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Thaksin Shinawatra ทักษิณ ชินวัตร
Rama IX
Preceded by	Chuan Leekpai
Succeeded by	Surayud Chulanont
Personal details
Born	(1949-07-26) July 26, 1949 (age 74) Potjaman Shinawatra (1980-2008) [2]
Profession	Businessman
Signature

Thaksin Shinawatra

. Deposed in a military coup and convicted in absentia of abusing power, he is currently outside of Thailand.

Born in July 26, 1949, in

.

Thaksin introduced a range of -- partly effective and highly popular -- policies to alleviate rural poverty

.

His re-election in 2005 had the highest voter turnout in Thai history. [8]^[9][10], with his main support base in the rural north and northeast.

But the Shinawatra government also faced allegations of corruption, authoritarianism,

Independent bodies, including Amnesty International, also slammed Thaksin's human rights record.

Eventually this led to massive protests in 2006, and on 19 September a

Thaksin returned to Thailand on 28 February 2008, after the TRT's successor party won the post-coup elections.[17]. But after visiting Beijing for the 2008 Summer Olympics, he did not return to hear charges and applied for asylum in the United Kingdom. In October, the Supreme Court found him guilty of a conflict of interest and sentenced him in absentia to 2 years in jail.^[18] He continues to mastermind protests from exile.^[19]

Thaksin married

Family background

Thaksin's great-grandfather

Siam

in the 1860s and settled in Chiang Mai in 1908. His eldest son, Chiang Sae Khu, was born in 1890 and married a Thai woman, Saeng Somna. Chiang's eldest son, Sak, adopted the Thai surname Shinawatra ("does good routinely") in 1938, and the rest of the family followed suit.

Thaksin's father, Lert, was born in Chiang Mai in 1919 and married Yindi Ramingwong. In 1968, Lert Shinawatra entered politics and became an MP for Chiang Mai.

Seng Sae Khu made his fortune through

district. By the time Thaksin was born, the Shinawatra family was one of the richest and most influential in Chiang Mai.

Early life

Thaksin was born in

Police career

Thaksin attended the 10th class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School

Business career

Early ventures

Thaksin and his wife ventured into several businesses while he was still in the police, including a silk shop, a movie theater, and an apartment building. All were failures and left him over 50 million Baht in debt. He established ICSI in 1982 and, using his police contacts, leased computers to government agencies with modest success. But later ventures in security systems (SOS) and public bus radio services (Bus Sound) failed.^[24][25]

In 1987 he resigned from the police. Afterwards, he marketed a romance drama called "Baan Sai Thong", which became a popular success in theaters.

.

Advance Info Service and later ventures

Founded in April 1986,

The Shinawatra Computer and Communications Group was founded in 1987 and listed in 1990.

In 1990, Thaksin founded Shinawatra Satellite, which has developed and operated four Thaicom communications satellites.

In 1999, the Shinawatra family spent some 1 billion baht establishing

.

In 2000, Thaksin acquired the ailing

Entry into politics

Political debut

Thaksin entered politics in late 1994 through Chamlong Srimuang, who had just reclaimed the position of Palang Dharma Party (PDP) leader from Boonchu Rojanastien. In a subsequent purge of Boonchu-affiliated PDP Cabinet ministers, Thaksin was appointed Foreign Minister in December 1994, replacing Prasong Soonsiri.^[37] Years later, in 2006 after Thaksin was removed from power, Chamlong Srimuang expressed regret at getting "such a corrupt person" into politics. The PDP soon withdrew from the government over the Sor Por Kor 4-01 land reform corruption scandal, causing the government of Chuan Leekpai to collapse.

PDP leader and Deputy Prime Minister under Banharn

Chamlong, strongly criticized for mishandling internal PDP politics in the last days of the Chuan-government, retired from politics and hand-picked Thaksin as new PDP leader. Thaksin ran for election for the first time for the constitutional tribunal and lost.

Thaksin joined the government of

But Chamlong lost to Bhichit Rattakul, an independent.

