&gt;Fast-forward five years and the military deposed him because of his corrupt politics.<p>Bullshit. The military deposed him because they were grabbing power and because they were worried about his close relationship with the crown prince.<p>Thaksin&#x27;s power base lies in the rural poverty-stricken north. He was the first politician to actually help them. That&#x27;s why he was so popular.<p>They all knew he was corrupt, but their choice was between corrupt who would help them and corrupt who would fuck them.<p>Thailand turned from a democracy into a dictatorship because of power hungry assholes. It had nothing to do with corruption.