Get to know Thaksin Shinawatra: Biography, Age, Career, Net Worth, Height, Relationship & More
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman, politician, and visiting professor who served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987 and was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006.
Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra plans to return home on August 10 after 15 years in exile, his daughter said. The announcement comes amid a lingering political crisis in Thailand following a general election in May. Billionaire ex-prime minister faces jail time for corruption if he returns home.
Thaksin Shinawatra, 74, was elected prime minister twice but was ousted in a 2006 military coup. He fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid a prison sentence for corruption he said was politically motivated and lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Thaksin Shinawatra and his billionaire family-backed Pheu Thai party remain popular with the working and rural Thai masses, coming in second in the May 14 poll. Pheu Thai is trying to form a government after the military-dominated Senate blocked the winners of the Forward election from appointing a prime minister.
Pheu Thai is expected to nominate a candidate for the leadership position in the coming days. Deputy National Police Chief Surachate Hakparn said Thaksin Shinawatra would face legal proceedings upon his scheduled return. He meets up to 10 years in prison for several cases in which the country’s Supreme Court has convicted him, charges he says are politically motivated.
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Biography
Thaksin Shinawatra born on 26 July 1949, is a Thai businessman, politician, and visiting professor who served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987 and was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006.
Thaksin Shinawatra founded mobile operator Advanced Info Service and IT and telecommunications conglomerate Shin Corporation in 1987, making him one of Thailand’s richest men. He founded the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) in 1998 and after a landslide victory in the 2001 election became prime minister. He was Thailand’s first democratically elected prime minister to serve a full term. and was re-elected in 2005 with an overwhelming majority.
Thaksin Shinawatra declared a “war on drugs” in which more than 2,500 people were killed. His government has launched programs to reduce poverty, develop infrastructure, promote small and medium-sized enterprises, and expand universal health care coverage. Thaksin took a heavy-handed approach against the separatist insurgency in the southern Muslim provinces.
His decision to sell shares in his company for more than $1 billion tax-free has caused considerable controversy. A people’s movement against Thaksin, known as the People’s Alliance for Democracy or “Yellow Vests”, launched mass protests, accusing him of corruption, abuse of power, and autocratic tendencies. Thaksin Shinawatra’s call for early elections was boycotted by the opposition and nullified by the Constitutional Court.
Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup on September 19, 2006. His party was banned and he was banned from politics. Thaksin has since lived in self-imposed exile, except for a brief visit to Thailand in 2008. He was sentenced in absentia to two prison terms for abuse of power. From abroad, he continues to influence Thai politics through the 2008 ruling People’s Power Party and its successor, the Pheu Thai Party, as well as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship or the “Red Shirt” movement. His younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra served as Prime Minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014.
Thaksin and his wife started several businesses while he was still in the army, including a silk shop, a movie theater, and an apartment building. All failed and left him with a debt of more than 50 million baht, or £108,318.11. In 1982, he founded ICSI. Using his connections to the police, he rented computers from government agencies with modest success. However, later projects into security systems (SOS) and public bus broadcasting services (Bus Sound) failed. In April 1986, he founded Advanced Information Services (AIS), which started as a computer rental business.
In 1987 Thaksin resigned as a police officer. He then marketed a melodrama called Baan Sai Thong, which became a hit in theaters. In 1988, he joined Pacific Telesis to run and market the pager service PacLink with modest success, although Thaksin later sold his shares to found his own messaging company.
In 1989, he founded IBC, a cable television company. At that time, Thaksin had a good relationship with Chalerm Yoobumrung, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office who was in charge of the Thai press and media. The question was whether Chalerm will empower Thaksin to set up the IBC for the benefit of his close friend, as the project has been rejected by the previous administration. However, he turned out to be a loser and he ended up merging the company with CP Group UTV.
In 1989, Thaksin founded a data network service, Shinawatra DataCom, now known as Advanced Data Network and owned by AIS and TOT. Many of Thaksin’s businesses were later consolidated into the Shin Group.
