Ex-Thai PM Thaksin fails to land in S'pore in private jet as Seletar Airport closes at 10pm

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has landed in Dubai, UAE, apparently for a medical check-up.

He had intended to fly to Singapore.

But his plans were thwarted after his private jet was delayed and he was unable to make it to Seletar Airport by its closing time.

Seletar Airport, which is used for private jets, is only open until 10pm.

Court case

Thai news media yesterday night tracked the 76-year-old's flight closely after his abrupt — and to some, suspicious — departure on Sep. 4.

The ex-politician is due to reappear in court for a scheduled ruling on Sep. 9, leading to speculation that he had attempted to flee the country, Khaosod English reported.

At around 8pm (SGT), Thaksin was apprehended by immigration police at Don Mueang Airport.

His passport was also confiscated.

But he was eventually allowed to go through with his travel plans, which sources said involved a two-day-long medical check-up in Singapore.

Authorities also confirmed that he did not have a court order prohibiting him from leaving the country, Reuters reported.

Plane delays

Eyebrows were raised when Thaksin's plane ended up heading not to Singapore as planned, but to Dubai.

For a brief but nail-biting period, his plane seemingly disappeared from public tracking devices and became untraceable.

It later resurfaced near India.

After his arrival in Dubai, Thaksin posted on X explaining that he had indeed intended to go to Singapore, but was unable to due to immigration delays.

He had been stopped for "almost two hours" during his run-in with immigration police, he said.

As a result, he was unable to make it to Seletar Airport before 10pm and decided to change course to Dubai instead, he claimed.

He also promised to return to Thailand by Sep. 8 to attend his court ruling in person, Bangkok Post reported.

Court case

Thaksin, who previously spent 15 years in self-imposed exile, is facing a troubling time in his native Thailand.

The ruling Pheu Thai party which he founded is in turmoil after his daughter, ex-PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra, was ousted from office for an ethics violation on Aug. 29.

The Thai parliament is set to vote on a new PM on Sep. 5, during which the party is expected to go head-to-head with opposition party Bhumjaithai and its leader, Anutin Charnvirakul.

Furthermore, Thaksin's Sep. 9 court case is one that could see him jailed.

During his exile, the billionaire lived in London and Dubai to avoid jail for abuse of power and conflicts of interest, before returning to Thailand to serve his sentence.

But his term was commuted from eight years to one year after a royal pardon, and he spent six months in the VIP wing of a hospital before being released on parole, Reuters reported.

The ruling on Sep. 9 will determine if the time he spent in hospital counts as time served, or if he will have to return to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.

Top image from Reuters