Thailand’s former PM, Thaksin Shinawatra has been jailed upon returning to the country after 15 years in exile.
But many believe he has struck a deal that will keep him from serving more than a short period in prison.
Crowds of jubilant supporters, many dressed in red and carrying welcome signs, gathered at an airport in Bangkok to greet Thaksin, a politician who has dominated Thai politics for more than two decades.
Thaksin arrived with his three children and waved at the media after his jet landed at Don Muang airport on Tuesday morning, with local media broadcasting live coverage of the event. He was greeted by crowds of supporters watching from behind fences at the airport and cheering “We love Thaksin”. One supporter, hearing the news he had arrived said “our dream has come true”.
He arrived on Tuesday morning in a private jet, ahead of a vote for the next Thai leader – the frontrunner is from Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party.
He will serve eight years in prison, according to a supreme court statement. However, many commentators have speculated that his arrival in the country coincides with his party’s likely return to office and that a deal may mean he does not have to serve a full sentence. His age could also mean he is granted some leniency.
Thaksin has frequently expressed his desire to return and wrote on social media on Monday that he sought permission “to return to live on the land of Thailand and breathe the same air” as his Thai brothers and sisters.
After his arrival on Tuesday, he was taken to the Supreme Court for a hearing, then transferred to Khlongprem Central Prison in the capital. His youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra posted on Facebook saying he was safe and had “entered the legal process”.
But now the brash, politically-ambitious telecoms tycoon is back – he landed in Bangkok’s main airport to cheers from hundreds of loyal supporters who had gathered overnight to see him. Flanked by his two daughters and son, he emerged briefly from the airport terminal and paid his respects to a portrait of the king and queen.
He was immediately taken to the Supreme Court where he was sentenced to eight years on the outstanding charges, and then to Bangkok Remand Prison. The Department of Corrections has said that he “is safe under the supervision of the staff.”
Outside the Don Mueang Airport, 63-year-old Samniang Kongpolparn had been waiting since Monday evening to see Mr Thaksin. She, like many of the other supporters, had travelled from Surin province in the northeast, the stronghold of Thaksin’s party in past decades.
“He’s the best prime minister we’ve ever had. Even though I won’t get to see him today, I still wanted to come to show him support,” she said. “I’m ok with them reconciling with the pro-military government, or else we’re stuck with the senators. We don’t want that.”
It began with the heady hopes of a new dawn led by the radical young Move Forward party, which won the most seats in the May election.
Move Forward initially formed a partnership with Pheu Thai but it’s now certain that the coalition will include almost everyone but the reformers, including two parties led by former coup-makers – a deal with its sworn enemies that Pheu Thai vowed it would not do.
Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and has lived in exile to avoid legal charges that he says are politically motivated, including a conviction in absentia for corruption.
He has previously set dates for his return only to postpone, but on Tuesday, his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2014 and is also in exile, posted pictures online of Thaksin on a plane, writing: “the day I’ve been waiting for has arrived.
His arrival came just hours before a crucial parliamentary vote to decide whether Srettha Thavisin, a candidate put forward by the Pheu Thai, the party associated with Thaksin, can take office as prime minister. If Srettha is successful, it could end three months of political gridlock.
Pheu Thai has formed a controversial coalition with its longstanding enemies, the military-aligned parties, saying it was necessary in order to win enough support for Srettha to become prime minister.
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