Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was released Monday from a prison in Bangkok after serving eight months of a one-year sentence linked to corruption and abuse of power charges.
Under Thai authorities’ decision, Thaksin will remain under electronic monitoring for the rest of his sentence.
According to Al Jazeera, hundreds of supporters, family members, and political allies gathered outside Bangkok’s Klong Prem Central Prison ahead of his release.
The report said supporters chanted “We love Thaksin” as the former prime minister left custody.
Thaksin Shinawatra, 76, remains one of Thailand’s most influential and controversial political figures of the past two decades.
He served as Thailand’s prime minister from 2001 until 2006, when he was removed from power in a military coup.
In 2023, after 15 years of self-imposed exile, Thaksin returned to Thailand to serve his prison sentence.
His original eight-year sentence was later reduced to one year through a royal pardon.
Following his return, Thaksin spent less than a day in prison before being transferred to a special ward in a police hospital because of health concerns.
That transfer triggered widespread criticism from opponents, who viewed it as evidence of preferential treatment for the former leader.
Political analysts say Thaksin’s release could once again influence Thailand’s political environment, given his enduring influence over major political networks and voter blocs in the country.
Experts also note that the circumstances surrounding his detention, hospitalization, and release continue to fuel debate over political compromise, elite negotiations, and unequal application of justice within Thailand’s deeply polarized political system.
