Thaksin Shinawatra comments on election

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• published: 30 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST 1. Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand, entering building and interview room 2. Mid of journalists 3. Thaksin Shinawatra talking to journalists 4. SOUNDBITE (English) Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand "Well I feel grateful to the Thai people that the turnout is very high and then the effort they made to go to casting the vote. Some have to travelling from Bangkok to their hometown and they have done, they have put a lot of effort because of the value of democracy." 5. Mid of Thaksin Shinawatra talking to journalists 6. Close of journalist asking question 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand "They are not really voting for me but they vote for Pheu Thai party and my sister. I may be part of it but not really, because the platform of the party is there and the party culture deliver what we have promised to the people that is there. That is why the people are still loyal to the party, because of that reason." 8. Pan from cameramen to Shinawatra talking to journalists 9. Close of journalist writing in notebook 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Thaksin Shinawatra, former Prime Minister of Thailand "I'm not hurried to go back. I want to see the reconciliation to happen first. If there is reconciliation and I will be part of the solution I will be there. If I will be part of the problem I will not be there. I'm ok, I'm settled here in Dubai. The people here, the hospitality they give to me is very wonderful." 11. Journalists writing notes 12. Shinawatra standing up at end of interview 13. Shinawatra shaking hands with journalists 14. Various of Shinawatra exiting building STORYLINE Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said on Sunday he was in no hurry to return to his home country, despite his sister having just led Thailand's main opposition party to a landslide victory in Sunday's elections. The vote paves the way for 44-year-old Yingluck Shinawatra, who has never held office, to become the Southeast Asian kingdom's first female prime minister. It heralds an extraordinary political turnaround five tumultuous years after her fugitive billionaire brother was toppled in an army coup. Speaking in Dubai on Sunday before the final results were announced, Thaksin Shinawatra praised the Thai people for turning out to vote in large numbers. A large mandate to govern could help the new government navigate a way out of the crisis that has plagued Thailand since Thaksin's 2006 overthrow. But the question remains whether the nation's elite power brokers, including the monarchy and the army, will accept the result. Thaksin was barred from politics in 2007 and convicted on graft charges the next year. The US-educated Yingluck, who he has called "my clone", is widely considered his proxy. But Thaksin insisted otherwise in Sunday's interview, pointing out that "they are not really voting for me but they vote for Pheu Thai party and my sister". After the army toppled Thaksin, controversial court rulings removed two of the pro-Thaksin premiers who followed, one of whom won a 2007 vote intended to restore democracy. That chain of events paved the way for army-backed incumbent Abhisit Vejjajiva to assume power - ultimately sparking the massive anti-government protests last year which brought Bangkok to its knees, leaving 90 people dead, 1,800 wounded and the glittering city's skyline engulfed in flames. The photogenic Yingluck has long been seen as the front-runner in the vote, but many believe her popularity is almost entirely due to the fact that she is the proxy of Thaksin. His ascent to power in 2001 changed Thailand forever, touching off a societal schism between the country's haves and long-silent have-nots. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/abd09a110c507599b78b8e2e07ee4976 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork