Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin Shinawatra[note 2] (born 26 July 1949) is a Thai businessman and politician. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, and was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006.
"Thaksin" redirects here. For other uses, see Thaksin (disambiguation).
Thaksin Shinawatra
Sonthi Boonyaratglin (provisional)
Himself
Kasem Watanachai
Suwit Khunkitti
Position established
Position abolished
Position established
Party-list
Party-list
Bangkok 2nd
Party-list
26 July 1949
San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, Thailand
- Thai
- Montenegrin[1] (2009–present)
Pheu Thai (de facto)
Thai Rak Thai (1998–2006)[2]
Palang Dharma (1994–1998)
- Yingluck Shinawatra (sister)
- Somchai Wongsawat (brother-in-law)
- Panthongtae Shinawatra
- Pinthongtha Shinawatra
- Paetongtarn Shinawatra
- Businessperson
- Police officer (1973–1987)
- Politician
- Visiting professor[4]
1973–1987
Lieutenant Colonel (revoked in 2015)
丘達新
丘达新
Qiū Dáxīn
Qiū Dáxīn
ㄑㄧㄡˉ ㄉㄚˊ ㄒㄧㄣˉ
Chiou Darshin
Ch’iu1 Ta2-hsin1
Chieu Daq-xin
Khiû Tha̍t-sîn
Yāu Daaht-sān
Jau1 Daat6-san1
Yeo1 Dad6-sen1
Khu Ta̍t-sin
Ku1 Dag8-sing1
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 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.[6] 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,[7] and stripped of his Police Rank of Police Lieutenant Colonel.[8]
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 the prime minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014.
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.[9]
Heritage and early life[edit]
Thaksin's great-grandfather, Seng Saekhu, was an immigrant from Meizhou, Guangdong, China, who arrived in Siam in the 1860s and settled in Chiang Mai in 1908. His eldest son, Chiang Saekhu, was born in Chanthaburi in 1890 and married a local named Saeng Samana. Chiang's eldest son, Sak, adopted the Thai surname Shinawatra in 1938 because of the country's pro-Central Thai movement, and the rest of the family also adopted it.[10]
Seng Saekhu had made his fortune through tax farming. Chiang Saekhu/Shinawatra later founded Shinawatra Silks and then moved into finance, construction, and property development. Thaksin's father, Loet, was born in Chiang Mai in 1919 and married Yindi Ramingwong. Yindi's father, Charoen Ramingwong (born: Wang Chuan Cheng), was a Hakka immigrant[11] who married Princess Chanthip na Chiangmai, a minor member of the Lanna (Chiang Mai) royalty.
In 1968, Loet Shinawatra entered politics and became an MP for Chiang Mai. Loet Shinawatra quit politics in 1976. He opened a coffee shop, grew oranges and flowers in Chiang Mai's San Kamphaeng District, and opened two cinemas, a gas station, and a car and motorcycle dealership. By the time Thaksin was born, the Shinawatra family was one of the richest and most influential families in Chiang Mai.[10]
Thaksin was born in San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai Province. He is a Theravada Buddhist. He lived in the village of San Kamphaeng until he was 15, then moved to Chiang Mai to study at Montfort College. At 16, he helped run one of his father's cinemas.[12]
Thaksin married Potjaman Damapong in July 1976.[13]: 38 They have one son, Panthongtae and two daughters, Pinthongtha and Paethongtarn. They divorced in 2008.[14] Thaksin's youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra (Thai: ยิ่งลักษณ์ ชินวัตร; RTGS: yinglak chinnawat), is said to have entered politics in 2011 at her brother's request as leader of the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party. She was later elected prime minister on 3 July 2011.[15] Thaksin received a doctorate in criminology at Sam Houston State University.[16] Thaksin lectured at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Mahidol University in 1979.
