Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra walks next to his daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, as they arrive to pay their respect at the City Pilar Shrine, before visiting his hometown Chiang Mai province for the first time since he fled the country after a military coup in 2006, in Bangkok, Thailand, March 14, 2024. James Wilson/Thai News Pix/Handout via REUTERS
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived by private jet on Thursday to visit his northern hometown of Chiang Mai for the first time since fleeing the country after a military coup in 2006.
The influential billionaire has loomed large over Thai politics for two decades, during which his family-backed Pheu Thai party has won nearly every general election and is now in power.
