Jubilant Thaksin shows no signs of ‘illnesses’ while attending Chiang Mai’s Songkran festival

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

DE FACTO PHEU THAI BOSS-cum-convict on parole Thaksin Shinawatra has been seen jubilantly joining northern villagers in celebrating Songkran festival at venues in Chiang Mai over the weekend without a single trace of any “illnesses” as earlier claimed.

Thaksin’s “illnesses” earlier reported by the authorities have not evidently shown any symptoms throughout his three-day visit to his northern home province. Thaksin who arrived to Chiang Mai on Saturday (Apr. 13) and was scheduled to return to Bangkok today (Apr. 15) had been earlier described by officials of Police Hospital and the Corrections Department as being tantamount to “a matter of life and death” which would have warranted constant, close vigils by doctors.

But the de facto Pheu Thai boss has not looked like a “critically ill” 74-year-old mingling with local villagers, revelling in the fun-filled, water-splashing festival in the northern city hit by PM2.5 airborne particles over the hot weekend.

Since the deposed prime minister/de facto Pheu Thai boss was granted parole from Police Hospital last February, he had been seen alternately with or without soft splints around his neck and right arm.

Thaksin has been invariably alleged of manipulating to come back from 17 years in self-exile overseas without spending a single day behind bars to otherwise serve a curtailed, one-year jail term on a few counts of misconduct during his previous premiership and instead being contentiously granted double-standard privileges with a private ward at Police Hospital to stay for a six-month period for “critical illnesses” which he had been accused of feigning.

Meanwhile, the Democrat Party has been desperately attempting to join the Pheu Thai-led coalition government by keeping in touch, albeit in clandestine fashion, with the politically powerful Thaksin.

Democrat leader Chalermchai Sri-on had allegedly quietly assigned Democrat secretary-general Dech-it Khaothong to hold talks with Thaksin in pursuit of the opportunity for the country’s oldest party to join the Pheu Thai-led government while a cabinet reshuffle is largely anticipated as soon as this week or next, the partisan source said.

It was no secret in political circles that Chalermchai had desperately looked to jump onto the Pheu Thai-led bandwagon following last year’s general election in which his conservative party only obtained 25 MP seats, including three in party-list mode.

The trio of party-listed Democrat MPs, namely former Democrat leader Jurin Laksanavisit, former Democrat leader/former prime minister/former House speaker Chuan Leekpai and former Democrat leader Banyat Bantadtan, have been keeping their distance from the mainstream Democrat MPs under control of the current party leader.

Thaksin recently admitted to having personally talked with Dech-it about a post-reshuffle government into which the Democrats might probably be brought as the fifth largest coalition partner after the Bhumjaithai under de facto party boss Newin Chidchob, the Palang Pracharath led by Prawit Wongsuwan and the Ruam Thai Sang Chart under de facto party boss/former prime minister/now privy councillor Prayut Chan-o-cha respectively.

A number of Pheu Thai ministers and other partisan members have literally flocked around Thaksin during the Songkran festival in his home province of Chiang Mai over the weekend. Some senior Pheu Thai members are speculated to be reshuffled out of the cabinet while others are anticipated to replace them.

Those expected to lose their Pheu Thai cabinet seats would include Defence Minister Suthin Khlangsang, Public Health Minister Chonlanan Srikaew and Deputy Agriculture & Cooperatives Minister Chaiya Phromma while Deputy Prime Minister Somsak Thepsuthin who has been around without a portfolio to run is more or less expected to be given one in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle, the source said.

Though Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has earlier commented a total of 314 MPs currently attached to the Pheu Thai-led coalition government would be more than enough and that no more elected lawmakers would be needed, he is practically having nothing to do with such power play over which Thaksin will almost certainly have a final say.

Srettha is largely anticipated to leave the seat of finance minister which he has been assuming in concurrent fashion and be replaced by Stock Exchange of Thailand chair Pichai Chunhavajira. The Pheu Thai-backed prime minister is more or less tipped to take the post of defence minister in a concurrent manner as well.

Srettha had been quietly pushed to power, albeit in only-by-name fashion, by Thaksin’s sister/deposed prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra following last year’s general election.

In desperate attempts to save face, the real estate tycoon-turned-prime minister earlier frustratedly told reporters that he was “nobody’s puppet” and that he would probably prefer to dissolve the House of Representatives and call a general election rather than step down under pressure from any side of the political arena.

The prime minister may have apparently referred to the de facto Pheu Thai boss who recently assured his sister Yingluck would follow in his footsteps to return home from self-exile abroad some day so that, he said, she could probably join others in next year’s Songkran festival in this country.

CAPTIONS:

De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra celebrating Songkran festival in Chiang Mai. Top photo: Naewna, Front Page photo: Thai Rath

First insert: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. Photo: Thai Rath

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