14-4-2024 (BANGKOK) Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, now on parole, expressed his hope for his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, to return to Thailand this year. During his visit to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai on Sunday, Thaksin shared that Yingluck had conveyed her Thai New Year wishes to him, and they both aspired to make merit together during next year’s Songkran festival in Chiang Mai.
Thaksin, aged 75, mentioned that he was exploring potential avenues for Yingluck’s return this year, emphasizing her desire to come back to the country. He acknowledged her potential loneliness abroad and her eagerness to reunite with her homeland.
Comparing Yingluck’s situation to his own, Thaksin noted that her case was less complex, with only one legal issue to address. He anticipated that the majority of society would support her return, although he acknowledged that opposition from a minority was to be expected.
Responding to concerns about potential criticism for assisting Yingluck’s return, Thaksin emphasized that facing opposition from a minority was part of the process.
Yingluck was sentenced in absentia by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Persons Holding Political Positions in 2017 to five years in prison for negligence related to government-to-government rice sales. The court postponed the verdict announcement after she failed to appear, leading to an arrest warrant. Reports emerged that she fled to Dubai to join Thaksin before the court’s decision.
In December of the following year, the Supreme Court acquitted Yingluck of malfeasance charges related to a National Security Council secretary-general’s transfer. Last month, she was also acquitted of malfeasance and collusion allegations concerning a 240-million-baht campaign for promoting her government’s infrastructure projects worth 2 trillion baht.
