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Thailand's political path is shadowed by the ongoing dramas of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra

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Thailand’s Political Landscape Still Shrouded in the Shadow of Thaksin Shinawatra

For more than a decade after the 2006 military coup that ousted him, Thailand’s politics have continued to feel the ripple effects of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s controversial legacy. A recent Seattle Times article traces how Thaksin’s ongoing legal battles, his family’s political ambitions, and the broader “red‑shirt” movement still shape the country’s political path, even as new leaders and parties seek to chart a more stable course.


Thaksin’s Rise, Fall, and Exile

Thaksin, a former telecom tycoon, entered Thai politics in 1998 and won a landslide victory in 2001. He introduced a host of populist reforms—most notably a universal health insurance scheme that was praised by many but criticized for skewing resources toward rural voters. By 2006, opposition forces accused him of corruption and abuse of power, citing his use of the National Intelligence Agency to suppress dissent. The Constitutional Court dissolved his New Aspiration Party and, a week later, the military staged a coup that removed him from office.

After a brief period of political turmoil, Thaksin was sentenced to prison on tax‑evasion charges that were widely regarded as politically motivated. He fled to Hong Kong and later to Australia, where he lived in exile for the next twelve years. In 2019, a court in Thailand acquitted him of most corruption charges, but the legal saga continued: in 2023 a new court case was opened over a property in Switzerland. The persistent legal proceedings keep Thaksin’s name alive in headlines and in public debate, even as he remains a figure of fascination for his supporters and a cautionary symbol for his detractors.


The “Red‑Shirt” Movement and the Pheu Thai Party

Thaksin’s political platform gave rise to the “red‑shirt” movement—a coalition of pro‑Thaksin supporters who saw the 2006 coup as an illegitimate usurpation. The movement organized massive street protests in 2008 and 2010, drawing up to a million participants in Bangkok’s Freedom Square. In 2011, Thaksin’s daughter, Yingluck Shinawatra, succeeded in winning a seat in parliament as the Pheu Thai Party’s front‑runner and later became Thailand’s first female prime minister. Yingluck’s tenure was short‑lived; she was dismissed by the Constitutional Court in 2014, and the military again seized power.

The Pheu Thai Party, founded by former aides and supporters, remains one of Thailand’s most influential political forces. Although it has lost several seats in successive elections, it continues to command a sizable base, particularly in the north and northeast. The party’s survival testifies to Thaksin’s enduring influence; even as the party has moved away from the more radical rhetoric of the 2008 protests, the legacy of populist reform and the sense of political disenfranchisement that Thaksin’s supporters feel still echo through its policy proposals.


Legal Cases That Keep the Drama Alive

Thaksin’s legal woes are a constant source of drama. In 2023, a new indictment over a Swiss villa added a fresh chapter to a story that began in 2006. These cases—while lacking concrete evidence—serve as symbolic battlegrounds for the “red‑shirt” movement and the anti‑corruption crusaders. A recent court decision in July 2023 found that Thaksin could still be tried, a ruling that many in the opposition see as a threat to political stability.

In addition to the Swiss case, a 2022 ruling found that a “politically motivated” tax‑evasion trial against Thaksin was unconstitutional, but the court left open the possibility of future prosecution. These developments show that Thaksin’s legal saga is far from over, and each court decision can trigger a wave of protests or political negotiations that ripple across the nation.


The 2023 Election and the New Prime Minister

The 2023 general election was the first in Thailand to occur after the 2022 coup, and it saw the Pheu Thai Party perform better than in 2019 but still fail to secure a majority. The election also produced a record number of female lawmakers—a sign that the political landscape is slowly shifting. Srettha Thavisin, the leader of the “Pheu Thai”‑aligned “Pheu Thai Party” coalition, was appointed prime minister by the Senate in August 2023. He is a former real‑estate developer and has no direct connection to Thaksin, but his administration is expected to carry some of the populist reforms that once defined Thaksin’s era.

Srettha’s cabinet includes former ministers from both the Pheu Thai Party and the opposition, indicating a tentative move toward political inclusivity. Yet the new government faces an uphill battle: it must grapple with widespread public distrust of politicians, a deeply divided parliament, and an economy that has been strained by the COVID‑19 pandemic and the lingering effects of the 2021 election.


Continuing Influence and the Road Ahead

The article argues that Thaksin’s shadow is not merely a historical footnote but an active force in Thailand’s political calculus. Whether it is the way opposition parties mobilize protest movements, the court’s decision to reopen a case in 2023, or the way the new prime minister frames his reform agenda, Thaksin’s legacy keeps reemerging in everyday political discourse.

What’s more, the new generation of Thai voters, many of whom were too young to remember the 2006 coup, still feel the impact of Thaksin’s populist promise: a sense that politics is about rewarding loyalty, and a belief that the system is rigged against the poor. This perception creates a fertile ground for future “red‑shirt”‑style uprisings, and the new government will need to strike a balance between delivering reforms and maintaining stability.

In short, while Srettha Thavisin and his allies aim to steer Thailand toward a more open and democratic future, the ongoing dramas surrounding Thaksin Shinawatra—legal cases, political protests, and the enduring influence of the Pheu Thai Party—continue to cast a long shadow over the country’s political landscape. Whether Thailand will finally break free from this shadow or merely ride out the turbulence it creates remains to be seen, but the city’s newspapers and courtrooms will continue to echo the name of a man who reshaped the nation and who, decades after being forced into exile, still commands the imagination of an entire country.


Read the Full Seattle Times Article at:
[ https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/thailands-political-path-is-shadowed-by-the-ongoing-dramas-of-former-leader-thaksin-shinawatra/ ]