Thailand’s billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is back in his home country after 15 years of self-exile, but the charismatic politician’s return has left a bitter taste in his northern homeland and longtime political stronghold.
Hours after his private jet landed last month, Thaksin’s Pheu Thai party agreed to govern with parties backed by its longtime foes in the military-dominated establishment. It abandoned its alliance with the progressive Move Forward party, which won the most seats in May’s election.
While Thaksin has been jailed on corruption charges, his sentence has been slashed from eight years to one, and may be reduced further.
“I am OK with Thaksin coming back, but I am not happy that the reason he came back is for himself, not for us,” said Manunchaya Duangdong, owner of a mobile phone stall in Thaksin’s home province of Chiang Mai. “I feel…
