PM Anupong Says Thaksin's Neighbor Visits Are Personal
PM Anupong downplayed Thaksin's recent visits to Malaysia and Indonesia as personal travel, rejecting speculation that the trips signal political maneuvering or a power assessment among the Shinawatra family.
Prime Minister Anupon Paojinda dismissed suggestions that Thaksin Shinawatra's recent visits to Malaysia and Indonesia signal a political power assessment, characterizing the trips instead as personal matters. Speaking at the Signature Hotel in Songkhla on July 10, 2026, Anupon noted that as a former national leader, Thaksin has every right to visit and meet with other leaders, and is traveling in a personal capacity rather than representing the government.
When pressed on whether the recent gatherings of three Shinawatra family members—Thaksin, his sister Yingluck, and his daughter Paetongtarn—held political significance, Anupon dismissed the concern as family business. He urged the media to stop speculating and emphasized that the three individuals enjoy the same freedoms as any ordinary citizen to travel wherever they choose.
Asked directly whether the trips constituted a political power gauge, Anupon initially deflected before firmly stating that there was no political dimension to the visits. He characterized all three as simply exercising the friendly relations between regional leaders.