Chamlong's failure to buttress the PDP's failing power base in Bangkok amplified divisions in the PDP, particularly between Chamlong's "temple" faction and Thaksin's. Soon afterwards, Chamlong announced he was retiring again from politics.

Thaksin and the PDP pulled out of the Banharn-government in August 1996. In a subsequent no-confidence debate, the PDP gave evidence against the Banharn government, and in September 1996 Banharn dissolved Parliament.

Thaksin announced he would not run in the subsequent November 1996 elections but would remain as leader of the PDP. It suffered a fatal defeat in the elections, winning only 1 seat, and soon imploded, with most members resigning.

Deputy Prime Minister under Chavalit

On 15 August 1997, Thaksin became Deputy Prime Minister in

Asian Financial Crisis

. He held the position for only 3 months, leaving on November 14 when Chavalit resigned.

During a censure debate on 27 September 1997, Democrat Suthep Thaugsuban accused Thaksin of profiting from insider information about the government's decision to float the Baht.^[39], but the next Democrat party-led government did not investigate the accusations.

The Thai Rak Thai Party and the 2001 elections

Thaksin founded the

and 19 others.

With a populist platform often attributed to Somkid, TRT promised universal access to healthcare, a 3-year debt moratorium for farmers, and 1 million THB locally-managed development funds for all Thai villages.

After Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Thailand

Thaksin Shinawatra was the first prime minister of Thailand to complete a full term in office, and his rule is generally agreed to have been one of the most distinctive in the country’s modern history.^[43] He initiated many eye-catching policies that distinguished him from his predecessors. They affected the economy, public health, education, energy, social order, drug suppression and international relations. He gained two re-election victories.^[44]

TThaksin's most effective policies were reducing rural poverty^[4] and the introduction of universal healthcare, allowing him to galvanise the vast and largely untapped support base of the rural poor, especially in the populous northeast.^[44]

His Cabinet consisted of a broad coalition of academics, former student leaders, and former leaders of the

. Traditional regional power brokers also flocked to his government.

But his government was increasingly accused of dictatorship,

Economic policies

see also:

Policies of the Thaksin government#Economic and health policies and Thaksinomics

.

Thaksin's government designed its policies to appeal to the rural majority, initiating programs like village-managed microcredit development funds, low-interest agricultural loans, direct injections of cash into village development funds (the SML scheme), infrastructure development, and the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) rural small and medium enterprise development program.

Critics say Thaksinomics is little more than a Keynesian-style economic stimulus policy re-branded. Economists from the Thailand Development Research Institute argue that other factors, such as a revival in export demand, were the primary cause behind the economy's recovery.^[49] Others claimed that the policies got the rural poor "hooked on Thaksin's hand-outs."^[50]

Thaksin helped bring part of Thailand's massive underground lottery system into the legal fold by operating a successful numbers game (Thai: หวย) run by the Government Lottery Office. Lottery sales of approx. 70 billion THB (2 billion USD) were used for social projects, including the "One District, One Scholarship" program. The Thaksin government also privatized MCOT, a large television and radio broadcaster.^[51]

After the 2006 coup, many of Thaksin's economic policies were stopped, the OTOP program was rebranded, the Government Lottery Office's program was deemed illegal, and the government nationalized several media outlets and energy companies.

Healthcare policies

Thaksin initiated two key healthcare policies: subsidized universal health care and low-cost universal access to anti-retroviral HIV medication (ARVs). Thaksin's 30-baht/visit universal healthcare program won the applause of the general public, but was criticized by many doctors and officials.^[52][53] Prior to the program's introduction, a large portion of the population had no health insurance and limited access to healthcare. The program helped increase access to healthcare from 76% of the population to 96% of the population.^[54] The program also increased workloads for healthcare employees, and caused many doctors to switch to higher paying careers. It has been criticized for being underfunded. The program led some hospitals to seek alternative sources of income, leading to a boom in the medical tourism industry, with 1.3 million foreign patients earning Thailand 33 billion THB (approx. 800 million USD) in 2005.^[55][56]

