BANGKOK – Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin believes all political fugitives, including former premier Yingluck Shinawatra, are welcome to return to Thailand, provided they undergo the judicial process.

He was referring to a comment made by Yingluck’s brother, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who said on April 14 that he expected to celebrate Songkran with his younger sister in 2025.

Mr Thaksin, who returned from self-imposed exile on August 22, 2023, and is currently out on parole, was visiting his home province of Chiang Mai on April 15 and said he missed Yingluck and hoped she would be in Chiang Mai with him in 2025.

Mr Srettha, who was in Hua Hin for the holiday, said on April 14 that neither Mr Thaksin nor Yingluck had informed him or the government of Yingluck’s impending return.

However, he said, he believed all fugitives fleeing political charges will want to return home.

“That will be a good thing, but the legal process must be observed and it’s not complicated,” Mr Srettha said.

Observers expect Yingluck to follow her brother’s example, now that she has been cleared of two cases and only faces conviction and imprisonment for one case.

After Mr Thaksin returned to Thailand in 2023, he was supposed to serve his eight-year sentence immediately but was sent from the prison to a police hospital on his very first night. His eight-year term was commuted by royal clemency to just one year, and after “being treated” in hospital for six months, he became eligible for parole.

Yingluck was sentenced in absentia to five years in jail for failing to stop the fake, corruption-plagued government-to-government rice deal under her administration’s rice-pledging scheme.

In December 2023, Yingluck was acquitted by the Supreme Court of malfeasance in her 2011 transfer of the National Security Council’s secretary-general.

In March, she was acquitted by the Supreme Court again of malfeasance and collusion over the awarding of a 240 million baht (S$9 million) public relations campaign.

On April 14, Yingluck posted photographs of her eating the traditional Thai dessert “khanom krok” at a shop in London. The photos were posted shortly after Mr Thaksin talked about her possible return to Thailand.

Yingluck’s post said this was yet another Songkran she was spending away from home and she was dealing with her homesickness by eating sweets and fruit.

When asked about possible protests if Yingluck returns, Mr Srettha said he was not worried because she would have to undergo the judicial process like other political figures.

When asked if Mr Thaksin’s visit to Chiang Mai and other provinces boded well for the government, Mr Srettha said he believed Mr Thaksin’s visit to any part of the country would be a good thing.

“Thaksin is Pheu Thai’s spiritual leader and a former prime minister who remains popular,” he said.

He said he had not discussed the possibility of joining Mr Thaksin on visits to other provinces, adding that he had travelled upcountry with MPs from other parties before.

Mr Srettha said he believed Mr Thaksin would visit provinces that do not have Pheu Thai MPs, adding that these visits should not be considered political in nature. He went on to say that his government would consider any useful advice that Mr Thaksin has to offer.

As for rumours of a possible Cabinet reshuffle, Mr Srettha said he did not have to discuss it with Mr Thaksin but would do so with leaders of other coalition partners.

He said the reshuffle would be made on the principles of putting the right man in the right place, and would consider people’s problems and parliamentary implications.

He also insisted that he had not spoken to the Democrat Party about any plans of inviting it to join the coalition, adding that although some Democrat leaders had visited Mr Thaksin, their visit can be interpreted in any manner. THE NATION/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK