Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra Released From Prison

Cheers rang out outside Bangkok’s Klong Prem prison on Thursday as Thailand’s billionaire former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra walked free on parole, eight months after a court ordered him to serve prison time he had earlier avoided through an extended stay in hospital.

Now 76, the business magnate spent a quarter-century reshaping and dominating Thai politics. Yet his grip on the country’s political landscape has weakened in recent months after his jailing and after his once-powerful Pheu Thai Party suffered its worst-ever election showing earlier this year.

When he emerged from the prison gates, Mr Shinawatra wore a loose white shirt and a closely cropped haircut. Smiling, he embraced relatives including his daughter and political heir Paetongtarn Shinawatra, whom a court removed as prime minister last August, just 10 days before he was jailed.

Hundreds of supporters, many dressed in the party’s trademark red, had gathered to welcome him and shouted: “We love Thaksin”.

Thaksin Shinawatra’s release may offer a lift to his once-dominant Pheu Thai

“I went to hibernate. I can’t remember anything now,” he said.

Mr Shinawatra returned to Thailand in 2023 after 15 years in self-imposed exile to begin serving an eight-year sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power during his time as prime minister from 2001 to 2006. He came back on the same day that a party ally was chosen by parliament to become premier.

He did not spend a single night behind bars. Instead, after complaining of heart trouble and chest pains, he was moved to the VIP wing of a hospital. His sentence was later reduced to one year by the king, and he remained in hospital for six months before being granted parole.

Supporters turned out in large numbers after his release

That arrangement was later challenged by the Supreme Court, which found that he and his doctors had prolonged his hospital stay through minor and unnecessary procedures, and ordered that the time be served again in prison.

During his years abroad, and for much of the period after his return, the divisive tycoon continued to cast a long shadow over Thailand’s often turbulent politics. He remained the central force behind a series of populist governments led by, or operating under the influence of, the powerful Shinawatra family.

But the ousting of Paetongtarn — the sixth prime minister from or backed by the family to fall through court rulings or coups — marked the beginning of a political reckoning for Mr Shinawatra. The Pheu Thai government then collapsed, while ally-turned-rival Anutin Charnvirakulin was blocked from becoming premier just days before Mr Shinawatra was imprisoned.

According to ⁠Titipol Phakdeewanich, a political scientist at Ubon Ratchathani University, Mr Shinawatra’s release could breathe some life back into Pheu Thai, which is now a junior partner in Anutin’s coalition after a heavy election defeat in February.

“But he has to tread carefully,” Titipol added. “He overplayed his hand. If he stays behind the scenes, it would be better. But one has to wonder how long he can stay behind the scenes considering his personality.”

Mr Shinawatra must wear an electronic ankle monitor until his sentence ends in September.

One supporter, 76-year-old Rommanee Nakano, said he should never have been sent to jail.

“He is a very good person,” she said outside the prison.

“Whatever he did, he did it for the people. He just wanted the people to be well-fed and ‌have enough to live on.”