Post-coup Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla called the 30-baht program a "marketing gimmick" and claimed that the government would "very soon" stop charging patients any fees for visits to state hospitals.^[57]

During the Thaksin government, the number of people living with HIV/AIDS as well as the overall prevalence rate noticeably declined.^[58] Although successful in expanding access to HIV medication, there have been concerns that a free trade agreement with the US could endanger Thailand's ability to produce generic HIV treatments.^[59]

Thaksin allowed the estimated 2.3 million migrant workers in Thailand to register and seek health coverage under the Thai national healthcare system. They were also eligible for work permits at the end of the registration period, entitling them to full labor protection. Democrat Party Labour Group Committee Pongsak Plengsaeng criticized the move, claiming that it would lead to unemployment amongst Thais.

The "war on drugs"

Thaksin initiated several highly controversial policies to counter a perceived boom in the Thai drug market, particularly in methamphetamine. After earlier anti-drug policies like border blocking (most methamphetamine is produced in Myanmar), public education, sports, and promoting peer pressure against drug use proved ineffective, Thaksin launched a multi-pronged suppression campaign that aimed to eradicate methamphetamine use in 3 months. The policy consisted of changing the punishment policy for drug addicts, setting provincial arrest and seizure targets including "blacklists", awarding government officials for achieving targets and threatening punishment for those who failed to make the quota, targeting dealers, and "ruthless" implementation.

In the first three months, Human Rights Watch reports that 2,275 people were killed.

The government went out of its way to publicize the campaign, through daily announcements of arrest, seizure, and death statistics.

According to the Narcotics Control Board, the policy was effective in reducing drug consumption, especially in schools, by increasing the market price.[63]

King

After the 2006 coup, the military junta ordered another investigation into the anti-drug campaign.[66] The committee claimed that as many as 1400 of the 2500 killed had no link to drugs. However, while giving the opinion that orders to kill came from the top, the panel failed to establish sufficient evidence to charge Thaksin or anybody in the Cabinet or police force with the murders.^[67]

Education policies

Thaksin implemented a major series of educational reforms during his government. Chief among those reforms was school decentralization, as mandated by the 1997 People's Constitution.^[68] The policy was designed to delegated school management from the over-centralized and bureaucratized Ministry of Education to Tambon Administrative Organizations (TAOs). The plan met with massive widespread opposition from Thailand's 700,000 teachers, who would be deprived of their status as civil servants. There was also widespread fear from teachers that TAOs lack the skills and capabilities required to manage schools. In the face of massive teacher protests and several threats of school closure, Thaksin compromised and gave teachers whose schools were transferred to TAO management two years to transfer to other schools.^[69]

Other reforms included learning reform and related curricular decentralization, mostly through greater use of holistic education and less use of rote learning.^[70]

To increase access to universities for lower income people, Thaksin initiated the Student Loan Fund (SLF) and Income Contingency Loan (ICL) programs. The ICL granted loans regardless of financial status, and required recipients to start repayments when their salaries reach 16,000

Thaksin also initiated the controversial "One District, One Dream School" project, aimed at developing the quality of schools to ensure that every district has at least one high-quality school. The project was criticized, with some claiming that the only beneficiaries were Thaksin and companies selling computers and educational equipment. Many schools also fell deeply into debt in implementing the project, receiving less than adequate financial support from the central government.[72]^[73]

In addition, Thaksin altered the state university entrance system. Whereas the former system relied exclusively on a series of nationally standardized exams, Thaksin pushed for a greater emphasis on senior high-school grades, claiming this would focus students on classroom learning rather than private entrance exam tutoring.

Thaksin initiated the Income Contingency Loan program to increase access to higher education. Under the program, needy students may secure a loan to support their studies from vocational to university levels. Thai banks had traditionally not given education loans. Thaksin made Thailand one of the first supporters of

However, the military junta later cancelled the project.

Energy policies

See also:

Energy Industry Liberalization and Privatization (Thailand)

In energy policy, the Thaksin government continued the

Thaksin also initiated a policy to encourage renewable energy and energy conservation. Many Thaksin-era energy policies were reversed following the 2006 coup.

