This article was originally published on Prachatai.
Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been released from prison after serving eight months of a one-year prison sentence for corruption and abuse of power, which was passed on him while in self-exile.
Hundreds of people, including members of his family, MPs from the Pheu Thai Party and supporters gathered to greet the former PM at the Klong Prem Central Prison on May 11.
Thaksin, dressed in a white shirt, was seen walking out of the prison. He hugged his family and greeted the crowd before heading home.
The former PM gave his first interview after being released, saying, “I was in hibernation; I cannot remember anything now”. He also added that he remains in good health. It was also reported that he was to undergo a health check-up on May 12 after being detained for eight months.
76-year-old Thaksin qualified for parole on the condition that he wears an electronic monitoring bracelet (EM) and stays at the Ban Chan Song La residence until the end of his one-year sentence on 9 September. He was also prohibited from travelling abroad unless granted permission.
The Department of Corrections revealed that parole is granted when an inmate is over 70 years old, has no more than 1 year remaining on their sentence, and has undergone rehabilitation and behavioural improvement such that they are considered at low risk of recommitting the same offences.
Thaksin has served an eight-month jail term and will remain on probation for the remaining four months. He is required to report once a month until his sentence ends in September this year.
In the 2001 general elections, Thaksin’s Thai Rak Thai Party received a landslide victory, marking a milestone in Thai political history. The party became the first ruling party in history to complete a full four-year term in office.
The party also won the 2006 general elections and successfully formed a single-party government. Former PM Thaksin was ousted as PM in a coup later that year, and then fled the country in 2008.
Returning home in August 2023, he was immediately detained to serve a sentence of eight years in prison for corruption and malfeasance for which he had already been convicted in absentia.
Following a royal pardon, his sentence was reduced to one year. However, Thaksin never spent a day behind bars due to his alleged ill health. He was transferred from prison to a hospital due to concerns over his high blood pressure and low blood oxygen level
This hospitalisation led to another legal proceeding against him. Critics allege that he faked illness to escape being imprisoned like normal detainees.
The former PM began serving a one-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power at the Klong Prem Central Prison on 9 September, after the Supreme Court ruled that his previous detention in hospital was not in accordance with Department of Corrections regulations.
The Court stated that Thaksin’s hospital stay was considered unlawful and determined that Thaksin’s time in hospital did not count as time served.
The Medical Council of Thailand also suspended two doctors who treated Thaksin during his hospital stay, ruling that they provided inaccurate information about Thaksin’s alleged illnesses.