Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra sent a photo book to foreign media in the country on Wednesday, expressing his hope of ending his exile abroad and returning to Thailand.
A thousand copies of the 279-page Life & Times hardcover book were published in December in Thailand, detailing his private life and career in photographs, speeches and memoirs and highlighting some of the successes of the five years he spent in office before being ousted by a military coup in 2006.
“Thaksin intentionally published and delivered the commemorative photo book to foreign media as New Year’s gift. The special memoir publication is not for sale,” a source close to Thaksin told Kyodo News.
The former prime minister’s intended aim in sending the publication, however, is unclear. Enclosed with the book was a New Year’s greeting letter signed by “Dr Thaksin Shinawatra — 23rd Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand.”
Thaksin faced allegations of corruption following the coup on Sept. 19 2006, and now lives in self-imposed exile in Dubai, avoiding a jail sentence in Thailand following a conviction for abuse of power while prime minister.
