Thailand’s most famous political comeback kid is on the move again. Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra abruptly flew out of Bangkok on Thursday night—just days before a Supreme Court ruling that could put him back behind bars.
The 76-year-old billionaire-turned-politician told immigration he was headed to Singapore for a medical checkup, but his private jet ended up in Dubai, the city where he once lived in exile for more than a decade. Tens of thousands of Thais tracked his flight online as it detoured west, fueling speculation that he might be skipping town to dodge a verdict.
On Friday, Thaksin took to social media to insist that wasn’t the case. He said delays at Thai immigration meant he missed Singapore’s airport cutoff, so he diverted to Dubai, where he has his usual orthopedic and lung specialists.
“I intend to return to Thailand no later than the 8th to attend court myself on Sept. 9,” he wrote.
The timing couldn’t be messier for the Shinawatra clan. Just last week, Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn was booted out of the prime minister’s office after the Constitutional Court found she breached ethics rules in a leaked phone call with Cambodia’s former leader. On Friday, parliament picked Anutin Charnvirakul, a veteran dealmaker and cannabis champion, as Thailand’s new prime minister—ousting the Shinawatra-backed Pheu Thai party from power.
For Thaksin, the court case centers on whether his 2023 hospital “detention”—in a VIP suite rather than a prison cell—legally counted as time served for his corruption sentence. If the judges rule against him, the former PM who has so far dodged actual jail time could finally be sent to prison.
It’s a dramatic turn for a man who once dominated Thai politics, won landslide elections with his populist policies, and then spent years pulling strings from abroad after a 2006 coup toppled him. His daughter’s fall and his latest legal troubles have analysts wondering if the Shinawatra dynasty, which has defined Thai politics for nearly 25 years, is finally running out of steam.
For now, Thaksin insists he’ll be back in Bangkok to face the music. Whether the Supreme Court—and the country—believes him is another story.
The New York Times, Reuters, CNN, Deutsche Welle, the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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