BANGKOK -- Controversy over former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's six-month hospitalization after he returned home from self-imposed exile two years ago has rattled the country's politics, overshadowing the ruling party led by his daughter.
Thaksin, 75, father of Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the current prime minister and Pheu Thai Party chief, returned to Thailand on August 22, 2023 when the party formed a new government, having lived abroad for 15 years. Thaksin had been sentenced to eight years in prison on corruption charges. The sentence was reduced to one year on his return, after he received royal clemency.
