Metropolis Desk-
Former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been on the run since 2008, returned to Thai territory on Tuesday. He did so just hours before his allies competed in a legislative vote to try to establish a government.
Thaksin (74), appeared briefly with family members at a private jet terminal at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport, smiling and waving to hundreds of supporters, before he was escorted in a police convoy to the Supreme Court, then taken to prison, where, the court said, he will serve eight years.
According to Reuters, two years after the military overthrew him in a coup, Thaksin, the billionaire leader of the populist juggernaut Pheu Thai Party, fled abroad before he was jailed in absentia for abuse of power. He denies the charges of corruption and disloyalty to the powerful monarchy.
Before being led in a police van to the Supreme Court and then transported to prison, where the court stated he will serve eight years, Thaksin, 74, briefly made an appearance with family members at a private aircraft terminal at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport, smiling and waving to hundreds of fans.
Thaksin greeted people with a customary “wai” welcome as he exited the airport while donning a black suit, red tie, and yellow lapel pin with a royal emblem. This was done in front of a photograph of the monarch and queen.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s daughter, confirmed his safe arrival and shared photos of him with his family, including seven grandchildren, on Facebook.
Paetongtarn reported that “Dad has returned to Thailand and has commenced legal proceedings.”
The much-anticipated appearance of Thailand’s most well-known politician occurred as the lower house and Senate, which was appointed by the military, gathered ahead of a vote later on Tuesday on Srettha Thavisin, a real estate magnate who was just thrown into politics by Pheu Thai.
Since the beginning of March, Thailand has been run by a caretaker government. The country’s new parliament has been impassed for weeks as a result of conservative MPs blocking Move Forward, the anti-establishment party that won the election in May. This left Pheu Thai, a political heavyweight, to spearhead a fresh initiative.
Pheu Thai, founded by the Shinawatra family and a five-time election winner over the previous 20 years, has come to an uneasy alliance with two other parties supported by the military, which deposed administrations headed by Thaksin and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra in coups in 2006 and 2014 respectively.
It has been widely assumed since his return that Pheu Thai’s partnership with its longtime adversaries in the military and the establishment is a result of a covert agreement to enable him to return home without incident.
On Monday, Srettha, 60, claimed that Pheu Thai had no choice but to collaborate with those opponents that it had previously sworn not to do business with.
“We are not lying to the people, but we have to be realistic,” said Srettha, who has the support of 317 legislators and needs 58 votes from the Senate to get the necessary majority of 58.
