Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra (, ; born 26 July 1949) ''Khu Ta̍k-sing''|Hakka ''Hiû Tha̍t-sîn''|}}}} is a Thai politician and businessman who served as the 23rd prime minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006.Thaksin founded the mobile phone operator Advanced Info Service and the IT and telecommunications conglomerate Shin Corporation in 1987, ultimately making him one of the richest people in Thailand. He founded the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) in 1998 and, after a landslide electoral victory, became prime minister in 2001. He was the first democratically elected prime minister of Thailand to serve a full term and was re-elected in 2005 by an overwhelming majority.
Thaksin declared a "war on drugs" in which more than 2,500 people were killed. Thaksin's government launched programs to reduce poverty, expand infrastructure, promote small and medium-sized enterprises, and extend universal healthcare coverage. Thaksin took a strong-arm approach against the separatist insurgency in the Muslim southern provinces.
His decision to sell shares in his corporation for more than a billion tax-free US dollars generated controversy. A protest movement against Thaksin, called People's Alliance for Democracy or "Yellow Shirts", launched mass demonstrations, accusing him of corruption, abuse of power, and autocratic tendencies. In 2006 Thaksin called snap elections that were boycotted by the opposition and invalidated by the Constitutional Court.
Thaksin was deposed in a military coup on 19 September 2006. His party was outlawed and he was barred from political activity. Thaksin lived in self-imposed exile for 15 years—except for a brief visit to Thailand in 2008—before returning to Thailand in August 2023. During his exile he was sentenced ''in absentia'' to two years in jail for abuse of power, and stripped of his Police Rank of Police Lieutenant Colonel.
From abroad, he continued to influence Thai politics through the People's Power Party that ruled in 2008 and its successor organisation Pheu Thai Party, as well as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship or "Red Shirt" movement. His younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra was prime minister from 2011 to 2014, and his youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been the prime minister since 2024.
Later in exile, Thaksin registered a Clubhouse account under the name "Tony Woodsome", which became his moniker, and frequently held activities on the platform. He also made several announcements expressing his desire to return to Thailand on various social media platforms. Ultimately, Thaksin returned to Thailand on 22 August 2023, and was promptly taken into custody. He was paroled and pardoned in 2024. Provided by Wikipedia
-
1by Thaksin Chinnawat, 1949-
Published 2003Bangkok, Thailand : Sahamitr Printing, Government Spokesman Bureau, The Secretariat of the Prime Minister, Government House, 2003.59 p. : ports. ; 21 cm. -
2by Thaksin Chinnawat, 1949-
Published 2001[Bangkok] : Samnak Khōsok, Samnak Lēkhāthikān Nāyok Ratthamontrī, [2001]-<2005>v. <1-8> : ill. ; 22 cm. -
3by Thaksin Chinnawat, 1949-
Published 2003Krung Thēp, Thailand : Fāi Prachāsamphan, Samnak Khōsok, Samnak Lēkhāthikān Nāyok Ratthamontrī, 2546 [2003]7, 43 p. : ill. ; 21 cm. -
4by Thaksin Chinnawat, 1949-
Published 2005[Bangkok, Thailand : Klum Sunthō̜raphot Nāyok Ratthamontrī, Samnak Lēkhāthikān Nāyok Ratthamontrī, 2005?]446 p. : col. ill. ; 30 cm. -
5by Thaksin Chinnawat, 1949-
Published 2002Krung Thēp, Thailand : Sathāban Phra Pokklao, 2545 [2002]33 p. ; 21 cm. -
6Published 2005[Bangkok : Secretariat of the Cabinet], 2005.21 p. ; 30 cm.Other Authors: “...Thaksin Chinnawat, 1949-...”
-
7Published 2001[Krung Thēp, Thailand] : Sūn Songs̄œm Čhariyatham Samnakngān K̨ō. Ph̨ō., 2544 [2001]30 p. : ill.Other Authors: “...Thaksin Chinnawat, 1949-...”