00:00In Thailand, few names evoke as much passion, controversy, and political drama as the Shinawatra family.
00:15For over 25 years, this billionaire dynasty has shaped and shaken the kingdom's politics, surviving coups, corruption cases, and court rulings.
00:25From telecom tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra to his sister Ying Luk, and now his daughter Peitong Tharn, the Shinawatra's story is one of power, resilience, and turbulence.
00:37It begins with Thaksin Shinawatra, once a police officer who turned into a billionaire after making his fortune in telecoms.
00:45In 1998, he launched Thai Rock Thai, or Thais Love Thais Party, promising to use his business expertise to uplift the rural poor.
00:56His populist policies, debt relief, cheap health care, and rural development, won him the undying devotion of countryside voters.
01:04But they also earned him powerful enemies among Thailand's pro-monarchy and pro-military establishment, who saw him as a threat to the traditional order.
01:14Re-elected in a landslide, Thaksin made history, leading the first Thai party ever to secure a parliamentary majority alone.
01:22But success came with scandals, corruption allegations, months of protests, and growing hostility from Bangkok elites set the stage for his downfall.
01:33In September 2006, while Thaksin was abroad, the military struck, tanks rolled into Bangkok, and the Shinawatra government was toppled.
01:45Even after losing power, Thaksin made global headlines.
01:49Despite his frozen Thai assets, he purchased English football club Manchester City in 2007, and later sold it for a hefty profit.
01:59By 2008, facing criminal charges, Thaksin went into exile.
02:05But exile did not mean silence.
02:07From abroad, he continued to comment on Thailand's affairs, or, according to critics, meddle in them.
02:13Though Thaksin was gone, his influence remained.
02:17After the 2006 coup, Thai Rock Thai was dissolved.
02:21Its successor, the People's Power Party, briefly held power under Thaksin's brother-in-law, Samchai Wongsawat.
02:30But the courts dismantled it too, leading to a rebirth, few Thai.
02:35This party catapulted Thaksin's sister Yingluck into the spotlight in 2011.
02:42Yingluck, whom Thaksin once called his clone, was mocked as a political novice.
02:47Yet she swept into power with her brother's back end.
02:51For a time, she courted the military, but the truce didn't last.
02:56A controversial amnesty bill, seen as a backdoor for Thaksin's return, ignited mass protests.
03:03Bangkok's streets burned with unrest.
03:06Dozens were killed, hundreds wounded.
03:08In 2014, her premiership collapsed after a court ruling.
03:14And weeks later, the military once again seized power.
03:18Years later, Thaksin turned to his youngest daughter, Petongtarn Shinawatra.
03:24Coming from the family's hotel empire, she entered politics in 2023.
03:30Despite being heavily pregnant, Petongtarn tirelessly campaigned under the sweltering Thai sun,
03:36leading rallies across the nation.
03:39Phu Tai didn't win outright, but secured power through an uneasy alliance with former pro-military rivals.
03:47Petongtarn rose quickly, becoming prime minister in August 2024,
03:52after the constitutional court disqualified the party's first choice, Shretha Thavisun.
03:58Much like Yingluck before her, critics called Petongtarn a puppet of her father.
04:05In August 2023, on the very day Phu Tai regained power, Thaksin returned home after years in exile.
04:12Immediately arrested, he was sentenced to eight years in jail.
04:16But within hours, he was transferred to a police hospital on health grounds.
04:20Soon after, his sentence was cut by the king.
04:23Just six months later, Thaksin was a free man, without spending a single day behind bars.
04:30That leniency sparked outrage.
04:32A new court case now probes whether Thaksin evaded his sentence improperly.
04:37And now, the dynasty faces its gravest test.
04:41Just last month, the constitutional court suspended Paiatongtarn from office,
04:46probing her actions during a diplomatic row with Cambodia.
04:50The court's ruling expected next week could sack her as prime minister.
04:55And with no other Shinawatras ready to take the mantle,
04:58the family's decades-long grip on Thai politics may finally be slipping away.
05:03From billionaire beginnings to political dominance,
05:07from exile to comebacks,
05:09the Shinawatras have defined a generation of Thai politics.
05:13Loved by millions, despised by elites,
05:16they remain both a symbol of democracy's promise and its fragility in Thailand.
05:21But as Paiatongtarn awaits her fate,
05:24one question looms,
05:26is this truly the end of the Shinawatras,
05:29or just another chapter in their turbulent saga?
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