WHILE some people have said de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra, who was released on parole on Monday (May 11), will now retire from politics an academic thinks otherwise seeing him to have emerged from his lair stronger and more powerful, Amarin TV said this evening (May 13).
Mahanakorn University of Technology political scientist Thanaporn Sriyakul said Thaksin will proceed cautiously because there are now fewer loopholes and weak points for him to employ but he remains powerful with a stronger ability to unleash changes in various forms.
He will not act as a lightning rod, with his three political operations sooner or later becoming evident and fighting the “big boss” will not be easy.
Thanaporn expects the following events to unfold:
1/ Political polarisation will return. The mobilisation of Red Shirt supporters will reemerge in a more solid form, as seen from the Red Shirt leaders having flocked to welcome Thaksin outside the prison. Clearly ties between the Red Shirts and their leader still remain strong. However they will not be mounting protests but coordinate vote-buying based on party colours.
2/ A shift in strategy in the Senate is likely. As the “big boss” lost in the 2024 Senate election it means he no longer controls the selection of independent organisations, leading to a backlash against his network. This will likely result in a change of allegiance among senators, as those with influence can manipulate them, a tactic used during Thaksin’s premiership over two decades ago.
3/ There will be cooperation within Parliament among the Orange (People’s), Green (Kla Tham), and Red (Pheu Thai) parties to symbolically forge an alliance and counterbalance the Blue party (Bhumjaithai) on legislation that the Bhumjaithai does not support, such as the Clean Air bill. There will also be efforts to amend the constitution. If the Orange, Red, and Green parties cooperate in the House of Representatives and secure 252 votes, the legislation will pass.
“The ‘big boss’ has likened this to an eight-month hibernation, confident that he hasn’t retired from politics, but rather accumulated energy, like training in a cave to return stronger and more powerful,” he said.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page – Academic Thanaporn Sriyakul, left, and de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra. Photo – Amarin TV
Insert – Red Shirts waiting to welcome de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra outside Klong Prem Central Prison on Monday, May 11, 2026. Photo – Amarin TV
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