Former Thai Prime Minister Wearing a 3 Billion Won Watch Before Returning Home... Wears a 360,000 Won Watch in Public

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Returns After 15 Years in Exile
Local Media: "Wears Mid-Range Watches When Meeting Supporters"

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (74), who returned to the country after 15 years of exile due to corruption allegations, was claimed to have worn an ultra-luxury wristwatch during his return journey but switched to a mid-range brand watch when meeting his supporters.

According to local media such as Thai PBS on the 22nd (local time), Thaksin arrived at Bangkok Don Mueang Airport around 9 a.m. on a private jet. His return news attracted the attention of local netizens.

In particular, netizens focused on the watch he was wearing. M.L. Natakon Devakul, a political analyst and user of X (formerly Twitter), claimed, "If I am not mistaken, the watch Thaksin was wearing on his way back is a Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime."

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. [Image source=Facebook]

Patek Philippe, with a history of 180 years, is one of the world's top five luxury Swiss watch brands. The model worn by former Prime Minister Thaksin is estimated to be the 'Grandmaster Chime Reference 6300G.' The Grandmaster Chime series was priced at a staggering $2.2 million (approximately 2.97 billion KRW) when it was released in 2016.

However, videos taken when Thaksin arrived at Don Mueang VIP airport and greeted his supporters show him wearing a different watch. The watch he wore at that time is estimated to be the 'Mission to Mars,' a model jointly made by Omega and Swatch. The selling price of this watch is about 330,000 KRW. Some interpret this as a move to secure support from the common people.

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra arrived at Don Mueang Airport in Bangkok on the 22nd and greeted his supporters. Thaksin, who served as prime minister from 2001 to 2006, was ousted in a 2006 coup and has lived abroad in exile for 15 years since 2008.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, Thaksin, who comes from a telecommunications conglomerate background, rose to the prime minister position in the 2001 general election and succeeded in re-election with a landslide victory in the 2005 general election. After taking office, he implemented policies such as reforming the hospital treatment system and reducing farmers' debt, gaining public support.

However, he was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and fled abroad while on trial for corruption charges in 2008. Thaksin is known to have lived in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and London, United Kingdom, for the past 15 years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.