It is a particularly symbolic liberation in Thailand. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra regained his freedom this Sunday morning, six months after his return from fifteen years of voluntary exile.
The 74-year-old billionaire, who was in power from 2001 until the 2006 coup, was seen through the windows of his car, wearing a neck brace, sitting next to his daughter Paetongtarn as he left the police hospital in central Bangkok. He then returned to his home in the capital.
A pardon from the king
When Thaksin returned from exile on August 22, 2023 after 15 years abroad, he spent a total of only six months in detention due to health problems, mostly in a police hospital in Bangkok.
He was extremely popular in the early 2000s, especially among farmers in the north and northeast, and is suspected of having made a pact with his former opponents, the monarchy and the army, to regain freedom. Originally sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power, he received a pardon in September from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who reduced his sentence to one year. However, the framework for his conditional release is not yet known.
Thaksin Shinawatra is an old lion of Thai political life who retains his influence through the Pheu Thai family party led by Paetongtarn, which is expected to continue the dynasty. She could become the third prime minister to bear the name Shinawatra, after Thaksin and Yingluck, her aunt (and Thaksin's sister), who ruled the kingdom from 2011 to 2014 until a coup.
Red shirts versus yellow shirts
The mention of this surname awakens old rifts in Thailand. Thaksin Shinawatra was as revered by the country thanks to his groundbreaking redistribution policies as he was hated by Bangkok's traditional elites, who saw him as populist and impertinent to King Bhumibol. Although he is credited with good management of the economy, the leader, who made his fortune in telecommunications, is often accused of mixing his private affairs with those of the state.
During the protest movements between his supporters, the “Red Shirts”, and his opponents close to the monarchy, the “Yellow Shirts”, tensions reached their peak. In 2010, the army opened fire on a Red Shirt demonstration, killing more than 90 people.
Some long-time supporters are now criticizing him for turning to the military to encourage him to return to the country after his exile to avoid justice. In fact, the Pheu Thai Party agreed to form a governing coalition with pro-army groups that would not have been able to claim power after their major defeat in the 2023 elections. This agreement concluded the winning party, the Move Forward reformists, who have become the main force of protest in the eyes of new generations.