Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra surprised her brother, ex-PM Thaksin, with a song wishing him happy birthday.

Yingluck posted a video clip on Facebook Live of her singing the Thai song “Pleng Khong Ther” (Your Song) to mark her brother’s 67th birthday yesterday.

In the clip, Yingluck is seen saying that she cannot wish her brother a happy birthday in person because she faces a travel ban – similar to the ban imposed against Thaksin, which keeps him from visiting Thailand.

The song, made popular by pop artist Thanaporn “Parn” Waekprayoon, talks about the joy of having a person who always stands by you.

Not long after the military coup in May 2014, Yingluck was allowed to take a 20-day trip to Europe in July when she met her brother in Paris to mark his 65th birthday.

In a response also on Facebook Live, Thaksin, who was in London, thanked his sister for the wishes and said they were being kept apart due to a cruel twist of fate that they could not control.

He also thanked his supporters for their birthday messages.

“I would like to thank you all for the birthday messages that were sent to me via several channels, including LINE and SMS,” he said.

“I hope that in return you all have healthy and happy lives and can fight and survive amid these irregularities as we are confident that democracy will return to Thailand soon.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he would not prevent anyone from travelling abroad to celebrate Thaksin’s birthday. “Go ahead. I’m not stopping you. Just don’t cause problems in Thailand,” he said.