BANGKOK: Thailand’s oldest political party voted Saturday to reinstate as its leader a conservative ex-premier who led the country during a bloody military crackdown on “Red Shirts” protesters.
Abhisit Vejjajiva, who led Thailand from 2008 to 2011 during the global financial crisis, gained early popularity for his eloquent debating style.
But his leadership of the Democrat Party was marred by the military crackdown on “Red Shirts” protesters in 2010 that killed more than 90 people and left over 2,000 wounded.
Abhisit was branded by rivals as “the PM with blood on his hands” and his political career faltered in the following years amid internal party divisions, leading him to resign as its leader and then withdraw his membership in 2023.
On Saturday, party members voted with 96 percent support to reinstate him as leader in a vote broadcast on local media.
