5 factors preventing Thaksin from bringing Yingluck back: Thepthai

A FORMER Democrat MP said in a Facebook post today (Feb. 10) there are five key factors preventing de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra from bringing his sister/former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra back to Thailand from her self-exile overseas, Naewna newspaper said

Mr. Thepthai Senapong voiced his opinion in his post entitled “Will Yingluck Return or Not? It’s in the Hands of the Conservatives” after Thaksin said over the weekend Yingluck’s return to mark Songkran festival here this year as he had earlier announced now hinges on appropriateness.

The former MP said the original political deal between Thaksin and the conservatives had changed because the latter are still not confident of Thaksin’s role as he has recently regularly stepped beyond the line, or offside in football parlance, while showing the public he has connections and can negotiate and set bargaining terms.

The conservatives are particularly irritated with Thaksin’s speech in Sisaket while helping Pheu Thai’s candidate campaign in the provincial administration chief elections, and therefore have not given the green light for him to bring his sister back to Thailand. They will now wait and see Thaksin’s attitude and movements.

Thepthai said the many factors Thaksin referred to as preventing him from bringing Yingluck back home are likely the following five:

–          Thaksin having overstepped the boundary wanting to show he is the person with the highest political power in the country;

–          As Pheu Thai lost in some of the 47 provinces where the provincial administration chief elections were held on Feb. 1 this has led to the conservatives losing confidence in Thaksin’s ability to oppose People’s Party;

–          Legal miracles to pave the way for Yingluck’s return are not yet ready and as the conservatives have not given the go-ahead, she might actually initially be jailed;

–          That Thaksin spent six months in a suite on the 14th floor of Police Hospital instead of being in prison on health grounds is still on the mind of the public while the National Anti-Corruption Commission is looking into this issue with the outcome still up in the air;

–          If Yingluck is brought back as a second “angel” prisoner it will increase dissatisfaction among the public.

While both Thaksin and Yingluck really want her to return to Thailand it all depends on whether Thaksin could successfully negotiate or strike a new deal with the conservatives, Thepthai said.

Yingluck had been earlier found guilty of duty negligence charges for mishandling the rice subsidy programme and sentenced by court to five-year imprisonment after her government’s ousting in a 2014 military coup. She has been living overseas for over six years to avoid jail.

CAPTIONS:

Top and Front Page: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra with is his sister/former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Photos: Thai Rath

Insert: Former Democrat MP Thepthai Senapong. Photo: Naewna

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