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.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
