BANGKOK (AP) — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is set to be released from Klong Prem Central Prison in Bangkok next month, following a decision by a Justice Ministry panel that granted him parole. The announcement was made by the Corrections Department on Wednesday.
The release is scheduled for May 11, 2024, as the 76-year-old Thaksin completes the legally mandated minimum of two-thirds of his one-year sentence. His incarceration began after he returned to Thailand from over a decade of self-imposed exile in 2023, and he was sentenced to eight years in prison for multiple counts of abuse of power.
Thaksin served as Thailand's Prime Minister from 2001 until he was ousted by a military coup in 2006. His removal sparked nearly twenty years of intense political polarization within the country, with his supporters and opponents often clashing over control and direction of the Thai government. Though the political machine he founded continues to operate, its popularity has waned over time.
Initially, Thaksin's sentence was commuted to one year by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. However, he was ordered to serve time in prison starting in September 2023 after the Supreme Court ruled that his prior six-month stay in a police hospital did not count as actual prison time. The court's decision noted that his medical conditions were not severe enough to warrant avoiding prison facilities, thereby rendering his hospital stay a procedural violation.
Before returning to Thailand in 2023, Thaksin had briefly returned in 2008 to face corruption charges but subsequently skipped bail and fled the country once again. During his time abroad, he attempted to evade various lawsuits and criminal charges, which he claimed were politically driven.
On Wednesday, the Justice Ministry panel reviewed the cases of several hundred eligible prisoners and decided to grant Thaksin parole based on factors including his good behavior during incarceration, the low likelihood of reoffending, and his advanced age. Upon his release, Thaksin will be subject to a four-month probation period, during which he is required to reside at his registered residence in Bangkok and report regularly to probation officials.
