Bangkok
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra resumed his duties this week, prompting calls for more street demonstrations against him. Thaksin took a bizarre and unprecedented sabbatical in April, hoping to halt massive daily protests that had paralyzed Bangkok for weeks. Protesters accused him of abuse of power and corruption after he pocketed $2 billion in the sale of the national telecom company, in which his family owned a majority stake, to Singapore. Opponents have filed court petitions seeking to bar Thaksin from returning to office, arguing that his leave was in effect a resignation. While the case in pending, though, he is acting as the prime minister. “I am coming to work full time and will chair every Cabinet meeting,” he said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
JK Rowling's transphobia controversy: a complete timelinefeature How did we get to this point, and what, exactly, has the author said?
-
H.W. Brands' 6 favorite books that reflect on American historyH.W. Brands is the author of "America First"
-
'Musk could receive some attention from federal law enforcement'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
