Thaksin: I'll be back

Ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra has responded to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's come-home challenge, saying he will return to Thailand.

"I'll come back for sure. I'll definitely come back," said Thaksin in a Tuesday night ClubHouse chat post under his alias Tony Woodsome.

Thaksin, who posts messages on the platform on a regular basis, also poked fun at Prayut, saying he appeared to be thinking about him all the time.

"If he asks where I am, I'll say I'm always on his mind. When reporters ask him...or when there is a parliament debate, I'm the first on his mind," said the fugitive prime minister.

Thaksin called on the prime minister to have a firm strategy and said he was willing to give advice.

His comments came after Prayut challenged the Pheu Thai Party to bring two self-exiled former prime ministers -- namely Thaksin and his sister Yingluck Shinawatra -- back home to solve the country's problems. He was speaking on the first day of the censure debate on Tuesday.

"I know you may admire some people who previously held this position and praise them for doing a better job than me. That's fine. Just bring them back if you can," Prayut said on Tuesday.

When asked about Thaksin's Clubhouse remarks, Prayut pointed to his lips and said: "Talking is what a mouth is for. People can say anything they want."

Thaksin fled the country in 2008 shortly before being convicted by the Supreme Court for abuse of authority in connection with a land purchase deal, while Yingluck fled in 2017 shortly before the court sentenced her to five years in jail for ignoring corruption in the first rice-pledging scheme.

In January this year, Thaksin announced a plan to return to Thailand this year as "a gift for Thais".

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Vocabulary

  • abuse of authority: the use of power in a bad, dishonest or unlawful way - การใช้อำนาจในทางที่ผิด
  • alias: used when a person, especially a criminal or an actor, is known by two names; used before a different name that someone uses instead of their real name - ฉายา, สมญานาม
  • censure debate: formally criticising a cabinet minister or the full cabinet in a parliamentary session after which members vote to support or reject the motion - การอภิปรายไม่ไว้วางใจ
  • convicted: proven in a court of law to have committed a crime - การกระทำผิดกฎหมาย
  • exiled: forced to live in a foreign country, usually for political reasons - ที่ถูกเนรเทศ
  • fugitive (noun): someone who has been accused of doing something illegal and is trying to avoid being caught by the police - ผู้หลบหนี
  • ignore: to fail to pay attention to; to pretend that you have not noticed or do not know about something - เพิกเฉย
  • lips: the two soft edges at the opening to the mouth - ริมฝีปาก
  • ousted: forced out of a position of power - ขับออกจากอำนาจ
  • poke fun at (verb): make fun of, ridicule, saying something to make someone look bad - หัวเราะใส่,เย้าแหย่, ล้อเล่น, หัวเราะเล่น
  • praise: to express strong approval or admiration - ยกย่อง, ชื่นชม
  • strategy: a plan or method for achieving something, especially over a long period of time - ยุทธวิธี, แผนการ  
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