Revered and reviled, Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra returns home

Supporters hold up a placard as they wait ahead of the expected arrival of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who ended almost two decades of self-imposed exile with his return to Thailand, at the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

BANGKOK (Reuters) - When Thailand's deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra went into self-imposed exile in 2008 facing a raft of corruption charges following his ouster in a military coup, he issued a hand-written note.

"If I am fortunate enough," wrote Thaksin, a deeply polarising telecoms billionaire who broke the mould of Thai politics, "I will return and die on Thai soil."