Thailand ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra is granted early parole

Thailand's former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who's serving a one-year prison term for corruption, is set to be released on parole in May, according to a Department of Corrections statement on Wednesday.

Thaksin, who is 76 years old, will walk out of prison on May 11 and will "need to comply with all conditions" until his probation ends, including wearing an electronic monitor, the statement said.

His age and the fact that he had less than a year left to serve out his sentence justified his early release, the statement added.

Thaksin was serving prison sentence for previous convictions

Thaksin began serving his prison sentence on September 9 in Bangkok's Klong Prem Central Prison.

That sentence followed a court hearing on whether officials had mishandled Thaksin's return to Thailand in 2023, after he spent years in self-exile.

Thaksin was ousted as prime minister in a military coup in 2006. He fled Thailand in 2008 when he faced prison time for conflict of interest, abuse of power and corruption during his time in power. 

Thaksin, who's also a billionare businessman, said the charges were politically motivated. 

He was sentenced to an eight-year prison term as soon as he returned to Thailand in 2023. 

But Thaksin complained of ill health when he reported to prison and was transferred to a state hospital in the middle of the night. He spent less than a day in prison and served out his sentence at a suite in the hospital.

The king eventually commuted his sentence to a one-year term, before Thaksin was released on parole six months later in February 2024.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy, giving the king the final word on pardons of convicted criminals. 

What to know about Thai politics at present

Electoral politics since 2001 had been dominated by populist parties loyal to Thaksin, whose ouster in 2006 set off a period of instability.

Much of that instability was triggered by the tussle for power between Thaksin and his allies, versus Thailand's conservative royalist-military establishment.

During Thai elections earlier this year, Thaksin's political party, the Pheu Thai Party, suffered its worst performance in decades.

Anutin Charnvirakul's Bhumjaithai Party, which represents the old guard, won the most number of seats in parliament this year, stacking up a rare victory for a conservative party in the country.

That's unusual people have generally voted for pro-democracy groups but they have been removed from power through powerful Constitutional Court rulings or military coups. 

Conservatives pull off election comeback in Thailand

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Edited by: Alex Berry