Thailand’s Thaksin to advise Malaysian PM on Asean chairmanship

The Thai billionaire, who has insisted that he’s retired from politics, is set to advise Malaysia’s prime minister in an informal capacity

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Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim (left) with Thaksin Shinawatra at an event in Jakarta in 2012. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:52am, 17 Dec 2024

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has appointed Thailand’s billionaire political heavyweight and former leader Thaksin Shinawatra as his personal adviser for when he becomes chair of Southeast Asia’s regional bloc next year.

Anwar said Thaksin’s role during his leadership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be in an informal capacity, alongside advisers from several of the bloc’s 10 member states.

Anwar made the announcement during a visit to Malaysia on Monday by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin’s youngest daughter and fourth member of their family to hold Thailand’s top political post.

“Thank you for agreeing to this because we need the benefit of the experience of such a statesman,” Anwar said of Thaksin during a joint press conference with Paetongtarn.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra walks with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a welcoming ceremony in Putrajaya on Monday. Photo: AFP

Thaksin, 75, has been a towering figure over Thai politics in the past two decades and his influence is widely expected to shape the current government, as it has multiple administrations in the past quarter-century.