A cabinet reshuffle in Thailand has brought loyal allies of self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra into the government led by his sister, tightening his grip on power.
Mr Thaksin, ousted by the army in 2006, lives abroad to avoid a prison sentence for abuse of power but is widely thought to be running south-east Asia's second-largest economy from bases in Dubai through PM Yingluck Shinawatra.
A former telecoms tycoon who first became PM in 2001, Mr Thaksin enjoys huge support among the rural masses but has powerful enemies among the conservative elite, the military and royalist activists.
Mr Thaksin has set no date for his return, which would be deeply divisive, and many analysts believe it could upset a fragile peace that has been in place since the army crushed protests by his supporters in 2010, killing about 90 people.
For now, Mr Thaksin is moving his loyalists into position while Ms Yingluck does nothing to antagonise Mr Thaksin's enemies.
"We are seeing a Thaksin renaissance, with his top people being installed," said Kan Yuenyong, director of a think-tank in Bangkok.
The 23 new cabinet names endorsed on Sunday by King Bhumibol Adulyadej include six members of Mr Thaksin's disbanded Thai Rak Thai party who re-entered politics after a five-year ban for electoral fraud.
Other posts in the civil service and police have gone to Thaksin loyalists, including Paradorn Pattanathabutr, who was made secretary-general of the country's National Security Council and said Mr Thaksin was "like a brother".
The new cabinet line-up leaves Finance Minister Kittirat Na Ranong in place, despite his admission he told "white lies" about export prospects.
The reshuffle – Ms Yingluck's third in 15 months – comes ahead of a censure debate next month that will target her handling of floods and a criticised rice intervention scheme.
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