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☆ Thaksin Shinawatra: Thailand’s jailed former prime minister to be freed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Helen Regan | Kocha Olarn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Bangkok, Thailand CNN —Thailand’s jailed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will soon walk free from detention after his parole was approved, according to Thailand’s justice minister, just six months after his dramatic return to the kingdom. The announcement caps an extraordinary decades-long political saga that will see the return of one of Thailand’s most controversial political figures to everyday life. On Tuesday, Thailand’s Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong confirmed to CNN Thaksin is one of 930 inmates who have been granted parole this month. The party’s candidate Strettha Thavisin became Thailand’s 30th prime minister in August, just hours after Thaksin’s return to the country. Last week, Reuters reported that Thaksin faces possible lese majeste charges under Thailand’s royal insult law, but it’s unclear whether prosecutors will move forward with the complaint.

Persons: Thailand CNN — Thailand’s, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Maha Vajiralongkorn, Tawee Sodsong, Thaksin —, Strettha Thavisin, Thaksin’s, Pita Limjaroenrat Organizations: Thailand CNN, Manchester City, Thailand’s, CNN Thaksin, The Corrections Department, Thai Corrections Department, Reuters Locations: Bangkok, Thailand, New York, Thai

CNN —Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has submitted a request for a royal pardon, the outgoing justice minister said, just over a week after his dramatic return to the country from more than 15 years in self-exile. Thaksin, the head of a famed political dynasty, was prime minister from 2001 until he was ousted in a military coup in 2006. Outgoing Justice Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam confirmed to reporters Thursday that he had received Thaksin’s letter requesting a royal pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn. It is unclear how long the application process for a royal pardon will take. In Thailand, prisoners can request a royal pardon through the justice minister, who passes the application to the prime minister and then on the the King for final approval.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Wissanu Krea, ngam, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Thailand’s, ”, Srettha, Pheu, Pheu Thai’s, Thaksin’s, Yingluck Shinawatra, King, Prayut Chan Organizations: CNN, Former, Thai Corrections Department Locations: Former Thai, Thailand, Bangkok

☆ Thailand has a new leader but it's not the one people voted for. Here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Protesters walk through smoke after setting fire to mock corpses during a protest at Pheu Thai Party headquarters in Bangkok on August 2, 2023. It formed a coalition with other like-minded parties, including runners up Pheu Thai. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra flanked by his son Panthongtae Shinawatra and daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand August 22, 2023. “I want to be a prime minister who can make the difference,” Srettha previously told CNN. But with an 11-member coalition that includes bitter rivals, it’s unclear whether Srettha and Pheu Thai will be able to govern effectively.

Persons: staved, Srettha Thavisin, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Thais, Valeria Mongelli, Hans Lucas, lese, Pita Limjaroenrat, Pita, Pheu, Pheu Thai, Thaksin’s, Shinatwatra, ”, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Panthongtae Shinawatra, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Athit, ” Thitinan, Yingluck Shinawatra, “, Strettha, Thailand’s King Vajiralongkorn, Srettha, Prayut Chan Organizations: CNN, Party, Pheu Thai Party, Reuters, Pheu, Senate, Chulalongkorn University . Former Thai, Thaksin, Manchester City Football Club, Thai, Facebook, Thai Corrections Department, Procter & Gamble, Bangkok Post Locations: Thailand, Bangkok, Senate, Thai, Pheu Thai, Don Mueang

CNN —Thailand’s parliament on Tuesday voted for real estate tycoon Srettha Thavisin to be the country’s next prime minister, bringing an end to three months of political deadlock. Srettha, 60, was the sole candidate put forward by the populist Pheu Thai Party and received 482 votes out of a possible 747 in Thailand’s bicameral parliament. “I want to be a prime minister who can make the difference,” Srettha told CNN. During campaigning, Pheu Thai pledged to give 10,000 baht (about $300) in a digital wallet to every citizen over the age of 16. But with an 11-member coalition that includes bitter military rivals, it is unclear whether Pheu Thai can govern effectively.

