Anwar said Thaksin would be supported by a team comprising members from various Asean nations, adding that it would be an informal set-up.

“I have agreed to appoint (Thaksin) as my personal adviser as chairman of Asean,” he said in a press conference with current Thai prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is on an official trip to Malaysia.

“Thank you for agreeing to this, because we need the benefit of experience of such statesmen,” he said to Paetongtarn, Thaksin’s youngest daughter.

Thaksin was the Thai prime minister from 2001 to 2006, when he was ousted in a military coup. He lived in self-imposed exile for 15 years before returning to Thailand in August 2023.

Upon his return, he was jailed for eight years on charges of graft and abuse of power. However, within days, his sentence was slashed to one year by Thai king Maha Vajiralongkorn.

The 74-year-old billionaire was released on parole on Feb 18 after six months in detention.

Separately, Anwar affirmed Malaysia’s commitment to enhancing bilateral trade and investment with Thailand, with a trade target of US$30 billion by 2027.

“This can be seen as very ambitious, but looking at the huge economic potential in Thailand and also Malaysia, there are some things that we can work on,” he said.

He also spoke of a need to promote the seamless movement of goods within Asean to ensure efficient trade within the region.

Paetongtarn said the main purpose of her visit was to affirm the importance of ties with Malaysia and to expand and deepen the collaboration between the two nations.

She and Anwar also discussed the recurrent floods at the border areas, particularly along Sungai Golok.

“We discussed the need to address the flood problems faced by our two countries, and we will continue to work closely towards better, broader roads and real connectivity as well to facilitate broader trade.”

Earlier, the prime ministers witnessed the signing of two memorandums of understanding – one on cooperation in culture, arts and heritage, and the other concerning economic cooperation and the rubber industry.