In May 2007, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont announced that Thaksin was free to return to Thailand and that he would personally ensure Thaksin’s safety. In January 2008, Thaksin’s wife, Potjaman, was arrested on arrival in Bangkok but released on bail after appearing before the Supreme Court, with orders not to leave the country. She was tried on charges of violating the laws on buying and selling stocks and buying and selling land.
On February 28, 2008, Thaksin arrived in Bangkok after 17 months in exile. Thaksin said he will not return to politics and wants to focus on his football hobby. In March, Thaksin pleaded not guilty in the Supreme Court in one of his two corruption criminal cases. He was ordered to report on April 11 after a court granted him a month-long trip to Britain.
In June, the Supreme Court denied Thaksin’s request to travel to China and Britain when his corruption case went to trial, and was ordered to hand over his passport following an indictment. In July, the court announced it had the authority to prosecute Thaksin for the fourth time on charges of corruption related to subsidized loans to Burma.
The court also agreed to hear allegations that Thaksin, his former cabinet, and three members of the current government violated anti-gambling laws by creating a new state lottery in 2003. Potjaman was found guilty on July 31 and sentenced to three years in prison, later released on bail. The Bangkok Criminal Court also convicted his adoptive brother Bhanapot Damapong and his secretary, who allegedly held assets for Thaksin by proxy, of tax evasion.
The court initially ruled that Thaksin and Potjaman were the real owners of the property, not his children and relatives. The court also ruled that it had the power to seize the property, based on notices from the authorities. The court found Thaksin guilty of four of the five political bribes and ordered the confiscation of 46 billion baht. The remaining 30 billion is still frozen.
Thaksin Shinawatra has received the following awards Asian Business Man of the Year, from ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR), in 1992; Telecommunication Development for Social Welfare Award of 1993 from the Telecommunication Society of Thailand; The 1993 Outstanding Telecom Man of the Year Award, honored by the Singapore Business Times as 1 of 12 Leading Asian Businessmen; Asian CEO of the Year; Honorary Doctor of Arts (Communication Arts) (Thammasart University, Thailand); First Thai to be granted “Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship” (Singapore)
1 of 50 Influential People in The World from Time magazine; 1 of 3 Thai-Filipino Relations Goodwill from Ambassadors Philippines Embassy in Thailand; Outstanding Criminal Justice Alumnus Award from Sam Houston State University; Distinguished Alumni Award from Sam Houston State University; The honorary award from the Mass Media Photographer Association of Thailand; International Forgiveness Award 2004; Honorary doctorate degree from Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics; and The ABLF Statesman Award 2012
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Nationality
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Nicaraguan/Montenegrin/Thai national born in San Kamphaeng District, Thailand
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Net Worth
According to Forbes, Thaksin Shinawatra is worth 2.1 billion USD
Where is Thaksin Shinawatra from?
Thaksin Shinawatra is from San Kamphaeng a district of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand.
How old is Thaksin Shinawatra?
Born on July 26, 1949, the Thai businessman, politician, and visiting professor who served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, and was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006, is 74 years.
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Height & Weight
The height and weight of Thaksin Shinawatra aren’t known
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Career
Thaksin Shinawatra born on 26 July 1949, is a Thai businessman, politician, and visiting professor who served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987 and was the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006.
Thaksin Shinawatra founded mobile operator Advanced Info Service and IT and telecommunications conglomerate Shin Corporation in 1987, making him one of Thailand’s richest men. He founded the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) in 1998 and after a landslide victory in the 2001 election became prime minister. He was Thailand’s first democratically elected prime minister to serve a full term. and was re-elected in 2005 with an overwhelming majority.
Thaksin Shinawatra declared a “war on drugs” in which more than 2,500 people were killed. His government has launched programs to reduce poverty, develop infrastructure, promote small and medium-sized enterprises, and expand universal health care coverage. Thaksin took a heavy-handed approach against the separatist insurgency in the southern Muslim provinces.
