Eighteen months ago, tycoon-turned-politician Thaksin Shinawatra won a landslide election victory and became a rising star on the regional stage. Today, he is out of a job after a coup d’etat and considering life in exile.

Thaksin Shinawatra may return as Thailand’s full-time prime minister, ending a break from politics he took last month amid street protests, a government spokesman said today.

Thailand's ruling Democrats have conceded defeat in the general election after exit polls showed a political party led by a scandal-tainted tycoon was sailing to an easy victory.