South Thailand insurgency

A resurgence in violence began in 2001 in the three southernmost provinces of Thailand which all have a Muslim, ethnic Malay majority. There is much controversy about the causes of this escalation of the decades long insurgency. Attacks after 2001 concentrated on police, the military, and schools, but civilians have also been targets. Thaksin has been widely criticized for his management of the situation, in particular the storming of the

In October 2004, 84 Muslim human rights protesters were killed at Tak Bai when the Army broke up a peaceful protest.[78] The many detainees were forced at gunpoint to lie prone in Army trucks, stacked like cordwood. The trucks were delayed from moving to the detainment area for hours. Many detainees suffocated to death due to gross mishandling by the military. After the 2006 coup, the Army dropped all charges and investigations into Army misconduct related to the Tak Bai incident. Thaksin announced an escalation of military and police activity in the region.^[79] In July 2005, Thaksin enacted an Emergency Decree to manage the three troubled provinces. Several human rights organizations expressed their concerns that the decree might be used to violate civil liberties.^[80]

In March 2005, Thaksin established the National Reconciliation Commission, chaired by former Prime Minister

Administrative reform

One of the most visible of Thaksin's administrative reforms was the restructuring of government department and ministries, labeled the "big bang." It was hailed as a "historic breakthrough" and "the first major reorganization of ministries since King Chulalongkorn set up Thailand’s modern system of departmental government in 1897." Plans had been studied for years to loosen perceived rigidities and inertia of the old system but were not implemented until the Thaksin government.[82]

The restructuring was designed to streamline the bureaucracy and focus it on performance and results. New ministries were carved out in Social and Human Security Development, Tourism and Sports, Natural Resources and Environment, Information and Communication Technology, and Culture.

Thaksin transformed the role of provincial governors to that of active policy managers. Historically, central government ministries operated in the provinces through field offices headed by senior officials who reported back to Bangkok, while the Interior Ministry appointed provincial governors whose role was largely ceremonial.

A key component of Thaksin's administrative reform policy, the "CEO-governors" epitomized what was called his "transformation of the operating style of the traditional bureaucracy into a more results-oriented instrument that would be responsive." Piloted in 2001 and introduced in all provinces in October 2003, CEO-governors were put in charge of planning and coordinating provincial development and became accountable for overall provincial affairs. The "CEO governors" were assisted by "provincial CFOs" from the Ministry of Finance who reported directly to each governor. Governors were authorized to raise funds by issuing bonds and were given an intensive training course.^[83] After the coup, the junta reverted the role of governors.

The Thaksin era also saw the opening of a number of government one-stop service centers to reduce red tape for anything from investment to utilities and ID-card processing.

Foreign policies

Thaksin was fiercely attacked for tasking diplomats with supporting domestic economic programs, e.g., promoting

Thaksin also initiated negotiations for several free trade agreements with China, Australia, Bahrain, India, and the US. This policy was also criticized, with claims that high-cost Thai industries could be wiped out.^[85]

Thailand joined George W. Bush's multinational coalition in the invasion of Iraq, sending a 423-strong humanitarian contingent. It withdrew its troops on 10 September 2004. Two Thai soldiers died in Iraq in an insurgent attack.

Thaksin has also announced that Thailand would forsake foreign aid, and work with donor countries to assist in the development of neighbors in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.^[86]

Thaksin has also been attacked by influential former diplomats for acting undiplomatically with foreign leaders. Kasit Pirom, former Thai ambassador to Japan and the United States, noted at an anti-Thaksin rally "When Khun Thaksin went to the United Nations to attend a joint UN-

Noted that Kasit Pirom is a member and has a long time close tie with Democratic Party, a major political party opposing Thaksin as it lost few elections to Thai Rak Thai Party.

