Even in exile, Thailand’s former leader Thaksin Shinawatra tries to sway redshirts in bid to oust Prayuth Chan-ocha in 2023 election
- Currently in exile, Thaksin has called on supporters of the Pheu Thai party to vote strategically to end the reign of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha
- One analyst believes the Pheu Thai party may need to align with the Move Forward party and pool their votes to form a new government
“It is going to be the Thaksin-backed party I will vote for, regardless of how many coups there have been or will be,” she said.
Based in the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, Rattawee can speak for the Pheu Thai’s popularity in her area. Also as a red shirt, a once-formidable group of activists and Thaksin supporters that formed in the aftermath of the 2006 coup with strongholds in the north and northeast, Rattawee can also attest to why Thaksin, in exile since, still holds sway in Thai politics.
In recent months, Thaksin, from his base in Dubai, has raised redshirt members from their dormancy, calling on supporters to vote strategically next year to give the Pheu Thai a landslide win and effectively end Prayuth’s eight-year tenure.
