-military establishment reviles him, leading to his conviction in absentia for bribery and abuse of power.
– Despite the prison sentence, few observers expect Thaksin to serve a long period behind bars.

2. The Rise of the Progressive Party Move Forward:
– In the May elections, the progressive party Move Forward emerged victorious, promising sweeping military and police reform as well as changes to the lèse-majesté law.
– However, their bid to form a government failed as they couldn’t attract enough partners due to their proposed changes to the lèse-majesté law.
– Move Forward’s defeat paved the way for Thaksin’s conservative military-royalist establishment to strike a deal with former opponents to install Srettha Thavisin, a Pheu Thai candidate, as the next prime minister.

3. Pheu Thai’s Complex Coalition:
– Pheu Thai, finishing second in the elections, had to assemble a diverse 11-party coalition, including the military-backed Palang Pracharath party and the United Thai Nation party led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha.
– Pheu Thai’s decision to cooperate with military-backed groups was met with disapproval from nearly 65% of respondents, raising concerns among the public.

4. Challenges for the Next Government:
– As Thailand emerges from nearly a decade of military rule, the next government faces formidable challenges, including reviving the country’s struggling economy.
– The coronavirus pandemic took a toll on Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, with the GDP growth rate at a mere 1.8% in the second quarter.
– The household debt-to-GDP ratio soared to over 90%, highlighting the urgent need for economic recovery measures and strategies.

5. Thaksin’s Costly Return:
– Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a senior fellow at Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Security and International Studies, highlights the high cost of Thaksin’s return for the Pheu Thai party.
– Thaksin’s supporters faced violence from the military, and the party had to form a coalition with former opponents to pave the way for his return.
– This move may be Thaksin’s last opportunity to come back to Thailand under favorable conditions.

Conclusion:
The return of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has transformed Thailand’s political landscape, ending nearly a decade of military leadership. While admired by rural and working-class voters, Thaksin remains a divisive figure reviled by the royalist-military establishment. As the Pheu Thai party takes power with its complex coalition, the country faces critical challenges, including reviving the economy in the aftermath of the pandemic. Thaksin’s return may come at a high cost for the party, but it also presents an opportunity for him to regain popularity and influence in Thai politics.

Summary:
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has returned to Thailand after years of exile to face a prison sentence. His return coincides with the end of nearly a decade of military leadership as parliament chose a candidate from his party Pheu Thai as the country’s next leader. Thaksin, a dominant figure in Thai politics, is admired by rural and working-class voters but reviled by the royalist-military establishment. The Pheu Thai party assembled a diverse coalition, including military-backed groups, to form the next government. However, their cooperation sparked disapproval among the public. The new government faces considerable challenges, such as reviving the economy after the pandemic. Thaksin’s return comes at a high cost to the party, but it presents an opportunity for him to regain popularity and influence in Thai politics.

—————————————————-

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has ended years of exile and returned to the country to face a prison sentence, as parliament broke months of deadlock choosing a candidate from his party Pheu Thai as the country’s next leader.

The choice of Srettha Thavisin as Prime Minister ends nearly a decade of military leadership in the Southeast Asian country and follows a election in may won by the progressive party Move Forward.

However, Move Forward was kicked out of power by ThailandThaksin’s conservative military-royalist establishment, which instead struck a deal with former opponents of Thaksin’s party to install Srettha as prime minister.

Parliament voted just hours later Thaksina charismatic billionaire who was deposed in a 2006 coup, arrived from Singapore and was greeted by a crowd of supporters.

Thaksin, who has lived mainly in Dubai since leaving Thailand in 2008, dominated politics for two decades. He is reviled by the royalist-military establishment but admired by rural and working-class voters for his anti-poverty policies.

The 74-year-old, who was convicted in absentia of bribery and abuse of power, later appeared in the Supreme Court, where a judge upheld his eight-year prison sentence, according to a court statement.

He will be transferred to a special unit to monitor his condition, officials said, but few observers expect the former prime minister to serve a long period behind bars.

“Thaksin must return to regenerate some popularity [for the party]said Paul Chambers, an expert on Thai politics at Naresuan University. “The Pheu Thai is now the party of the status quo.”

“Thaksin has lost moral height,” he added.

Pheu Thai, which finished second in the elections, assembled an unconventional 11-party coalition that included the military-backed incumbent Palang Pracharath party and the United Thai Nation party. The latter is led by incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, a former military leader who has ruled since toppling Thaksin’s younger sister Yingluck in a 2014 coup.

Le Pheu Thai previously pledged support for Move Forward, which grew out of anti-monarchy protests in 2020 and shocked the political elite by winning in May on a promise of sweeping military and police reform. monarchy.

But Move Forward has failed to attract enough partners to form a government, in part because of its wish to change a lèse-majesté law that imposes prison sentences of up to 15 years for insulting the monarchy.

Unelected senators chosen by former military government were able to arrest US-educated party leader, 42 Pita Limjaroenrat, to have been elected Prime Minister in a vote last month. He was then barred from contesting the post again and expelled from parliament pending an investigation into his ownership of shares in a former television station.

Pheu Thai’s bet to regain power could trigger a public reaction. A National Institute of Development Administration poll released on Sunday showed nearly 65 percent of respondents disapproving of the party’s cooperation with military-backed groups.

Srettha, the former leader of Sansiri, one of the country’s biggest property developers, denied on Monday that the party had ‘cheated’ its supporters despite pre-election promises not to join a coalition with military-backed parties .

The Pheu Thai had to “recognize harsh realities and make tough choices to move forward and help the people”, he said.

The next government will face daunting challenges after nearly a decade of military rule, including reviving Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, which has struggled to recover from the expanding coronavirus pandemic. only 1.8% year-over-year in the second quarter. Household debt has soared to over 90% of gross domestic product.

Thaksin’s return came at “a very high cost” to the party, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a senior fellow at Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Security and International Studies. His supporters “were shot and killed by the military, whose Pheu Thai parties allied to form this government. . . just to get Thaksin back”.

Thaksin “desperately wants to come back,” he added. “It may be his last window. After that, who knows when he can come back, and under what conditions.

—————————————————-