His decision to sell shares in his company for more than $1 billion tax-free has caused considerable controversy. A people’s movement against Thaksin, known as the People’s Alliance for Democracy or “Yellow Vests”, launched mass protests, accusing him of corruption, abuse of power, and autocratic tendencies. Thaksin Shinawatra’s call for early elections was boycotted by the opposition and nullified by the Constitutional Court.
Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a military coup on September 19, 2006. His party was banned and he was banned from politics. Thaksin has since lived in self-imposed exile, except for a brief visit to Thailand in 2008. He was sentenced in absentia to two prison terms for abuse of power. From abroad, he continues to influence Thai politics through the 2008 ruling People’s Power Party and its successor, the Pheu Thai Party, as well as the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship or the “Red Shirt” movement. His younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra served as Prime Minister of Thailand from 2011 to 2014.
Thaksin and his wife started several businesses while he was still in the army, including a silk shop, a movie theater, and an apartment building. All failed and left him with a debt of more than 50 million baht, or £108,318.11. In 1982, he founded ICSI. Using his connections to the police, he rented computers from government agencies with modest success. However, later projects into security systems (SOS) and public bus broadcasting services (Bus Sound) failed. In April 1986, he founded Advanced Information Services (AIS), which started as a computer rental business.
In 1987 Thaksin resigned as a police officer. He then marketed a melodrama called Baan Sai Thong, which became a hit in theaters. In 1988, he joined Pacific Telesis to run and market the pager service PacLink with modest success, although Thaksin later sold his shares to found his own messaging company.
In 1989, he founded IBC, a cable television company. At that time, Thaksin had a good relationship with Chalerm Yoobumrung, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office who was in charge of the Thai press and media. The question was whether Chalerm will empower Thaksin to set up the IBC for the benefit of his close friend, as the project has been rejected by the previous administration. However, he turned out to be a loser and he ended up merging the company with CP Group UTV.
In 1989, Thaksin founded a data network service, Shinawatra DataCom, now known as Advanced Data Network and owned by AIS and TOT. Many of Thaksin’s businesses were later consolidated into the Shin Group.
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Marital Status
Thaksin Shinawatra was married to Potjaman Na Pombejra the youngest child and only daughter of Potjanee Na Pombejra and her husband Samoe Damapong, a police general who excelled in his work on crime from 1976 to 2008.
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Family & Siblings
Thaksin Shinawatra is the son of Loet Shinawatra and Yindi Ramingwong. In 1968, Loet Shinawatra entered politics and became the deputy of Chiang Mai. Loet Shinawatra left politics in 1976 and opened a cafe, planted oranges and flowers in Chiang Mai’s San Kamphaeng district, and opened two cinemas, a gas station, and an auto and motorcycle dealership. At the time of Thaksin’s birth, the Shinawatra family was one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Chiang Mai.
Thaksin has a youngest sister, Yingluck Shinawatra who is said to have entered politics in 2011 at her brother’s request as leader of the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party. She was later elected prime minister on 3 July 2011.
Why is Thaksin Shinawatra famous?
Thaksin Shinawatra is famous as a Thai billionaire and politician who is currently in self-exile and is to face 10 years imprisonment over some acts while in politics.
After a historic election victory in 2001, he became prime minister, the country’s first to serve a full term. Thaksin introduced a range of policies to alleviate rural poverty, he is also famous for this reason.
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Children
Thaksin Shinawatra is a father of three. He has one son, Panthongtae, and two daughters, Pinthongtha and Paethongtarn.
Panthongtae Shinawatra is the only son of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He became a billionaire after having been given a large portion of his father’s stock in Shin Corporation which transferred to him shortly before Thaksin ascended to the position of prime minister.
Pintongta “Aim” Shinawatra is currently the CEO of Rende Development, a position which sees her overseeing countless real estate projects.
Paetongtarn Shinawatra is a Thai politician and businesswoman who is a member of the Shinawatra political family, and the youngest daughter and niece of the two former Thai prime ministers Thaksin and Yingluck, respectively.
Thaksin Shinawatra’s Social Media
Thaksin Shinawatra goes by the handle (@thaksinlive) on Instagram, @ThaksinLive on Twitter, and @Thaksinlive on YouTube.
