Thai ex-PM Thaksin seen in video at Cambodian leader Hun Sen’s birthday party

Just a day earlier he had said he would delay plans to return to Thailand following years of self-imposed exile

His appearance comes at a politically sensitive time as the party he is affiliated with seeks support for a member to become prime minister

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Outgoing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, gives a souvenir to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Saturday. Photo: AP

Published: 5:25pm, 6 Aug 2023Updated: 10:09pm, 6 Aug 2023

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra attended a birthday party for outgoing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, according to video posted online on Sunday, a day after Thaksin said he would delay plans to return to Thailand following years of self-imposed exile.

Thaksin’s appearance in Cambodia came at a politically sensitive time in neighbouring Thailand, as Pheu Thai, the latest in a string of parties affiliated with Thaksin, is seeking to win enough support in Parliament for one of its members to become the next prime minister almost three months after a general election in May.

Thaksin said on Saturday on the platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that he would delay a planned return to Thailand next Thursday for “no longer than two weeks,” citing a doctor’s appointment.

His daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who campaigned for prime minister with Pheu Thai in the latest election, had said nearly two weeks ago her father would return to Thailand on August 10.