Police career[edit]
Thaksin was a member of the 10th class of the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School,[17] and was then admitted to the Thai Police Cadet Academy. Graduating in 1973, he joined the Royal Thai Police. He received a master's degree in criminal justice from Eastern Kentucky University in the United States in 1975, and three years later was awarded a doctorate in criminal justice at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
Returning to Thailand, he reached the position of Deputy Superintendent of the Policy and Planning Sub-division, General Staff Division, Metropolitan Police Bureau, before resigning his commission in 1987 as a Police Lieutenant Colonel and leaving the police. His former wife, Potjaman Damapong, is the sister of Police General Priewpan Damapong and now uses her mother's maiden name.[13]: 39
He is a former university lecturer at Royal Police Cadet Academy in 1975–1976.[18][19]
Thaksin's police lieutenant colonel rank was revoked in September 2015.[20][21]
Business career[edit]
Early ventures[edit]
Thaksin and his wife began several businesses while he was still in the police, including a silk shop, a cinema, and an apartment building. All were failures which left him over 50 million baht in debt, which is equal to £1008318.11. In 1982, he established ICSI. Using his police contacts, he leased computers to government agencies with modest success. However, later ventures in security systems (SOS) and public bus radio services (Bus Sound) all failed.[22][23] In April 1986, he founded Advanced Info Service (AIS), which started as a computer rental business.
In 1987 Thaksin resigned from the police. He then marketed a romance drama called Baan Sai Thong, which became a popular success in theatres.[24][25] In 1988, he joined Pacific Telesis to operate and market the PacLink pager service, a modest success, though Thaksin later sold his shares to establish his own paging company.[12][22]
In 1989, he launched IBC, a cable television company. At that time, Thaksin had a good relationship with Chalerm Yoobumrung, the minister of the Prime Minister's Office, who was in charge of Thai press and media. It is a question whether Chalerm granted the right to Thaksin to establish IBC to benefit his close friend, seeing that the project had been denied by the previous administration.[26] However, it turned out to be a money loser and he eventually merged the company with the CP Group's UTV.[22][27]
In 1989, Thaksin established a data networking service, Shinawatra DataCom,[22] today known as Advanced Data Network and owned by AIS and TOT.[28] Many of Thaksin's businesses were later consolidated as Shin Corporation.
Entry into politics[edit]
Political career[edit]
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.[32] Thaksin left Palang Dharma along with many of its MPs in 1996, and founded the populist Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party in 1998. After a historic election victory in 2001, he became prime minister, the country's first to serve a full term.[33]
Thaksin introduced a range of policies to alleviate rural poverty. Highly popular, they helped reduce poverty by half in four years.[34][35] He launched the country's first universal healthcare program,[36] the 30-baht scheme, as well as a notorious drug suppression campaign.[37] Thaksin embarked on a massive program of infrastructure investment, including roads, public transit, and Suvarnabhumi Airport. Nevertheless, public sector debt fell from 57 percent of GDP in January 2001 to 41 percent in September 2006.[38][39] Levels of corruption were perceived to have fallen, with Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index improving from 3.2 to 3.8 between 2001 and 2005.[40] The Thai Rak Thai party won in a landslide in the 2005 general election, which had the highest voter turnout in Thai history.[41][42][43]
Twelve years later, 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[edit]
Chamlong, strongly criticised 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 Banharn Silpa-Archa and was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Bangkok traffic. In May 1996, he and four other PDP ministers quit the Banharn Cabinet (while retaining their MP seats), prompting a Cabinet reshuffle. Many have claimed that Thaksin's move was designed to help give Chamlong Srimuang a boost in the June 1996 Bangkok Governor elections, which Chamlong returned from retirement to contest.[44] 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 one seat, and soon imploded, with most members resigning.
Deputy Prime Minister under Chavalit[edit]
On 15 August 1997, Thaksin became Deputy Prime Minister in Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's government, after the Thai baht was floated and devalued on 2 July 1997, sparking the Asian financial crisis. He held the position for only three months, leaving on 14 November 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,[45] but the next Democrat party-led government did not investigate the accusations.
