Thaksin Shinawatra

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A New Member of Thai Dynasty Takes Power

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, 37, is youngest daughter of divisive former leader

(Newser) - Thailand's Parliament elected Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of the divisive former leader Thaksin Shinawatra, as prime minister Friday. Paetongtarn becomes Thailand's third leader from the Shinawatra family, after her father, who was ousted by a coup and returned from exile last year, and her aunt Yingluck Shinawatra,...

Thaksin Is Free but Could Face New Charge

Former Thai PM is being investigated for allegedly defaming the monarchy years ago

(Newser) - Thai prosecutors said Monday that further investigation is needed to decide whether to bring former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to trial on charges of defaming the monarchy, just a day after he was freed from a prison sentence on other counts he was serving in a hospital. Thaksin was released...

Thaksin Returns to Thailand, Goes to Jail
Thai King Cuts Thaksin's
Prison Term Short
UPDATED
Sep 1, 2023 7:31 AM CDT

Thai King Cuts Thaksin's Prison Term Short

Former PM's sentence has been reduced from 8 years to 1 year by royal decree

(Newser) - Thailand's king on Friday reduced the prison term of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from eight years to a single year following the divisive politician's return from 15 years of self-imposed exile. The decree from King Maha Vajiralongkorn granting Thaksin, 74, royal clemency said the action was taken...

Princess Hoped to Be Next Thai PM. Then Her Brother Spoke

Country's Election Commission nixes Ubolratana Mahidol's bid after king voices disapproval

(Newser) - Thailand's Election Commission on Monday disqualified the sister of the country's king from becoming a candidate for prime minister in next month's general election, saying all royals have to be above politics and the monarchy must remain politically neutral. The commission's decision came after her brother...

As Thai Elections Approach, a Princess and a 'Game Changer'

Royals aren't supposed to run for prime minister, but Ubolratana Mahidol is changing that

(Newser) - A Thai political party on Friday named a princess as its nominee to be the next prime minister, upending a tradition of the palace eschewing politics and upsetting all predictions about what might happen in next month's elections. The selection of Princess Ubolratana Mahidol by the Thai Raksa Chart...

Thailand Scrubs Ex-PM From Textbooks

Thaksin's name disappears from new curriculum

(Newser) - In the Thai calendar, this is the year 2557—but you could be forgiven for thinking it was 1984. The generals who have been running the country since May's military coup have not only banned elections and sought to purge the government of people loyal to former Prime Minister...

Protest-Wracked Thailand Declares State of Emergency

Move allows detainment without charge, media censorship

(Newser) - Protesters in Thailand have been making their case against the government for two months, and violence has become commonplace; this weekend saw a grenade thrown at marching demonstrators. Now, with protesters blocking sections of Bangkok and threatening to shut down government buildings, authorities have declared a state of emergency. "...

Thailand Fight to Delay Polls Turns Deadly

Police officer killed, nearly 100 injured as tensions flare anew

(Newser) - Thailand's election commission today urged the government to delay upcoming polls as clashes between security forces and anti-government protesters killed a police officer and injured nearly 100 people, adding to political turmoil threatening to tear apart the country. The hours-long unrest took place outside a Bangkok sports stadium where...

Thai PM Dissolves Government Amid 'Final Showdown'

New elections not enough, protesters say

(Newser) - Thailand's prime minister has announced she will dissolve the lower house of Parliament and call early elections in an attempt to calm the country's deepening political crisis. The surprise move came as 100,000 protesters vowing to overthrow her government marched through the streets of Bangkok for a...

Thai PM Survives Vote, Begs for Peace

Protest leader rejects offer of talks

(Newser) - Thailand's embattled prime minister begged protesters who have staged the most sustained street rallies in Bangkok in years to call off their demonstrations today and negotiate an end to the nation's latest crisis. The protesters have vowed to bring down Yingluck Shinawatra's government. And although thousands of...

Thai Protesters Storm Foreign Ministry

Demand resignation of PM Yingluck Shinawatra

(Newser) - Thai protesters, angry over a government they say remains controlled by an ousted leader, have stormed the country's foreign and finance ministry compounds. The demonstrations follow a protest yesterday in Bangkok that drew 150,000, making it the country's biggest in years, the AP reports. Today, singing and...

Ex Thai PM Facing Murder Charges

For his role in deadly 2010 crackdown on anti-government protests

(Newser) - Former Thailand PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy will face murder charges for their roles in the 2010 crackdown against anti-government uprisings that left more than 90 dead and 1,800 injured, reports the AP . Investigators says Abhisit is possibly culpable in the death of a taxi driver because he...

Hacker Mocks Thai PM— on Her Own Twitter Account

Yingluck Shinawatra 'can't even protect her Twitter account'

(Newser) - A mocking hacker took over the Twitter account of Thailand's recently elected prime minister today, questioning her ability to defend the country if she cannot even secure her own tweets. The unknown hacker ended a series of at least eight postings on the account of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra...

Ex-PM's Sis Sweeps to Victory in Thai Vote

Yingluck Shinawatra set to assume power

(Newser) - The sister of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra led Thailand's main opposition party to a landslide victory in elections Sunday, heralding an extraordinary political turnaround five tumultuous years after her fugitive billionaire brother was toppled in an army coup. The vote paves the way for 44-year-old Yingluck Shinawatra,...

Thailand Riots Cast Pall on Summit

PM backs out as protesters threaten government

(Newser) - Thailand's prime minister has canceled an appearance at the annual Southeast Asia summit as rioters threaten to topple his government. Abhisit Vejjajiva declared a state of emergency yesterday hours after anti-government protesters stormed the country's parliament in Bangkok. The decree bans spreading information that threatens national security and allows authorities...

Thais Collect Buckets of Blood—to Hurl in Protest

Red-shirts plan 'blood curse' after election refusal

(Newser) - The streets of Bangkok will run red with blood today if things go as planned for anti-government Thai protesters. Volunteers are lining up to help the movement reach its goal of collecting 1,000 liters of blood, which red-shirted protesters plan to hurl at government offices to curse the country's...

Thai Activist Gets 18 Years for Insulting Monarchy

Thaksin supporter vows to appeal

(Newser) - A supporter of Thailand's exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was sentenced to 18 years in prison for insulting the monarchy in what free speech campaigners describe as a severe attack on political dissent, Reuters reports. The 46-year-old woman was arrested last year after a fiery speech denouncing the 2006...

Thai Protesters Form New Political Party

'Yellow shirts' will contest next election, look to be major force

(Newser) - The yellow-shirted protest movement that brought down two Thai governments voted to become a formal political party yesterday, adding a new force to the country's already volatile political system. The People's Alliance for Democracy, which draws support from the country's middle class and is opposed to exiled PM Thaksin Shinawatra,...

Gunmen Attack Thai Protest Leader

Supporters say attack that wounded 'yellow shirt' leaders was politically motivated

(Newser) - The founder of Thailand's "yellow shirt" protest movement that shut down Bangkok airports last year was shot and wounded today in an attack that his supporters called politically motivated. Police say at least two men in a pickup truck ambushed Sondhi Limthongkul's car as he was being driven to...

Thai Protests Break Up
 Thai Protests Break Up 
Apr 14, 2009 3:06 AM CDT

Thai Protests Break Up

Thaksin supporters end standoff as troops move in

(Newser) - Anti-government protesters have begun to disperse in Bangkok following orders from their leaders, the BBC reports. Thousands of protesters have ended their 3-week siege of the country's seat of government and some protest leaders have surrendered to authorities. After two deaths yesterday, leaders say they urged their followers to leave...

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