The former Man City owner has sparked outrage with shocking racist remarks about African models during a campaign speech in Thailand.

Convicted crook Thaksin Shinawatra - who is now the de facto leader of Thailand after an election coup in 2023 allowed him to return from exile- made the discriminatory comments in a political rally for his Pheu Thai party in Chiang Rai province on January 5.

Seen in the video at the rally, Thaksin began promoting Thai women as catwalk icons before making grotesque stereotypes about women from Africa.

He said: 'When I was abroad, I saw that even African people, who have black skin and flat noses that make it difficult to breathe, were often hired as models for large sums of money.

‘Our people are better looking. There's no need for nose or jaw surgery.

‘From now on, we will support Thai people, hill tribe people, and Karen people who possess natural beauty that does not require nose surgery or breast augmentation.'

His speech sparked outrage among the citizens and Thai politicians who demanded he apologise.

Senator Angkhana Neelapaijit called on him to apologise for the rant.

She said: 'Discrimination against an individual based on their skin colour is a big problem. I want Thaksin to apologise for his remarks.

'I hope the Prime Minister will not let this pass. It should not happen again, especially because Thailand has applied to join the United Nations Human Rights Council and made several pledges regarding human rights and discrimination.'

Thaksin's daughter, Paetongtarn Shinawatra who holds the position of Prime Minister on behalf of her father, defended her him from the backlash on Tuesday, January 7.

She said: ‘It was my father's intention to speak about opportunity. Please listen to the original video again. I'm confident that my father was not being discriminatory. He is definitely not a racist.

'He actually meant to say that he did not want Thai women to undergo surgery, but for them to maintain their natural beauty and take part in beauty contests, they should be encouraged to do so.'

Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 2001 to 2006. He was a billionaire telecommunications tycoon before entering politics and is known for implementing populist policies that appealed to rural and lower-income citizens.

Thaksin was ousted in a military coup in 2006. He fled abroad and was found guilty in absentia of abusing his position as Prime Minister to help his then-wife, Potjaman Na Pombejra, purchase state-owned land at a significantly undervalued price.

While in exile, additional charges and convictions followed, including allegations of mismanagement of government funds, conflicts of interest in business dealings and corruption in his administration.

He returned to Thailand in 2023 following an election coup that saw his political party regain control. He made a deal to avoid spending any significant amount of time in prison for the crimes.