Challenges in Thailand far tougher now than in 1997, says Thaksin

Speaking to the press on Saturday, Thaksin suggested that members of the ruling coalition work with bureaucrats to tackle these problems.

“The work today is more difficult than that during the Tom Yum Kung crisis. The problems are tougher and more complicated. We have to offer moral support to the permanent and political officials to work together in dealing with these problems,” he said.

The 1997 crisis, which is believed to have started in Thailand and affected several Asian economies, is often referred to as the Tom Yum Kung crisis after the spicy Thai prawn soup.

The 74-year-old ex-premier is widely regarded as the patriarch of the ruling Pheu Thai Party, which is led by his youngest daughter Paetongtarn, 37.

When asked what Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin needed moral support on, Thaksin said he would offer encouragement to him on all matters as his government was facing several tough problems.

He said that while tackling these problems, Srettha and his government could learn lessons from its predecessors, and adapt these measures to better reflect the present-day environment.

He also said that he believes Srettha is working to revive the economy. “If the economy is good, other things will improve as well. Everybody’s stomach must be full, or you will be in trouble,” he added.

When asked if he planned to meet his red-shirt supporters in other provinces after Chiang Mai, he said he had not thought about it. “Now I want to spend time with my family first. I’d like to ask red-shirt people to not feel slighted that I have no chance to meet them. I takes time to do anything,” he said.

Thaksin, who is on a three-day visit to Chiang Mai, said he plans to return to his home province again during the Songkran festival next month. “I love this culture and want to be part of the traditional celebration here.”

Upon arriving at a restaurant in the northern city for lunch with his family and close relatives on Saturday, Thaksin ran into a group of Chinese tourists who recognised him. The ex-premier stopped to speak to them in Chinese before joining his family members.

During his three days in the North, which wrapped up on Saturday, Thaksin also visited the local Chiang Mai Night Safari, where he was allowed to hold a week-old white lion. The former leader said since it was rare for lions to have only one cub in a litter, he named it “The Only”.

In a message written in the visitor’s book, Thaksin praised the zoo’s officials for helping run its operations even during difficult times like the pandemic.

“My thanks to all officials who maintain Night Safari with love and pride. We will help improve the zoo together,” he wrote.

Thaksin also said that he wanted to see the zoo develop further to become one of Chiang Mai’s important tourist destinations.

The ex-premier last Thursday returned to his native province for the first time since being ousted as prime minister by the military in 2006.

On August 22, he flew back to Thailand in his private jet after spending 15 years in self-imposed exile. Less than 24 hours after landing, he was whisked from Bangkok Remand Prison to the Police General Hospital for the treatment of unidentified health issues. He remained in hospital detention until his parole release on February 18.

During his exile, Thaksin was sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for corruption stemming from his 2001-2006 tenure as prime minister. However, his sentence was reduced to one year by royal pardon soon after he returned last year. Authorities said the 74-year-old had met all the criteria for early release, namely age, illness, and minimum period of detention.