However, he established close, friendly ties with the Burmese dictatorship, including extending the neighboring country a Bt. four billion credit line so it could conclude a satellite telecom deal with his family business.[88] Noted that during the time Thaksin was in his office as Prime Minister, he was ambitious to put Thailand as region leader. He proposed, and received with welcome from other South East Asian countries, economic treaty at sub-region level, to promote economic, technology and infra-structure development. Thai government has provided support funding and economic assistance program to her neighbouring country such as Laos, Cambodia.

Thaksin has also been attacked for his support of former Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's failed campaign to become UN Secretary General.^{[89][90][91][92]}

2005 re-election campaign

Under the slogans "Four Years of Repair– Four years of Reconstruction" and "Building Opportunities", Thaksin and the TRT won landslide victories in the

, sweeping 374 out of 500 seats in Parliament. The election had the highest voter turnout in Thai history.

Suvarnabhumi Airport

After more than 30 years of planning and debate, the Thaksin government completed the construction of the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. The airport was officially opened a week after the government was overthrown. It is one of the world's largest airports.

Some members of Thaksin's government were accused of corruption while overseeing the construction of Suvarnabhumi Airport, the case is still under investigation.

Criticisms

'Policy corruption'

Thaksin was accused of "policy corruption," such as infrastructure and liberalization policies that, although they were legal and possibly of benefit to society, also aided companies owned by his family members.^[93] Supannee Chai-amporn and Sirinthip Arun-rue of the National Institute of Development Administration claimed that policy corruption caused the state to spend nearly 30 per cent more than it otherwise should have spent, costing the state an additional 400 billion baht. Other examples cited were the Board of Investment granting tax breaks worth a total of Bt16.4 billion to Shin Satellite for its iPSTAR project in 2003, and the Transport Ministry's decision the same year to abolish the minimum air fare of Bt3.8 /km when Shin Corp was about to enter into a joint venture with low-cost carrier AirAsia to open a Thai subsidiary. ^[94]

After the 2006 coup, the military junta-appointed Assets Examination Committee froze Thaksin's assets based on charges of policy corruption.^[95]

Thaksin denied the allegations. “They just made up a beautiful term to use against me. There’s no such thing in this government. Our policies only serve the interests of the majority of the people,” he said. ^[95] From 2002 to 2006, the stock price of Shin Corp increased from 38 to 104 baht (an increase of 173 per cent) while the stock price of Shin Satellite fell. In the same period, the Stock Exchange of Thailand index rose 161 per cent, and the price of other major SET blue chip companies increased vastly more. Industry deregulation caused the market share of AIS to fall from 53 per cent to 68 per cent.^[95]

Corruption

Transparency International reported that Thailand's reputation for transparency among business executives improved during the years of the Thaksin government. In 2001, Thailand's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) was 3.2 (ranked 61), whereas in 2005, the CPI was 3.8 (ranked 59).^[96][97][98] However, a study of Worldwide Governance Indicators by the World Bank gave a lower score on Control of Corruption during 2002-2005 to Thaksin's government compared to 1998-2000.^[99] After the 2006 military coup, Thaksin was convicted of allowing his wife to purchase a piece of property from the Financial Institutions Development Fund. Other cases are pending.

There were complaints that Thaksin-appointed relatives to senior positions in the civil service and independent commissions, for example by elevating his cousin, General Chaiyasit Shinawatra, to Army commander-in-chief.

Former Thai ambassador to the UN

.

Other charges

Thaksin's government was accused of exerting political influence in its

Thaksin was also accused of interference after the Senate appointed Wisut Montriwat (former Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance) to the position of Auditor General, replacing Jaruvan Maintaka.

Thaksin often faced harsh comparisons. Social critic

Thaksin has been engaged in a series of lawsuits brought by American businessman

William L Monson

regarding Thaksin's takeover of a cable-television joint venture the two partnered in during the 1980s.

