Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday returned to the kingdom after 15 years in exile and was immediately jailed, just hours before his party’s candidate was elected prime minister.
The Supreme Court ordered the 74-year-old billionaire to serve eight years on old graft charges, although it is not clear how much time he would serve behind bars, as his Pheu Thai party forms a government and rumors swirl of a deal for leniency.
Thaksin, loved and loathed in almost equal measure in Thailand, landed in a private jet at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport yesterday morning, and was greeted by hundreds of “Red Shirt” supporters waving banners and singing songs.
Photo: EPA-EFE
He emerged briefly to bow and offer a floral garland at a portrait of King Maha Vajiralongkorn as a mark of respect before waving to supporters.
More Red Shirts lined the streets as the former Manchester City owner was taken to the Supreme Court. There he was ordered to serve eight years for three convictions passed in his absence — one linked to his former Shin Corp, another linked to a bank loan and a lottery case.
Just hours after he landed, parliament approved business tycoon Srettha Thavisin as prime minister at the head of a coalition led by the Pheu Thai party.
Photo: AFP
“I will try my best and work tirelessly to improve the quality of life for Thai people,” Srettha told reporters after he was confirmed as the kingdom’s 30th prime minister.
Pheu Thai’s controversial alliance includes parties from its old enemies in the military — which ousted both Thaksin and his sister Yingluck as prime minister.
This has led to widespread speculation of a backroom arrangement with Thailand’s powerful pro-military royalist establishment to let Thaksin off lightly — although Pheu Thai has denied such a deal.
Thaksin is to spend his first days in prison in isolation because of health problems, but his family would be able to visit him after five days, the Department of Corrections said.
Asked about the possibility of a royal pardon, Department of Corrections Deputy Director Sithi Suthiwong told reporters Thaksin could apply, and the process would take “about one to two months, if the documents are sufficient.”
Srettha sailed through the confirmation ballot in parliament with 482 votes in favor to 165 against and 81 abstentions.
His victory ends three months of political deadlock and wrangling after MFP beat Pheu Thai into second place in May’s polls.
Despite winning the most seats, Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat saw his bid to become prime minister sunk by conservative junta-appointed senators, who were spooked by his party’s determination to reform royal insult laws and tackle business monopolies.
After Srettha’s confirmation, Pita pledged on social media that the MFP would work in opposition to be “the political institution that people can trust.”
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS