Thaksin confirms he will ‘definitely’ return to Thailand on August 22
Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed on Saturday that he will definitely return to Thailand on Tuesday and there will be no more delays.
He reaffirmed the schedule disclosed on Saturday morning in an Instagram post by his daughter Paetongtarn, who said she will meet her dad at Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport at 9am on Tuesday.
The ex-premier, who has been on a self-imposed exile overseas since August 2008, told BBC Thai that he will “definitely” return on August 22, with no more delays.
He said his itinerary will see him leaving Dubai for Singapore before finally landing in Bangkok at 9am on Tuesday.
Thaksin’s return coincides with the day the Thai Parliament will vote on the next prime minister.
However, he has denied any connection between the two events, claiming his return had been planned before Parliament President Wan Muhamad Noor Matha scheduled the voting session last week.
As to why he was not returning a day earlier, Thaksin told BBC Thai that August 21 was his daughter Paetongtarn’s birthday and he did not want to dampen the celebratory spirit.
“That’s because I will have to go to jail,” he said, adding: “I am already ageing. I miss my grandchildren and want to stay with my family.”
When asked if he was confident of Pheu Thai PM candidate Srettha Thavisin winning enough votes to become Thailand’s next premier, Thaksin simply said: “Of course.”
Thaksin, 74, began his tenure as prime minister in February 2001 and served until September 2006, when he was ousted in a military coup. He has lived in self-imposed exile since fleeing Thailand in August 2008 to avoid criminal cases stemming from his time in power.
Over the past 15 years, Thaksin has announced plans to return to Thailand as many as 20 times, but they never materialised.
Meanwhile, Pol Colonel Adirek Thongkaemkaew, superintendent of Don Muang Police Station, whose jurisdiction covers the airport, said on Saturday that he had not received any instructions from his supervisors regarding the former premier’s return.
It is the responsibility of his police station to provide security for Thaksin in collaboration with other relevant agencies following his arrival at Don Mueang Airport, Adirek said.
Officers from the Immigration Bureau must arrest Thaksin upon arrival because he has been on the run overseas, Adirek said.