Political crisis of 2005-2006

See also:

Thailand political crisis 2005-2006

Accusations by Sondhi Limthongkul

The political crisis was catalyzed by several accusations published by media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, a former Thaksin supporter. These included accusations that Thaksin:

• Restricted press freedom by suing Sondhi after Sondhi printed a sermon by a
  Luang Ta Maha Bua incident
  )
• Masterminded the desecration of the
  Phra Phrom Erawan Shrine incident
  )

Sale of Shin Corporation

On January 23, 2006, the Shinawatra family sold their entire stake in

The deal made Thaksin the target of accusations of corruption and selling an asset of national importance to a foreign entity.

Anti-Thaksin rallies

See also:

Thailand political crisis 2005-2006

Thaksin faced pressure to resign following the Shin Corp. sale.

Protests, led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) whose leaders included Chamlong and Sondhi, soon swelled to tens of thousands who occupied the area around government House in Bangkok^[106]. They consisted mainly of middle-class Bangkokians and also included prominent social figures, academics and students.

House dissolution and election

Thaksin announced a House dissolution on 24 February 2006. General elections were scheduled for 2 April.

Thaksin was attacked for calling the snap elections. In an editorial, The Nation noted it "fails to take into consideration a major fallacy of the concept [of democracy], particularly in a less-developed democracy like ours, in which the impoverished, poorly informed masses are easily manipulated by people of his ilk. And Thaksin's manipulation has been well documented."^[107]

Election results and by-elections

Thaksin's TRT Party won the widely boycotted elections, gaining 462 seats in Parliament, with the ratio of voters to no-voters 16:10, not counting non-voters.^[108]

However, by-elections were needed for 40 TRT candidates who failed to win the minimum 20% required by the 1997 Constitution in an uncontested seat.^[109][110] The Democrat Party refused to contest them^[109] and, along with the PAD, petitioned the Central Administrative Court to cancel them.^[111] Chamlong Srimuang declared that the PAD would ignore the elections and "go on rallying until Thaksin resigns and Thailand gets a royally-appointed prime minister".^[112]

They were held on 25 April and resulted in the TRT winning 25 of the constituencies and losing 2. Yet another round of by-elections on 29 April was scheduled for 13 constituencies. The Thai Rak Thai Party was later accused and found guilty of paying smaller parties to contest the election to fulfill the 20% rule, while the Democrat Party was accused of paying smaller parties not to. The by-elections were suspended by the Constitution Court while it deliberated whether to annul the main elections. In press interviews in exile, Thaksin was to insist on his technical majority.^[113]

Invalidation of the elections

On 8 May 2006, the Constitutional Court ruled 8-6 to invalidate the April elections based on the awkward positioning of voting booths. The ruling was called a landmark case in "judicial activism."^[114] The Democrat Party, which had boycotted the April elections, said they were now ready to contest an October election.^[115]

A new election was ordered and later set for

.

After the April 2006 election

Break from politics

Thaksin announced on April 4, 2006 that he would not accept the post of Prime Minister after Parliament reconvened, but would continue as Caretaker Prime Minister until then.^[116]

He then delegated his functions to Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister

moved out of Government House, and went on vacation.

September 2006 Coup

In the evening of 19 September 2006, while Thaksin was visiting New York City, USA to attend a United Nations summit and to speak at the Council on Foreign Relations, the army took control of Bangkok. Inside Government House, close to 50 soldiers ordered approximately 220 policemen in the complex to lay down their weapons. Troops also surrounded the Thaicom satellite receiving station and state-run television station Channel 11. By the morning of 20 September, tanks and military vehicles armed with machine guns were stationed at Government House, the Royal Plaza and government units along Rajdamnoen Avenue.^[117]

Troops participating in the coup were from the 1st and 3rd Army Regions, the

The military, originally calling itself the

.

Thai Rak Thai party

Many

On 2 October 2006 Thaksin Shinawatra and his former deputy Somkid Jatusipitak resigned from the Thai Rak Thai Party.[123]^[124] Chaturon Chaisang took over as party head.

Meanwhile, court cases against the Thai Rak Thai and Democrat parties regarding election fraud in the April 2006 elections continued.

