Exiled Thaksin Rallies Thai Protesters With Dubai Talk Show

  • Former premier Thaksin connects with youth on social media
  • Protesters, young voters could be key to winning next election
A protester wears a t-shirt featuring Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra during a demonstration in Bangkok on Sept. 2.Photographer: Jack Taylor/AFP/Getty Images
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One of Thailand’s most polarizing figures is staging a comeback, rallying young pro-democracy protesters from 3,000 miles away in a fresh challenge to military leaders who have held power since 2014.

Despite more than a decade in self-exile following a corruption conviction, Thaksin Shinawatra -- a former prime minister and telecoms tycoon -- has maintained support from millions of poor and rural Thais, who have helped him and his allies win the most seats in every general election since 2001.