Thaksin Shinawatra

Thaksin Shinawatra
Thaksin in 2005
23rd Prime Minister of Thailand
In office 9 February 2001 – 19 September 2006
Monarch	Bhumibol Adulyadej
Deputy	See list Chavalit Yongchaiyudh Suwit Khunkitti Dej Boonlang Pongpol Adireksarn Pitak Indravithayanond Somkid Jatusripitak Korn Dabbaransi Chaturon Chaisang Prommin Lertsuridej Wissanu Krea-ngam Purachai Piumsomboon Pokin Palakul Suchart Chaovisith Thammarak Isarangkura na Ayudhaya Wan Muhamad Noor Matha Suwat Liptapanlop Phinij Jarusombat Somsak Thepsuthin Chitchai Wannasathit Surakiart Sathirathai Suriya Juangroongruangkit Suchai Charoenratanakul
Preceded by	Chuan Leekpai
Succeeded by	Sonthi Boonyaratglin (as head of the Council for National Security)
Cabinet Positions Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand In office 13 July 1995 – 24 May 1996 Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa In office 28 May 1996 – 14 August 1996 Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa In office 15 August 1997 – 8 November 1997 Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 25 October 1994 – 10 February 1995 Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai Preceded by Prasong Soonsiri Succeeded by Krasae Chanawongse Minister of Education In office 14 June 2001 – 9 October 2001 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Kasem Watanachai Succeeded by Suwit Khunkitti
Member of the House of Representatives (Party-list)
In office 6 February 2005 – 7 April 2005
In office 6 January 2001 – 10 March 2001
Member of Parliament for Bangkok
In office 2 July 1995 – 27 September 1996 Serving with Supachai Panitchpakdi, Orathai Kanchanachoosak
Preceded by	Chamlong Srimuang, Suthep Attathawong, Marut Bunnag
Succeeded by	Marut Bunnag, Supachai Panitchpakdi, Sukhumbhand Paribatra
Constituency	Constituency 2
Leader of the Thai Rak Thai Party
In office 14 July 1998 – 2 October 2006
Preceded by	Party founded
Succeeded by	Chaturon Chaisang (acting)
Personal details
Born	(1949-07-26) 26 July 1949 (age 75) San Kamphaeng, Chiang Mai, Thailand
Citizenship	Thailand Montenegro (since 2009)
Political party	Palang Dharma (1994‍–‍1998) Thai Rak Thai (1998‍–‍2007)
Spouse	Potjaman Damapong ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 2008)​
Children	Panthongtae Pintongta Paetongtarn
Relatives	Shinawatra family
Education	Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School Royal Police Cadet Academy Eastern Kentucky University Sam Houston State University (PhD)
Signature
Police career
Department	Royal Thai Police
Branch	Metropolitan Police Bureau
Service years	1973–1987
Rank	Police lieutenant colonel (revoked in 2015)
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	丘達新
Simplified Chinese	丘达新
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Qiū Dáxīn Bopomofo ㄑㄧㄡˉ ㄉㄚˊ ㄒㄧㄣˉ Gwoyeu Romatzyh Chiou Darshin Wade–Giles Ch'iu1 Ta2-hsin1 Hakka Pha̍k-fa-sṳ Hiû Tha̍t-sîn Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Yāu Daaht-sān Jyutping Jau1 Daat6-san1 Canton Romanization Yeo1 Dad6-sen1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Khu Ta̍t-sin Teochew Peng'im Ku1 Dag8-sing1

Thaksin Shinawatra (Thai: ทักษิณ ชินวัตร, RTGS: Thaksin Chinnawat [tʰák.sǐn tɕʰīn.nā.wát] ^ⓘ; born 26 July 1949)^[a] is a Thai politician and businessman who served as the 23rd prime minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. Since 2009 he has also been a citizen of Montenegro.^[1]

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.^[2]

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.^[2]

His decision to sell shares in his corporation for more than a billion tax-free US 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.^[3] 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,^[4] and stripped of his Police Rank of Police Lieutenant Colonel.^[5]

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 prime minister from 2011 to 2014, and his youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been the prime minister since 2024.

Later in exile, Thaksin registered a Clubhouse account under the name "Tony Woodsome", which became his moniker, and frequently held activities on the platform.^[6][7] He also made several announcements expressing his desire to return to Thailand on various social media platforms.^{[citation needed]} Ultimately, Thaksin returned to Thailand on 22 August 2023, and was promptly taken into custody.^[8] He was paroled and pardoned in 2024.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).