2006 Bangkok New Year's Eve bombings

On 31 December 2006 and 1 January 2007, several bombs exploded in Bangkok. Thaksin later went on CNN to deny any involvement in the bombings.^[125]

His

was revoked in 31 December 2006 after the junta accused him of engaging in political activities while in exile. Thai embassies were ordered not to facilitate his travels.

In January 2007, the

plots of land from the FIDF in 2003. The charge was based on alleged violation of Article 100 of the National Counter Corruption Act, which specificies that government officials and their spouses are prohibited from entering into or having interests in contracts made with state agencies under their authorisation. As in truth, this particular law, has been proposed before the Thaksin's regime, by the Democrats.

The Assets Examination Committee also accused Thaksin of issuing an unlawful cabinet resolution approving the spending of state funds to buy rubber saplings.

In March 2007, the Office of the Attorney-General charged Thaksin's wife and brother-in-law of conspiring to evade taxes of 546 million baht (US$15.6 million) in a 1997 transfer of Shin Corp shares.

The Assets Examination Committee rules that Thaksiin was guilty of malfeasance for obstructing competition by passing an executive decree that imposed an excise tax for telecom operators. Thaksin's Cabinet approved an executive decree in 2003 that forced telecom operators to pay an excise tax of 10% on revenues for mobile phone operations, and 2% for fixed-line operations.

Purchase of Manchester City Football Club

While Prime Minister, Thaksin offered to buy the

On June 21, 2007 Thaksin Shinawatra lodged, and had accepted, an £81.6 million bid for another Premiership club, Manchester City. On 6 July he completed purchase of the required 75%^[127] of the club's shares to take the company off the Stock Exchange and became Chairman of the club. Sven-Göran Eriksson was appointed the new club manager.^[128]

Manchester City supporters nicknamed him Frank, after the singer

.

Apparently in fear of bringing embarrassment to the Club following his skipping of bail from Thai courts, Thaksin decided to offer to step down from his position on August 23, 2008.[133] On 1 September 2008 it was reported that Shinawatra had agreed to sell Manchester City to the Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (Adug).^[134] It was also reported that, if the deal is completed, Shinawatra will become honorary president of the club "without any administrative responsibilities".^[135] On 21 September 2008, the relevant documents were signed to completed the take-over, reducing Thaksin's share in the club to ten percent.^[136]

Dissolution of the Thai Rak Thai Party

On 30 May 2007, the Constitutional Tribunal dissolved the Thai Rak Thai Party and banned over 100 of its executives, including Thaksin, from politics for 5 years. The ruling was based on charges that two Thai Rak Thai party executives (Defense Minister Thammarak Issarangkura na Ayudhya and Pongsak Raktapongpaisarn) bribed a smaller party to stand in the

. It is also noted that the Democrat party, under the same type of accusation, charges were lifted. Furthermore, article 309 of the 2007's constitution has given full pardon towards any 'Wrong' action taken by the Junta.

Return to Thailand

In May 2007, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Thaksin was free to return to Thailand, and he would personally guarantee Thaksin's safety, heavily conflicting Sonthi's statements. In January 2008 Thaksin's wife Pojaman Shinawatra was arrested on arrival at Bangkok, but was released on bail of 5m baht ($149,000, £75,600) after appearing at the Supreme Court with order not to leave the country.^[137] She was set to be tried for alleged violation of stock-trading and land sale laws, but only two relatively minor cases had been successfully filed in court against her.^[138]

In February 2008 Thaksin arrived in Bangkok, aboard a Thai Airways flight from Hong Kong, after 17 months in exile. He was arrested on arrival, but was soon was released by the Supreme Court, on bail. Thaksin stated that "he would not re-enter politics and wished to focus on his football interests."^[139][140] In March Thaksin pleaded not guilty before chief judge Thongloh Chom-ngam, Supreme Court in one of his 2 criminal corruption cases. Thaksin was excused to appear on April 29 and at every hearing. The court ordered him to report back on April 11 after granting his monthlong travel to England.^[141]

In June the Supreme Court denied Thaksin's request to travel to China and Britain, since his corruption case was set for trial, saying there were not enough reasons for him to travel. He was ordered to surrender his passport after arraignment.

