The enemies of Thaksin Shinawatra are many, and over the years they have used every conceivable means to see off their foe. After winning three elections with huge majorities, beginning in 2001, he was overthrown by military coup in 2006. There were the subsequent elections in 2007 and 2011, both of which were decisively won by loyal supporters of the self-exiled Mr Thaksin. Time after time, Thailand’s royalist-military establishment has expressed its abhorrence for the billionaire businessman and used courts to purge politics of his influence. Time after time, Thai voters have demonstrated that he remains the country’s most popular politician.

Source: The Times March 22, 2019 17:03 UTC