Persons: CNN —, Srettha Thavisin, Thaksin Shinawatra, Srettha, Pheu Thai, Pracharath, Prayut Chan, Pheu Thai’s, Thaksin’s, Yingluck Shinawatra, Thais, Thaksin, “, ” Srettha Organizations: CNN, Pheu Thai Party, Pheu Thai, United Thai Nation Party, National Institute of Development Administration, Reuters, “, Claremont Graduate School, Procter & Gamble Locations: Thailand, Pheu, Thai, “ Thailand, United Kingdom, United States

The former prime minister then left on a police truck, headed to the Supreme Court. The Thaksin-backed Pheu Thai party, which came second in the May election, will nominate its choice for the country’s next leader Tuesday: real estate mogul Srettha Thavisin. Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra while flanked by his son Panthongtae Shinawatra and daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra at Don Mueang airport in Bangkok, Thailand on August 22. Pheu Thai Party leader Cholnan Srikaew said in a statement Monday that the coalition would not include Move Forward Party, which won the most votes in the election. In 2006, Thaksin was ousted and, facing a potential prison sentence over corruption charges, went into self-imposed exile.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin, Thaksin’s, Yingluck Shinawatra, Paetongtarn, Srettha Thavisin, Palang Pracharath, Prayut Chan, Yingluck, Panthongtae Shinawatra, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Athit, Thais, Cholnan Srikaew, –, ”, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Prayut, “, “ We’ve, ” Thitinan Organizations: CNN, Manchester City Football Club, UN, Mueang International, Supreme, Thaksin, United Thai Nation Party, Thai, Thai Party, Party, National Institute of Development Administration, Reuters, Facebook, Institute of Security, Studies, Chulalongkorn University, Forward Party Locations: Thailand, New York, Singapore, Bangkok’s, Thai, Don Mueang, Bangkok

☆ Thai Ex-Prime Minister Returns From Exile, Adding to Political Chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | More About Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Thaksin Shinawatra, the former premier who was ousted in a coup and has been living in exile since 2006, returned to Bangkok for the first time in 15 years on Tuesday, adding to the country’s political drama on a day that Parliament was to vote for a new prime minister. Mr. Thaksin was living in self-imposed exile in part to avoid facing corruption and abuse of power charges affiliated with his telecom business. While in exile, he shuttled between England, Hong Kong and Dubai, avoiding Thailand for fear of not receiving a fair trial. He was tried for most of these cases in absentia and found guilty of several charges. Mr. Thaksin’s private jet arrived Tuesday morning at the Don Muang International Airport in Bangkok.

Persons: Thaksin Shinawatra, Thaksin Organizations: Don Muang International Locations: Bangkok, England, Hong Kong, Dubai, Thailand

☆ In Blow to Junta, Thai Voters Overwhelmingly Back Opposition Parties
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With 97 percent of the votes counted early Monday morning, the progressive Move Forward Party was neck and neck with the populist Pheu Thai Party. In most parliamentary systems, the two parties would form a new governing coalition and choose a prime minister. But under the rules of the current Thai system, written by the military after its 2014 coup, the junta will still play kingmaker. The election had widely been seen as an easy victory for Pheu Thai, the country’s largest opposition party founded by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Polls had showed that Mr. Thaksin’s youngest daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 36, was the leading choice for prime minister.

☆ Thai opposition take on kingdom’s conservative cliques in challenge to military’s power
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The junta-era constitution gives the establishment-dominated upper house a significant say in who can ultimately form a government so opposition parties must win by a strong margin. It’s the party of the billionaire Shinawatra family – a controversial political dynasty headed by former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Paetongtarn only entered politics three years ago but has presented herself as hailing from a new generation to connect with young Thais. To be prime minister, a candidate must have a majority in both houses – or at least 375 votes. That means an opposition party or coalition need almost three times as many votes in the lower house as a military party to be able to elect the next leader.

☆ Thailand’s Most Polarizing Family Rises Again Ahead of Election
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | Muktita Suhartono | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For close to two decades, the military and conservative establishment in Thailand has sought to keep former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his supporters out of power. Mr. Thaksin, a populist politician and a business tycoon, was ousted in a coup in 2006 before he fled the country. Several years later, his sister succeeded him as prime minister and then suffered the same fate. Now, conservatives are watching warily as his political party looks set to dominate next month’s election. The party’s star campaigner: Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Mr. Thaksin’s youngest daughter and a strong contender for prime minister.

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