Thaksin's wife

Request for asylum in Britain

On August 10, 2008, Thaksin and his wife

The exact meaning or connotation of the term "hurting" has not been exactly specified.

Arrest warrants

The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions issued a 2nd arrest warrant on September 16, 2008, against fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra on the Exim Bank corruption case (of 4 pending corruption cases). It also ordered suspension of the trial since only his lawyers appeared in court.^[155][156]

However, on September 17,

Supreme Court Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions judge Pongphet Vichitchonchai (of a 9-judge panel, with the concurrence of Justice Pornpetch), on October 15, 2008, issued a 5th arrest warrant against Thaksin, for failure to appear at the hearing of his Sale of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings case, due to self-imposed exile in London since last month.^{[159][160] [161]}

Ratchadaphisek Land Verdict

See also

Potjaman Shinawatra#Ratchadaphisek land purchase controversy

On 21 October 2008, the

Soon after the verdict was handed down, Thaksin gave a telephone interview to Reuters, stating he had expected the imprisonment term. He was quoted as remarking that "I have been informed of the result. I had long anticipated that it would turn out this way," and adding that the case was politically motivated.^[163]

Forthwith, chief prosecutor Seksan Bangsombun called on Britain for his extradition: "The prosecutors will soon make a copy of the court verdict and pass it on to Britain to quickly extradite him." The 9 judges ruled by 5-4 that "Thaksin's more serious charge of abusing his powers to secure the cut-price deal, however, was dismissed." His wife, had been acquitted.^[164] But earlier, she was convicted of income tax evasion and sentenced in absentia to several years in jail. Thaksin further denied he was seeking British asylum.^{[165][166][167][168]}

Cancellation of UK visa

On

The British Government

Extradition

Sirisak Tiypan, director general for international affairs of the Office of the Attorney General, said: "No matter China or the Philippines, we have an extradition treaty with both countries." Thaksin may appeal the guilty verdict until November 22 but prosecutors are working on extradition documents. Sirisak added "that even if Thaksin decides to live in a country with which Thailand has no extradition treaty, authorities could ask for him to be handed over on a reciprocal basis." Bahamas, Bermuda and African countries without extradition treaties with Thailand have reportedly offered to take in Thaksin and his wife.^[175][176]

Royal decorations

Thaksin has received the following royal decorations in the

of Thailand:

• 1974 - Member (Fifth Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
• 1976 - Companion (Fourth Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
• 1980 - Companion (Fourth Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
• 1985 - Commander (Third Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
• 1994 - Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
• 1995 - Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of The Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand
• 1996 - Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant
• 2001 - Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn
• 2002 - Knight Grand Commander (Second Class, higher grade) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao

Foreign decorations

• 2002 - The Most Blessed Order Of Setia Negara Brunei, 1st Class

See also

• List of Prime Ministers of Thailand
• Thailand political crisis 2005-2006
• Thaksinomics
• Sondhi Limthongkul
• People's Alliance for Democracy
• Constitution of Thailand

Notes

External links

• Thaksin fan site in Thailand
• Thaksin Shinawatra’s official website, in Thai
• Real Hidden Facts of Thaksin Shinawatra by Anti-thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy
• Short biography at the website of the Thai embassy to the USA
• Thaksinomics
• Breaking Legal News A Collection of Media on Thaksin
• Thaksin buys Manchester City FC
• High tension in Thailand - a chronology of events in the
  political crisis of 2005-2006
• Template:En icon NewMandala, some good up-to-date commentary on Thaksin and the coup.
• Thaksin's
  15 January
  2007 interview on CNN, censored by the military junta
• BBC, Profile: Thaksin Shinawatra
• Thaksin Shinawatra Interview 2008 — Arabian Business

Political offices
Preceded by Chuan Leekpai	Prime Minister of Thailand 2001– 2006	Succeeded by Surayud Chulanont
Business positions
Preceded by John Wardle	Manchester City F.C. chairman 2007– 2008	Succeeded by Khaldoon Al Mubarak

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