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Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that he would be returning to the country after almost 17 years in self-imposed exile and being away from his family.

In a tweet dated May 9, Thaksin expressed that he wanted to seek permission to return to see his grandchildren before his birthday on Jul. 26.

ผมขออนุญาตอีกครั้ง ผมตัดสินใจแล้วว่าจะกลับบ้านไปเลี้ยงหลานภายในเดือนกรกฎาคมนี้ก่อนวันเกิดผมครับ ขออนุญาตนะครับ เกือบ 17 ปีแล้วที่ต้องพลัดพรากจากครอบครัว ผมก็แก่แล้วครับ

— Thaksin Shinawatra (@ThaksinLive) May 9, 2023

"It has been 17 years that I have been separated from my family. I am old,” he wrote, according to a translation by Reuters.

He also made another tweet earlier on May 1 to welcome his seventh grandchild and expressed his wish to see his grandchildren.

เช้าวันนี้ ผมดีใจมากที่ได้หลานคนที่ 7 เป็นชาย ชื่อ ธาษิณ จากน้องอิ๊งค์ แพทองธาร หลานทั้ง 7 คน คลอดในขณะที่ผมต้องอยู่ต่างประเทศ ผมคงต้องขออนุญาตกลับไปเลี้ยงหลาน เพราะผมอายุจะ 74 ปี กรกฎานี้แล้ว พบกันเร็ว ๆ นี้ ครับ ขออนุญาตนะครับ

— Thaksin Shinawatra (@ThaksinLive) May 1, 2023

Political fugitive

The 73-year-old ex-policeman and politician was ousted in a military coup in 2006.

He subsequently went into exile in 2008 to avoid a corruption trial which he claimed was politically motivated, Reuters reported.

He was found guilty in absentia and given a two-year jail sentence.

Thaksin then spent most of his exile years in London or Dubai.

The government led by his younger sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, was also ousted by a court ruling in 2014.

His daughter, 36-year-old Paetongtarn Shinawatra, is among the strong candidates vying for prime minister in Thailand’s upcoming general elections.

Her party, Pheu Thai, continues to top the latest opinion polls, according to Nikkei Asia.

Looming elections

Thaksin’s announcement comes a few days before Thailand is set to hold its general elections on Sunday, May 14.

Besides seeking permission to return, he also made a follow-up tweet on the same day with regard to the polls.

He told others not to worry about him being a burden for the Pheu Thai Party and clarified that he will follow legal processes.

ไม่ต้องกังวลว่าผมจะเป็นภาระพรรคเพื่อไทย ผมจะเข้าสู่กระบวนการกฎหมายและวันที่ผมกลับยังเป็นช่วงรัฐบาลรักษาการของ พล.อ.ประยุทธ์อยู่ ทั้งหมดคือการตัดสินใจของผมเองด้วยความรักผูกพันธ์กับครอบครัว/แผ่นดินเกิดและเจ้านายของเรา

— Thaksin Shinawatra (@ThaksinLive) May 9, 2023

“On the day I return, the caretaker government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha would still be where it is. It's all my own decision - with love and attachment to my family, my homeland and our high-up,” he said in his tweet, according to the Bangkok Post.

Thaksin currently faces a prison term of at least 10 years, The Nation reported.

Thaksin's return adds to uncertainty

Thaksin’s decision to head back to Thailand also introduced another variable into the fiercely contested but uncertain elections.

Termsak Chalermpalanupap, the Visiting Fellow and Coordinator of the Thailand Studies Programme at thinktank ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, told Mothership that the ex-prime minister’s return is a “new factor”.

“Whether it is going to help or hurt Pheu Thai, we are still debating,” he said.

He called Thaksin’s sudden announcement of his return “a big uncertainty” due to the unclarity of his plans and other "irregularities", such as errors made by the Election Commission (EC) during the early voting session on May 7.

“Certainly he cannot just walk back home,” Termsak added, pointing to the criminal convictions awaiting the former prime minister back in Thailand.

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Top image via Facebook/Ing Shinawatra