In a Facebook Live event broadcasted on a Sunday, Jatuporn Prompan, the former leader of the red-shirt movement, stirred up conjecture surrounding the expected return of fugitive ex-PM Thaksin. His conviction was that Thaksin was not ready to serve his prison sentence and would subsequently scrap his plans to regroup on August 10.
Peeling back layers of political nuance, Jatuporn was firm in his belief that Thaksin, left in a quandary of uncertainty, wouldn’t chance his return without the assurance of a royal pardon for his corrupt practices. He made a point to outline Thaksin’s relentless yet futile attempts, spanning 17 years, to negotiate his way out of jail time, all twenty of which have been unsuccessful.
The Red-Shirt champion, no stranger to the inside of a cell himself, offered a piece of advice to Thaksin. He ought to first come to terms with the reality that prison-bars are in his future before planning his arrival home. “As such, I stand by my forecast – his return on August 10 seems highly unlikely,” remarked Jatuporn.
On another front, lawyer Paisal Puechmongkol, formerly assistant to Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan, forwarded another theory. He suggested that Thaksin’s return announcement for August 10 was a strategic move, designed for the Pheu Thai party to gain leverage in the political landscape. “Don’t fall for this piece of misinformation,” cautioned Paisal.
He also insinuated that the timing of Thaksin’s return could be ascertained only after August 20, as indicated by the stars, without divulging more.
Parallely, in a captivating Facebook revelation on that Sunday, notorious whistleblower Chuwit Kamolvisit opined openly. He put forth that if Thaksin had been mentally prepared for imprisonment, he would have returned much sooner. “For anyone conjecturing that Thaksin will return on August 10, ready to be herded into a ten-year prison sentence by law enforcement officials, you’re very likely mistaken,” disclosed Chuwit.
He continued, “Stakeholders of this opinion sorely lack understanding of Thaksin. Had Thaksin truly desired to return, he wouldn’t have prolonged it to a wait of 15 to 16 years.”
According to Chuwit, Thaksin chose self-exile back in 2008 under the reign of former PM Samak Sundaravej from Thaksin’s own People Power Party.
Chuwit postulated that Thaksin’s projected return, planned amid the nation’s government reshuffling process, is indicative of a clandestine objective. He articulated his belief that Thaksin would defer his return if Pheu Thai fails to form a new government.
In conclusion, Chuwit acknowledged that Thaksin couldn’t apply for royal clemency from his opening prison day. However, there is no known precedent of the monarch pardoning convicts, barring the cases associated with lese majeste.
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