Thaksin Shinawatra shows his true colours
A grubby political compromise with the army has enraged Thai voters
On the face of it, the deal struck this week between Thailand’s military establishment and its second-biggest party, Pheu Thai, represents progress. The new coalition will end nine years of military-dominated government in South-East Asia’s oldest democracy. Under the influence of Pheu Thai’s de facto leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, a populist tycoon and former prime minister who returned this week from a long exile, the new government should be less incompetent than its army-run predecessor. Democratically, too, Pheu Thai seems an improvement, having come a close second in the general election in May.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Thaksin Shinawatra shows his true colours”
From the August 26th 2023 edition
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