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.
