"I will postpone my return to Thailand for a few weeks instead of August 10 as planned," former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is living in exile abroad, wrote on social network X (formerly known as Twitter) on August 5. "The doctor asked me to have a health check first. I will announce the return date to Thailand later."
The statement was made by the 74-year-old billionaire in the context of Thai politics continuing to face deadlock in electing a new prime minister.
The Pheu Thai Party, backed by the family of former Prime Minister Thaksin, decided on August 2 to form a new coalition to try to form a government . This new coalition does not include the March Forward Party (MFP), which won the Thai election in May.
The MFP, led by billionaire Pita Limjaroenrat, won the May 14 election with 151 seats in the lower house. The party then formed an eight-party coalition, including the runner-up Pheu Thai (141 seats), to form a new government.
In July, the Constitutional Court and the National Assembly of Thailand consecutively suspended Pita Limjaroenrat as a member of parliament and stripped him of his candidacy for prime minister. The new round of voting to elect a new Thai prime minister, scheduled for August 4, was also canceled.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin shared on social network X on August 5 that he postponed his return to Thailand. Photo: Reuters
In the past, former Prime Minister Thaksin and his daughter have repeatedly "confirmed that he will return home" with a specific date. However, for various reasons, all of Thaksin's plans could not go according to plan.
"My father will return to Thailand and land at Don Muang airport in Bangkok on August 10," Paetongtarn Shinawatra said of her father's plans before Mr. Thaksin himself announced it.
Mr. Thaksin was born on July 26, 1949, graduated from the Police Academy and joined the Royal Thai Police in 1973. The telecommunications tycoon became Thailand's prime minister in 2001 before being overthrown by a coup in 2006.
Reuters said that Mr. Thaksin has lived in exile abroad for the past 17 years, spending most of his time in London, England, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The former Thai prime minister is reportedly facing a 10-year prison sentence on various charges, including abuse of power and corruption in the country.
Mr Thaksin has denied the charges and said his prosecution was politically motivated.
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