phuketrichard wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 4:30 pm Dubai via Singapore on his private jet
'He now is in Jail but dont worry, am sure he "donated " enough good will ( ie $$$) so he will be out tomorrow to take care of his grandkids

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been escorted to prison, shortly after he flew into Bangkok by private jet, ending more than 15 years spent in exile.

Crowds of jubilant supporters, many dressed in red and carrying welcome signs, gathered at an airport in Bangkok to greet Thaksin, who has dominated Thai politics for more than two decades as the billionaire figurehead of the populist Pheu Thai party.

Thaksin arrived with his three children and waved at the media after his jet landed at Don Muang airport on Tuesday morning, hours before his allies contest a parliamentary vote in an attempt to form a government.

Thailand has been under a caretaker government since March and its new parliament has been deadlocked for weeks after the anti-establishment winner of a May election, Move Forward, was blocked by conservative lawmakers, leaving Pheu Thai to lead a fresh effort.

The supreme court said Thaksin would serve eight years in prison, but many commentators have speculated that his arrival in the country coincides with his party’s likely return to office, and that a deal may mean he does not have to serve a full sentence. His age could also mean he is granted some leniency.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... -to-return

No news yet on who is the next PM

truffledog wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 6:56 pm So we have a new PM now with Toxin in prison. I wonder when the public will know the details of the deal. If ever.

Kannavee Suebsang, the Secretary-General of the Pen Tham Party and the party's sole MP, stated that he cannot compromise his own dignity by going against the people's mandate from the election in order to vote for Pheu Thai PM Candidate Srettha Thavisin.

He said the majority of the people desire a significant political change, rather than the perpetuation of the outdated and unjust political structure that has held power for the past 8-9 years.

Kannavee said that he harbors no personal animosity towards Srettha or his nomination, but he cannot endorse the establishment of a government that would contradict the wishes of the majority of the people.

He said that the arguments suggesting politicians are not obligated to uphold their pre-election promises because they were merely seeking votes or hastening the government formation process to address people's difficulties are untenable.

The Move Forward Party secretary-general, Chaitawat Tulathon, said they cannot agree with the formation of a government that would facilitate the junta's transfer of power.

He said the establishment of a government incorporating junta-backed parties contradicts the voters' mandate given in the previous election. Such a move would exacerbate distrust in politicians and the parliamentary system.

He rebuffed the Pheu Thai Party's argument that this step is being taken to resolve social and political conflicts. He argued that this action would perpetuate the notion that the country's ultimate power, which should rightfully belong to the people, is actually not in their hands due to appointed senators having the ability to overturn the electoral mandate.

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Tue Aug 22, 2023 8:20 pm Thaksin won't spend but a few days' in Jail, if that. He's sick (" ...suffering from many health conditions including acute coronay syndrome, herniated disc, highblood pressure and abnormal body posture"[/i] ) and at the least will be transferred to the hospital from where he will than be pardoned>

Who is Thaksin and what happened today?
Thaksin is a hugely influential and polarising politician who has dominated Thai politics for decades. He became prime minister in 2001 and developed a loyal support base among rural voters in the north and north-east by offering welfare and economic policies to improve people’s livelihoods. But he was also accused of corruption and human rights abuses and was loathed by conservatives in Bangkok, who considered him a threat to the monarchy.

Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006 and has lived in self-imposed exile for more than 15 years to avoid legal charges.

On Tuesday, however, he arrived by private jet at a Bangkok airport. Hundreds of supporters turned out to welcome him. He appeared only briefly in front of the media and was driven straight to court – then jail.

What is Thaksin’s relationship with the military-royalist establishment?
For decades, Thaksin has been loathed by the establishment, who viewed him as an unprincipled, corrupt politician and a threat to the monarchy.

However, the two sides are now uniting in an unusual alliance. Verapat Pariyawong, a political analyst, said that while the new alliance may be shocking to the public, to politicians it was “basic realpolitiking”. “It’s time for them to join hands for their own mutual interests,” he said.

The conservative establishment arguably faces a much bigger problem than Thaksin. Instead, it is threatened by the rise of the youthful, reformist Move Forward party, which won the most seats in the general election in May after promising big changes to the power structures in Thailand. Move Forward had pledged to reform the lese-majesty law, remove the military from politics and break up big business. Some of its MPs are activists who were once on the frontlines of monarchy reform protests and who have since been charged with lese-majesty. It was blocked from taking power by military-appointed senators.

Move Forward’s growing popularity also poses a threat to Pheu Thai. In May’s election, the younger party surprised many by outperforming Pheu Thai, and even poaching seats in Thaksin’s stronghold, Chiang Mai.

Thailand may be moving into a new era, away from the divides that have shaped the past two decades, said Verapat, and “towards a new clash between the traditional establishment versus the Move Forward party and their supporters”.

What is the link between Thaksin’s return and the attempts to form a new coalition government?
Analysts have speculated that, given Thaksin is returning to Thailand just as his party takes office, a deal has likely been made to soften his sentence. His daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who also ran as one of Pheu Thai’s prime ministerial candidates, has denied this claim, however, and said that her father is returning because he wants to be with his grandchildren. In the past, he has frequently said he wants to return home.

According to the supreme court, he faces eight years in prison.

Who is Srettha Thavisin?
Srettha, a 60-year-old real estate tycoon, was voted in as Thailand’s next prime minister on Tuesday. Pheu Thai has tried to stress his business credentials and present him as someone who can boost the economy. Some analysts have also described him as a compromise candidate who may be acceptable to people on both sides of Thailand’s political divides.

He has never held a ministerial position, however, and will face a difficult task in leading a coalition that brings together unlikely partners.
Srettha became the chief adviser for Pheu Thai earlier this year, but he has long been associated with the Shinawatra family. He opposed the movement that led to the overthrow of the government led by Yingluck, Thaksin’s youngest sister, and later described being one of the first business people to have been summoned by the military junta after the 2014 coup.

Thailand’s jailed former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was moved to a hospital overnight after suffering a health problem on the first night of his detention, just hours after he returned from years of exile, police said.

The status of the health of 74-year-old Thaksin was not immediately clear.

Corrections department officials had on Tuesday said Thaksin had pre-existing issues with his heart, lungs and spine and blood pressure, and he would be monitored closely.

“The prison has assessed the situation and saw that it lacks doctors and medical equipment that can take care of the patient so he was sent to the police hospital,” Assistant National Police Chief Lieutenant General Prachuab Wongsuk told Reuters.

Thailand’s supreme court confirmed on Tuesday Thaksin would have to serve eight years in prison, after years in exile following convictions for abuse of power and conflicts of interest.