Thailand officially frees ex-PM Thaksin after royal pardon

Thailand officially frees ex-PM Thaksin after royal pardon BANGKOK: Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is officially a free man, less than a week after receiving a royal pardon, the Department of Corrections said on Tuesday (Jun 9). Thaksin, 76, served eight months of a one-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power before being released on parole last month due to his age and health. The Department of Corrections said the former premier was required to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of his release. The telecoms billionaire was among those eligible for a royal pardon on Jun 3, Queen Suthida's birthday, because he had less than one year remaining on his sentence. The corrections department said on Tuesday that Thaksin's electronic monitoring device had been removed. "The prison issued the official release documents and certificate of discharge to Thaksin," it said in a statement. It said Thaksin was "no longer subject to criminal punishment, supervision or related conditions", noting that the same standards were applied to other eligible parolees. Thailand regularly grants royal pardons to prisoners with good conduct to mark major royal occasions, including the birthdays of the king and queen. Thaksin is one of the most influential figures in modern Thai politics and served two terms as prime minister. His second term was cut short by a military coup in 2006, after which he spent more than a decade in self-imposed exile, largely in Dubai, before returning to Thailand in 2023. Thai media reported that Thaksin was expected to travel to Dubai this month, although no reason for the trip has been disclosed. A legal representative for Thaksin did not respond immediately to AFP’s request for comment. His Pheu Thai Party and its predecessors have been among Thailand's most successful political movements of the 21st century. The Shinawatra family has produced four prime ministers and has long enjoyed strong support among rural voters. However, Pheu Thai recorded its worst election result in February, falling to third place and raising questions about the future of Thaksin's political influence.