During this period, Thaksin also served on the Asia Advisory Board of the Washington, D.C. based Carlyle Group until he resigned upon becoming Prime Minister in 2001.[46]
The Thai Rak Thai Party and the 2001 elections[edit]
Thaksin founded the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) ('Thais Love Thais') party in 1998 along with Somkid Jatusripitak, PDP ally Sudarat Keyuraphan, Purachai Piumsomboon,[47] and 19 others.
With a populist platform often attributed to Somkid, TRT promised universal access to healthcare, a three-year debt moratorium for farmers, and one million baht locally managed development funds for all Thai villages.
After Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai dissolved parliament in November 2000, TRT won a sweeping victory in the January 2001 elections, the first held under the Constitution of 1997. At the time, some academics called it the most open, corruption-free election in Thai history.[48] Thai Rak Thai won 248 parliamentary seats (more than any other party previously) and needed only three more seats to form a government. Nonetheless, Thaksin opted for a broad coalition to gain total control and avoid a vote of no confidence, with the Chart Thai Party (41 seats) and the New Aspiration Party (36 seats), while absorbing the smaller Seritham Party (14 seats).[49] Thaksin became Prime Minister of Thailand on 9 February 2001.
Purchase of Manchester City Football Club[edit]
As prime minister, Thaksin had unsuccessfully sought to buy the English Premier League football clubs Fulham and later Liverpool, in what critics claimed was a publicity stunt in response to his political problems.[170]
On 21 June 2007, now out of office, Thaksin bought Premier League club Manchester City for £81.6 million.[171] He became briefly popular with fans (who nicknamed him "Frank"),[172] especially after appointing Sven-Göran Eriksson manager of the club and bringing in prominent players.[173] Eriksson was later critical of Thaksin's running of the club, saying "he [Thaksin] didn't understand football – he hadn't a clue."[174] He sold the club to investors from Abu Dhabi United Group in September 2008 for a reported £200 million.[175]
After selling Manchester City, Thaksin was nominated as "honorary president" but did not have any administrative responsibilities.[176] However, he was later dismissed as honorary club president after the club took a position against him following his conviction and was "on the run" from Thai authorities.[177]
Return to Thailand[edit]
During the run-up to the 2023 general election, Thaksin announced his intent to return to Thailand,[243] after 15 years of self-imposed exile. He said that he was willing to serve his prison sentences in order to finally return home and be with his family.[244] Following several postponements as the government formation process dragged on, he arrived on 22 August, the same day that Pheu Thai candidate Srettha Thavisin would be voted in as prime minister, and was promptly taken to the Supreme Court and then Bangkok Remand Prison to serve a sentence of eight years. Political observers believed that he would be unlikely to serve the entire sentence, and that his return was negotiated as part of a political deal that also brought military-oriented parties into the coalition government.[9][245]
His sentence was commuted from eight years to one year by King Vajiralongkorn on 1 September after he submitted a formal royal pardon request.[246][247] On 13 February 2024, Thai justice minister Tawee Sodsong announced that Thaksin was among 930 prisoners who had been granted parole on account of age and health.[248] He was released on parole on 18 February, after spending six months in a Bangkok hospital.[249] Shinawatra, wearing a neck brace and sitting beside his daughters Paetongtarn Shinawatra and Pintongta was driven away from the police hospital and arrived at his Bangkok mansion after his release.[250] On 14 March, he made his first public appearance since his release at the City Pillar Shrine in Bangkok wearing a neck brace and accompanied by Paetongtarn, before going to Chiang Mai Province.[251]
In May 2024, Thaksin was charged with lese majeste by the Thai Attorney-General over remarks he made during an interview with South Korean media while in exile in 2015.[252] On June 14, Thaksin Shinawatra was charged with royal defamation.[253]
Honours, decorations and awards[edit]
National honours[edit]
The list of national honours received by Thaksin Shinawatra has been arranged as per the Thai honours order of precedence.[254]