Thailand: Former Prime Minister Thaksin released early

The 76-year-old billionaire has been serving a one-year prison sentence since September. The Supreme Court had ruled that he had illegally served a prison sentence in a hospital in 2023. He must wear an electronic ankle bracelet during his four months of probation.

Sentenced to eight years in prison in 2023

After his return from exile in August 2023, Thaksin was sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power. He did not serve his sentence in prison, but in a private hospital room. His sentence was later reduced to one year. He was finally released early from prison in February 2024. Because his party returned to power around the same time, there had been speculation that Thaksin may have benefited from special treatment.

Thaksin ruled Thailand from 2001 until a military coup in 2006. Critics had accused him of still pulling the strings in Thailand even after his exile, which he spent mostly in Dubai. His sister Yingluck Shinawatra became head of government in 2011 before she was also overthrown in 2014.

Thaksin Party Pheu Thai is particularly popular among the poorer rural population, who see it as a counter-movement to the elite, which in turn is close to the royal family and the army. However, the party recorded its weakest result to date in the parliamentary elections in February. Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra was most recently at the head of the Thai government. She was removed from office by the Constitutional Court at the end of August. The right-wing construction magnate Anutin Charnvirakul was elected as her successor.