Thaksin Shinawatra hasn’t held political office since he was ousted in 2006, and, until Tuesday, he had not set foot in Thailand in more than 15 years. But despite this, he has remained one of the country’s most influential and polarising politicians.
Born in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, Thaksin became a police officer before developing a fortune as a telecoms tycoon. Aged 48, he formed the Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thais) party and swept to power in 2001 with a landslide election victory.
Thaksin was the first politician to harness the electoral clout of rural voters in the north and north-east of Thailand, and he offered policies that improved their livelihoods. Thaksin introduced a universal healthcare scheme, village funds to stimulate growth, as well as policies to boost entrepreneurship and help the country recover from the Asian financial crisis. He also presided over the repayment of the debt Thailand owed to the IMF ahead of schedule. Many of his supporters associate his time in office with economic prosperity.
“Thaksin represents the grassroots people,” said Damrong Khongpanya, 61, who travelled for 10 hours from his home in Nong Khai in north-east Thailand to welcome Thaksin at the airport. Thaksin cared for farmers, said Damrong, who farms rice and owns a rubber plantation. “I didn’t have a car before, but I was able to buy one, I was able to send my children to graduate from university,” he said.
Thaksin became an increasingly divisive figure, however. His critics, often associated with conservatives in Bangkok, accused him of corruption and abuse of power. In particular, he faced a major scandal over the tax-free sale of the Shinawatra family’s majority stakes in his telecoms empire Shin Corp to a foreign company. He was also accused of lacking principles or sufficient deference for the monarchy, and of being a threat to its power.
A struggle between Thaksin and his opponents in the military-royalist establishment left Thailand bitterly divided and led to periods of political turmoil. The military seized power in a coup twice, the courts repeatedly dissolved parties and banned individuals from politics, prolonged street protests gripped Bangkok and an army crackdown left more than 90 of Thaksin’s supporters dead.
Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006 and has lived in exile since 2008 to avoid legal charges, which he is now facing after his return to Bangkok. His sister, the former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, suffered the same fate in 2014 and is still in exile.
Even from abroad, Thaksin remained influential, often sharing his views on social media, and giving talks under the alias Tony Woodsome on the Clubhouse platform. He is Thailand’s most electorally successful politician, and parties associated with him have had the most seats in every election since 2001 – except for this year’s vote.
In May’s election, despite Pheu Thai (his party’s third incarnation after the first two were suppressed) aspiring to win by a landslide, it was in fact the youthful pro-democracy party Move Forward that secured the most votes, though it was blocked from taking office by military-appointed senators.
Among the crowds of mostly older supporters who turned out to welcome Thaksin on Tuesday, some noted that younger voters were increasingly turning to Move Forward. It was the only party bold enough to call for reforms to the law that protects the monarchy from criticism, said one Pheu Thai supporter. “Move Forward is very brave to talk about it. Pheu Thai is still stuck on the other side. Move Forward is very brave and they want to fight for the people.”
In an ironic twist, Thaksin’s party has joined with his old military opponents to form a coalition. Some supporters say they understand that the party must do so to overcome electoral hurdles introduced following the last coup. Others view it as sign the party has abandoned its democratic values, and question if the move is merely part of a deal to allow Thaksin to return – something his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a party official, has denied.
On Tuesday, after flying into Bangkok on a private jet, he was taken to the prison. The supreme court said in a statement that he faces an eight-year sentence. However, many have speculated that with his party sharing power with its old rivals, he may be granted a softer option.
