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.
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