Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that the anticipated ruling by the Constitutional Court today will not have any impact on him, because he has been to heaven and hell before and he is now back on Earth.
In his Thursday night conversation with Steve Forbes, chairman and editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, as part of the “Forbes Global CEO Conference: New Paradigms”, Thaksin said that he will just wait for the verdict because he is only looking forward and will to the past.
The Constitutional Court is scheduled to issue its ruling today in response to a petition from activist Thirayuth Suwankesorn, accusing Thaksin and the Pheu Thai party of attempting to subvert constitutional democracy.
The former prime minister recalled his 17 years of living in exile abroad, saying that he had tried to maintain his peace of mind, without which he would not have survived.
He said that he prefers to go to temples to pay respect to Buddha statues and find peace of mind, adding that, during the visits, he sometimes encounters barking dogs, to which he pays no attention.
“You don’t have to know why the dogs bark because it is unnecessary. Just go back to sleep and maintain your peace of mind,” he advised.
During his long self-imposed exile, he said he had travelled extensively, not for rest or recreation, but for business, which was why he never travelled to the Caribbean, as rest and recreation are not important for him.
“I was born under the sign Taurus and my passion is work, work and more work. I am now 75 and, some days, I work 14 hours and my salary is 700 baht from government subsidies for the elderly,” claimed Thaksin.
The former prime minister claimed that he had started his business from nothing and had been through ups and downs before achieving success. He then decided to play politics, because this was the only way that he could help the poor in Thailand.
Likening the government of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra to “the second version of his administration”, Thaksin said that most core members of the coalition parties used to work with him during his administration about two decades ago.
