Former Thai PM Thaksin out on parole
BANGKOK: Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released early Sunday from a Bangkok hospital where he spent six months serving a prison sentence for corruptionrelated offenses.
Thaksin was seen wearing a neck support, a sling on his right arm, and a surgical mask inside one of the cars in a convoy leaving the Police General Hospital just before sunrise.
He was accompanied by his two daughters and arrived at his residence in western Bangkok, less than an hour later.
A homemade banner with the words “Welcome home” and “We’ve been waiting for this day for so, so long” was seen hanging at the front gate of his house.
Thaksin was accused of corruption and abuse of power during his time in office from 2001 to 2006, when he was toppled in a coup. He remains one of the most polarizing figures in Thai politics over the last two decades.
Analysts believe that his release represents a drift toward reconciliation with his enemies in Thailand’s conservative elite, who saw his popularity and brash populist politics as a threat to the monarchy, which is considered a bedrock of Thai society.
Thaksin is still believed to wield huge influence and will continue to “conduct the music behind the scenes” for the ruling Pheu Thai party — but how much political power he can now exercise is unclear,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
Thaksin’s original eight-year sentence was shortened by King Maha Vajiralongkorn tom just one year, shortly after he voluntarily returned from more than a decade of self-imposed exile.
Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong confirmed the approval of Thaksin’s parole last week, saying he is in the eligible category of inmates who have serious illnesses, are disabled or are aged over 70.
He will still have to report to parole officers every month for the remainder of his sentence and will have a travel restriction. However, he is not required to wear an ankle monitor due to his age and health conditions, officials said.
Thai officials said earlier this month that they have reopened an investigation into allegations of defaming the monarchy made against Thaksin almost nine years ago.
If the Office of the Attorney General decides to indict him, Thaksin could be detained again.
Thaksin was sent straight to prison after his arrival but on grounds of ill health, without spending a single night behind bars. Opponents have charged that serving his sentence in a hospital was a special privilege.
After his 2006 ouster, Thaksin’s supporters and opponents continued their struggle with violent fights in the streets, contests at the ballot box, showdowns in the courts and another coup in 2014 that ousted a government that had been formed by Thaksin’s sister.
Thaksin, a telecommunications billionaire who used his fortune to build a populist political party, was once considered a symbol for a different Thailand.
Parties he has controlled polled first in every general election until last year.