Thaksin: I will return this year
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, or so-called “Tony Woodsome”, claimed he would return to Thailand this year.
He made the remark during the Care Talk x Care ClubHouse programme on Tuesday.
Thaksin said he wanted to raise his grandchildren, assist the government, attend talks and invite Thai millionaires to raise funds for supporting startups once he returns to Thailand.
He said his move to raise funds for supporting startups would also help improve people’s quality of life.
“I would like to provide a helping hand because I wish to see a strong strategy that benefits the country,” he said.
Thaksin was overthrown in a military coup on September 19, 2006. His party was outlawed and he was barred from any political activity.
He has since lived in self-imposed exile, except for a brief visit to Thailand in 2008. He was sentenced in absentia to two years in jail for abuse of power.
He has continued to influence Thai politics from abroad, through the People’s Power Party that ruled in 2008 and its successor Pheu Thai Party, as well as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, or the “red shirt” movement.
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