Power behind the scenes: Why it would be ‘impossible’ for Thaksin to leave politics  

BANGKOK – On the morning of Feb 18, former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released on parole from Bangkok’s Police General Hospital. The 74-year-old, with his neck in a brace and arm in a sling, was ferried to his family home in the city’s Bang Phlat district.

He did not make any statement, but perhaps his movements since returning to Thailand in August 2023 after 15 years of self-exile have already spoken volumes.